[cheekysave]

Hi lovely people!
Happy New Year!!!

I've been wanting to get a dog for the longest time, but I've been pushing it back until I know I could financially, physically and emotionally commit to getting a dog. I work regular 9-5, with about 90 minutes worth of commuting, away from home about 10-11 hours max during the week, and I can work from home sometimes. My partner is an airline pilot, has blocks of 3-4 days off (can keep the dog company ) BUT is often gone 2-3 nights a week. We're moving to a new and unfamiliar city, and I wanted a dog to keep me company and be a sort of guard dog. We might end up living in an apartment complex (hopefully will get a house with a lawn). For more context, I'm 5' and 140 lbs (trying to lose weight) so not very good at tugging yet... not sure what weight the dog should ideally be either. I'm open to adopting an older dog, feel bad for the ones left behind at shelters.

Absolute must:

• Keen on an hour long walk/hike (min. 30 minutes of exercise) but can be a couch potato so preferably low-medium energy
• Doesn't have a yappy high pitched bark
• Short hair, I'm a sneezer folks!
• Friendly enough but hopefully can alert us to anything untoward

Most importantly, it can't be destructive because we might be renting for a wee while yet. Don't want the landlord to throw the dog/us out.

Thanks in advance for your input. Much appreciated.

 

[LeoRose]

The dog being alone for upwards of 12 hours a day without a chance to relive itself is the main issue I'm seeing. If you can arrange for a dog walker to come in on those days and take them for a midday walk, then my recommendation would be an off the track Greyhound.

 

[InkedMarie]

Ufortunately, a dog barking, being destructive, etc is not a breed thing but an individual dog thing. Use a crate when gone will help with destruction but barking can be a problem. Add the hours you’re gone and I’d wait until you have your own place.

 

[Jen2010]

I agree with the other 2 posters. For the days you know the dog will be alone for 11-12 hours, you'll want to seriously consider a dog walker, or taking him/her to daycare on those days.

Destructive behaviour usually comes from
a) puppies - that's just part of having a puppy, and
b) dogs who are bored. If your dog is going to be left home alone for those long hours, it will probably be bored.

I think adopting a dog is a great idea, since you can skip the puppy stage.

Keep in mind that short-haired dogs often shed a lot more than long-haired dogs.

 

[Lillith]

10-11 hours is kind of a long time for a dog to be home alone without being able to relieve themselves. That's the main issue, I think. 8-9 hours is about max regularly, with the occasional "life happens, whoops I didn't get the dog out when I usually do" incident. Any longer and you're looking at higher risks of UTIs. There's ways to get around long days by hiring a dog walker on days you know you will be gone an excessive amount of time, so if you're willing to do that it can work. Also, another thing to note is that many shelters and rescues may not want to adopt to you because of the long hours...

Does your apartment have any weight/size/breed restrictions on dogs? That's where I would start. If you have no restrictions, than weight is really up to you!

Also, short haired dogs actually shed more than long haired dogs. The life cycle of long haired dog's hair is longer because the hair is longer, so they don't tend to have has much shedding hair. I have an Aussie/Collie mix and he really doesn't shed that much outside of seasonal blowing of the coat. I mean, there's hair, but nothing compared to the mess I see friends with Labs or other short haired breeds have!

If you're looking to adopt an older dog with a set personality from a shelter, I don't think breed matters as much as individual characteristics. Try to find rescues or shelters that have their dogs in foster homes so the foster can tell you more about their personality, like if they're generally quiet, like to lay around and snuggle, how much exercise they do best with.

Some breeds that I can think of off the top of my head are retired racetrack Greyhounds, which are notorious couch potatoes when they're inside, Shih Tzus, Bichon Frise, Havanese, Maltese, Lhasa Apso, Whippets, or Italian Greyhounds, (which look like mini versions of the big Greyhound). Lots of small dogs, so not great if you want something a little more intimidating, lol! There are some rather large dogs like Newfoundlands or Saint Bernards who are considered lower energy, but I don't know how you would feel with a giant dog in your apartment. I don't think I would recommend!