Moving out, and I want a pet!

[ktlm]

Watch out for beagles-especially if they are young dogs. I have had 2 friends that have had them. They were both very wild. Also, you guys were talking about the anal gland issue, and that is a pretty common problem with Beagles. Beagles don't like to be left alone and they need ALOT of exercise. They are not good apartment dogs. They need a yard to run and burn off energy. They can be good dogs if someone is home with them all the time and helps them burn off all that energy in the yard or on walks, but otherwise they are not the best choice. They tend to tear things up if you leave them alone. One of my friends came home after a few hours of work and her entire couch was shredded. I'm talking the insides of the cushions were all over her entire apartment. I saw it. It looked like burglars or vandals had come in and ransacked the place. I couldn't believe one little dog could cause all that damage in a short amount of time. Every time she left the apartment, even for half an hour, unless the dog was locked up in a crate, something was completely destroyed when she came home. My other friend's dog was not quite as bad, but he still tore lots of things up and had so much energy he was pretty hard to control. It doesn't surprise me that there are a lot of beagles out there because I think a lot of people don't realize the breed's needs and temperament and don't keep them. Apparently, they calm down once they hit about 3-4 years of age. It is the first few years that can be rough. My friend "lost custody" of destructo dog to her boyfriend when they broke up, so I don't know if he ever calmed down. My other friend's dog calmed down when he was 4, and didn't cause much trouble after that.

 

[AmyPond]

I think it's wise for all dog owners, especially in the beginning, to crate their dogs when they leave the house. That's just my personal opinion, of course. We crate ours when we leave. Maybe when she's older we'll leave her out when we're gone. But we find it's best to crate her. Crate training is VERY important.

 

[LifeIsTinkIsLife]

My MIL has a yorkie (and had another one, a teacup yorkie, but a coyote got it) and they are/were annoying little dogs. She has a yorkie-poo and it's a bit better. But it's white and needs bathed all the time. Plus, she never took the time to train them and basically carries them everywhere. So they just are not my favorite dogs ever. LOL.

Dogs with shorter coats only need to be brushed often with an occasional bath (it's actually not good for their skin to bathe them often.) It's just so much nice and easier to deal with. I wouldn't enjoy having a dog I had to take to the groomers all the time.

Yeah I've only met that one Yorkie, and he was adorable, but I am not a fan of smaller dogs. I wouldn't want mine to need to go to a groomer too. I like brushing them (the feeling of all that hair NOT being in my house is pretty nice!) but I wouldn't want to take them every month like DBF's parents do with their Schnauzer. Now HE is a GREAT dog, but I've never met another Schnauzer that I liked. He is a one of a kind dog and I wouldn't want to get one for myself because I wouldn't be so lucky! She didn't train them? That is one of my favorite parts, training them to sit and stay and roll over and all that!

Watch out for beagles-especially if they are young dogs. I have had 2 friends that have had them. They were both very wild. Also, you guys were talking about the anal gland issue, and that is a pretty common problem with Beagles. Beagles don't like to be left alone and they need ALOT of exercise. They are not good apartment dogs. They need a yard to run and burn off energy. They can be good dogs if someone is home with them all the time and helps them burn off all that energy in the yard or on walks, but otherwise they are not the best choice. They tend to tear things up if you leave them alone. One of my friends came home after a few hours of work and her entire couch was shredded. I'm talking the insides of the cushions were all over her entire apartment. I saw it. It looked like burglars or vandals had come in and ransacked the place. I couldn't believe one little dog could cause all that damage in a short amount of time. Every time she left the apartment, even for half an hour, unless the dog was locked up in a crate, something was completely destroyed when she came home. My other friend's dog was not quite as bad, but he still tore lots of things up and had so much energy he was pretty hard to control. It doesn't surprise me that there are a lot of beagles out there because I think a lot of people don't realize the breed's needs and temperament and don't keep them. Apparently, they calm down once they hit about 3-4 years of age. It is the first few years that can be rough. My friend "lost custody" of destructo dog to her boyfriend when they broke up, so I don't know if he ever calmed down. My other friend's dog calmed down when he was 4, and didn't cause much trouble after that.

Yeah I have always heard after the first few years they calm down too. I think they are cute but I don't like the constant barking we hear from our neighbors dog, and he is 8 or 9. I was reading a book about all the personalities of dogs and there is also a survey you can take that helps you find the dog you want, and I can't remember what I got paired with, but it is nice to know what you can usually expect out of certain dogs. Destructo would be a funny name for a bad dog, haha.

I think it's wise for all dog owners, especially in the beginning, to crate their dogs when they leave the house. That's just my personal opinion, of course. We crate ours when we leave. Maybe when she's older we'll leave her out when we're gone. But we find it's best to crate her. Crate training is VERY important.

Yes my dad has told me all about that. Dogs are what he calls "den" animals and like to have their own little space to go. His dog is a perfect example of that, he never lays on open ground, he has to go underneath the end tables. He was abused before my dad got him at the pound so that is a big reason why, but his other dog is the same way as well. We crate trained our older dogs and they didn't like it at first because they were so used to being able to roam and destroy things but they finally got used to it and would go in their crates to lay down after a while.

 

[AmyPond]

Yeah I've only met that one Yorkie, and he was adorable, but I am not a fan of smaller dogs. I wouldn't want mine to need to go to a groomer too. I like brushing them (the feeling of all that hair NOT being in my house is pretty nice!) but I wouldn't want to take them every month like DBF's parents do with their Schnauzer. Now HE is a GREAT dog, but I've never met another Schnauzer that I liked. He is a one of a kind dog and I wouldn't want to get one for myself because I wouldn't be so lucky! She didn't train them? That is one of my favorite parts, training them to sit and stay and roll over and all that!


Yeah I have always heard after the first few years they calm down too. I think they are cute but I don't like the constant barking we hear from our neighbors dog, and he is 8 or 9. I was reading a book about all the personalities of dogs and there is also a survey you can take that helps you find the dog you want, and I can't remember what I got paired with, but it is nice to know what you can usually expect out of certain dogs. Destructo would be a funny name for a bad dog, haha.


Yes my dad has told me all about that. Dogs are what he calls "den" animals and like to have their own little space to go. His dog is a perfect example of that, he never lays on open ground, he has to go underneath the end tables. He was abused before my dad got him at the pound so that is a big reason why, but his other dog is the same way as well. We crate trained our older dogs and they didn't like it at first because they were so used to being able to roam and destroy things but they finally got used to it and would go in their crates to lay down after a while.

I've heard schnauzers get mean when they get older.

I enjoy brushing our dog too. And I think she likes it. If she gets stinky from being outside, I have a waterless bath I spray on her and rub in. It seems to help a bit with the "kennel stink" she gets after we board her when we go out of town.

She didn't like her crates when we first got her. Now, she sleeps in one in our room every night. And she has another one in the family room...where she is right now, actually. We just leave it open and she goes in and lays down all the time. We have a larger one we put her when when we leave. She's still not a huge fan of it but she's gotten so much better with it.

 

[prncssmel]

Just a few notes on getting a dog with an apartment. Dogs can be trained to litter boxes like cats or to puppy pads. Our dog was trained to puppy pads when she was little (well, when she was younger, she is still little). Also, a lot of apartments have regulations on what breeds they allow, not just regulations on size.

I would be careful when hearing this breed is like this and such. So much of a dog's behavior has to do with training and not with breed. We have a <4 pound dog, and she is not yappy at all. She was trained to not bark and never has.