ATOT - what do I need to know about owning a dog?

[Carson Dyle]

Coming from someone that has to count their calories, hilarious!

Why? I actually leave my house without requiring a dog to drag me out into the fresh air.

We seem to live in a society today with an unusually high number of people who just don't know how to interact with other people. Nothing wrong with getting a dog if you're lacking companionship in your life. Many people are very lonely, and I'm sure it helps.

 

[DrPizza]

Things you need to know:
*his crap is going to be bigger than your crap.
*most people put dog food bowls on the floor, because that's the level that their dogs eat at. Great Danes are already at table level. Anywhere you would normally put food in a house is already at serving height for a Great Dane.
*a guy walking a super-friendly big dog is going to meet females. A guy walking a chihuahua probably isn't.

Those are probably the 3 most important things you'll need to know.

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

Check your area for dog parks. I take mine almost every afternoon/evening to the local dog park for 45 - 90 minutes. Keeps her happy and sucks most of the energy out of her so she isn't bouncing off the walls at night.

Plus you will meet some fellow dog owners so not only does your dog get to socialize, so do you.

 

[Capt Caveman]

Why? I actually leave my house without requiring a dog to drag me out into the fresh air.

We seem to live in a society today with an unusually high number of people who just don't know how to interact with other people. Nothing wrong with getting a dog if you're lacking companionship in your life. Many people are very lonely, and I'm sure it helps.

Self-control and maybe you need to get outside more to burn off those calories. You probably have some personal issues you need to work out.

 

[Carson Dyle]

Self-control and maybe you need to get outside more to burn off those calories. You probably have some personal issues you need to work out.

I get out and burn plenty, but thanks for the encouragement.

 

[Ichinisan]

Food goes in, poop comes out.

 

[Carson Dyle]

Food goes in, poop comes out.

Preferably outside. Had an old neighbor growing up who let his two dogs shit in the house, cleaned it up once or twice a day. It stunk so bad, you did NOT want to enter that house. Ever.

 

[edro]

Put your dog in prison from 9-5 M-F, sounds awesome.
Why the hell do people do that?
You should not get a dog.

 

[Capt Caveman]

Put your dog in prison from 9-5 M-F, sounds awesome.
Why the hell do people do that?
You should not get a dog.

Maybe you should read the thread

http://forums.anandtech.com/showpost.php?p=38076492&postcount=13

 

[edro]

Maybe you should read the thread
http://forums.anandtech.com/showpost.php?p=38076492&postcount=13

That is 13 posts down! Far too much work...

 

[TwiceOver]

Renting...

/thread

 

[pete6032]

Put your dog in prison from 9-5 M-F, sounds awesome.
Why the hell do people do that?
You should not get a dog.

I would love to have a dog but I would not get one for this very reason. Living alone with a full time job means I'm out of the house between 7 and 5 each day. Then when I get home I'm either cooking, exercising, or leaving the house again for other activities. Not enough time to take care of a dog and give it the environment it deserves.

 

[Ns1]

You guys realize Great Danes are lazy as fuck right? Give him a couch and DogTV and he'll be fine.


That giant Dane is less maintenance than one of my corgis.

 

[Ruptga]

Luckily my husband and I

Dammit, there goes another one of my dreams. :'(

Oh and OP, see: http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2421928

I'm happy with my two dogs, but you have to be ready for shit to happen.

 

[Stopsignhank]

I am a firm believer in the fact if you work and you have a dog, you have 2 dogs. They keep each other company and you still get all the love when you get home. Of course I have 4 dogs.

For all of those who think that they could not give a dog a good home, remember there are many dogs from shelters that get put down. I am sure those dogs would prefer to be couch potatoes in your house.

 

[Ns1]

For all of those who think that they could not give a dog a good home, remember there are many dogs from shelters that get put down. I am sure those dogs would prefer to be couch potatoes in your house.

:thumbsup:

 

[Platypus]

Dammit, there goes another one of my dreams. :'(

Oh and OP, see: http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2421928

I'm happy with my two dogs, but you have to be ready for shit to happen.

lol.

OP he looks awesome, hope it works out

 

[Fritzo]

No matter how well they're trained, they'll pee and poop in your house. They also get hair everywhere, they'll wake you up at 2am to go outside, they'll even eat your sandwich when pause the game and go to the bathroom.

Wouldn't give mine up for the world

 

[AreaCode707]

I've had Danes for most of my life. My 140 lb female Dane is asleep on her bed right now.

Honestly they're one of the better apartment breeds out there, especially as adults or senior dogs. Most of our Danes have lived to 8 years, with our last two (adult adoptees at 4 years and 8 years old respectively) living to 10.

They are lovers. They will sleep on the couch. You will have glasses of wine and cans of soda knocked off your coffee table by their tails. They will back up and sit on your lap, apparently completely oblivious that most of their body is still on the floor. You and your male friends will take a tail whack to the nads at some point.

The fact that you can get home midday to take the dog for a short walk will probably work out well as long as your Dane is older than 2. They can hold it, and are usually happy to sleep for two four-hour chunks back to back. A longer walk in the morning and evening would probably make them pretty happy. My folks have a four year old dog and a big yard, and she basically never spends any time outside, by her choice. You let her out, she goes and then comes and whines to be let back in so she can follow them around or sleep.

Do plan for the medical costs and the shorter life. Most of our Danes have been quite healthy, but when they get sick they are expensive simply because of their size.

 

[Raduque]

You won't regret getting a dog when you see that look in their eye and that little full-body wag thing they do when you get home. Even when you come home to 3 piles of shit in 3 different rooms and a puddle of piss just inside the front door.

 

[AreaCode707]

You won't regret getting a dog when you see that look in their eye and that little full-body wag thing they do when you get home. Even when you come home to 3 piles of shit in 3 different rooms and a puddle of piss just inside the front door.

The only time we've ever had a dog have an accident in our house is when our newly-adopted 8 year old turned out to have an undiagnosed thyroid condition. She was so ashamed and embarrassed every time she had an accident that I felt worse for her than I did for me, and I had to do the cleanup! Fortunately a cheap daily pill took care of her thyroid problem and she had a healthy last two years.

 

[Stopsignhank]

You won't regret getting a dog when you see that look in their eye and that little full-body wag thing they do when you get home..

My favorite saying "Please let me be the person my dog thinks I am."

Fen, One thing is we have doggy doors. Similar to this one. http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ideal-Pe...-4-in-Standard-Alum-Slider-80PATSLM/100591700 If you have a patio door. They sit in the frame of our sliding door and the dogs can go out when they need to.

Unfortunately one of our dogs is dumb and sometimes when I come home she is outside with the look on her face of, Please let me in. I point to the doggy door and she is so happy and grateful when she comes in.

 

[ControlD]

You won't regret getting a dog when you see that look in their eye and that little full-body wag thing they do when you get home. Even when you come home to 3 piles of shit in 3 different rooms and a puddle of piss just inside the front door.

Yep, all true.

When the cat starts pissing on the new carpet however, a shovel to the side of the head seems like a perfectly acceptable solution. Alas, the rest of the family doesn't seem to agree.

 

[DrPizza]

My favorite saying "Please let me be the person my dog thinks I am."

Fen, One thing is we have doggy doors. Similar to this one. http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ideal-Pe...-4-in-Standard-Alum-Slider-80PATSLM/100591700 If you have a patio door. They sit in the frame of our sliding door and the dogs can go out when they need to.

Unfortunately one of our dogs is dumb and sometimes when I come home she is outside with the look on her face of, Please let me in. I point to the doggy door and she is so happy and grateful when she comes in.

That wouldn't help the OP, since he rents. Our dogs have 24/7 access to outside. My mother lives next door to us. Apparently, many days, our dogs spend the majority of their time playing in the back yard, rather than laying around in the house.

 

[herm0016]

I am a firm believer in the fact if you work and you have a dog, you have 2 dogs. They keep each other company and you still get all the love when you get home. Of course I have 4 dogs.

For all of those who think that they could not give a dog a good home, remember there are many dogs from shelters that get put down. I am sure those dogs would prefer to be couch potatoes in your house.

i agree, we have 2 dogs and a cat, all rescues and we do work all day. I cant imagine they would find it better to be in a shelter, or not with us at all.