Thinking about adopting a dog

[Aharami]

I love dogs and a while back (over 10 yrs ago) used to have a German Shepard. Now that Im married and have my own house, wife and I are thinking about adopting a dog. My sister-in-law works at ABC (the tv Network) and knows someone who's working with Animal Planet's new show where they help people looking to adopt a dog. We have a chance to adopt a collie mix named Roscoe. But in doing so, we'd have to appear on the show.

This is the description about Roscoe on petfinder

ROSCOE is a 14 to 15 week old, COLLIE MIX PUP! He was one of 5 pups rescued out of a high kill shelter and due to be put to sleep because the pups had come into the pound with no hair and skin infections. We pulled them out of the pound and got them vetted and now they are 100% healthy and ready to be adopted!!! They were so pitiful it broke our hearts knowing their fate if we left them. Roscoe is a wonderful pup, he is the biggest of his five siblings. Roscoe is a very calm pup, the entire litter are extremely relaxed in nature. Our vet predicts his weight to be around 60 pounds when he is grown. All the pups have have been house-trained and crate-trained. Roscoe gets along great with all other dogs, male or female. Roscoe is also great with cats(see picture)!!!!! He loves to sleep in a big fleece dog bed and he is just a great pup! He is also kid friendly and he loves to be cuddled. Roscoe has been neutered, current on shots including bordatella and rabies,dewormed, on heartworm preventative and Frontline Plus.

Now never having owned a collie before, I was wondering if any collie owners would like to chime on their dog's personality. Wife and I are an active couple and have no problem taking the dog out for walks. But we live in a townhouse, and as such, have no backyard for the dog to set free on. So whenever he goes out, he'll have to be on a leash.

Also we both work and the dog will be home alone most of the day. I hate the idea of crating because I think they're just miserable, but my coworker who owns numerous pets, claims dogs are perfectly fine in their crates, as long as the crate is big enough for them to be able to turn around.

Also what are some websites where we can look up proper training methods. I want to make sure that we are ready before we commit to this.

 

[bignateyk]

My german shepherd doesnt mind his crate. He just sleeps when he's in it. Never barks or anything even if he hears us come in the door.

 

[Aharami]

My german shepherd doesnt mind his crate. He just sleeps when he's in it. Never barks or anything even if he hears us come in the door.

how old is your GS? how long do you leave him in the crate at a time? Do you provide him with food and water inside the crate?

 

[bignateyk]

how old is your GS? how long do you leave him in the crate at a time? Do you provide him with food and water inside the crate?

8 months old. No food and water in the pen. He sleeps in it for up to 10 hours at night. He is in it during the day for 8 hours, but my wife or myself come home at lunch to let him out for a few minutes.

Then he is in there for about 30-40 minutes out of every hour in the evening. He is being trained in protection, so until he matures, he is kept very disciplined. No free roaming the house or anything until he is at least a year old.

The only time he is out of his crate right now is for specific training/play sessions where we are directly interacting with him.

edit: In total, I would guess he spends about 20 hours a day in it. Once he is over a year old, and matures, he will be allowed to sleep outside the crate and be outside of it with us for the whole evening. We are also putting an outdoor kennel inside our fence this summer to put him during the day. So once he matures, he will only be spending 8 hours in his outdoor kennel, and maybe and hour or two a day in the crate.

edit 2: The important part of crate training is to make sure you keep using it. If you stop using the crate, the dog wont want to go in it eventually because he wont be used to it anymore. Also, never let your dog out while it is barking. I always make my dog lay down and stay before I open the door. Then I open the door and make him lay there for a minute or two until I release him.

 

[Aharami]

8 months old. No food and water in the pen. He sleeps in it for up to 10 hours at night. He is in it during the day for 8 hours, but my wife or myself come home at lunch to let him out for a few minutes.

Then he is in there for about 30-40 minutes out of every hour in the evening. He is being trained in protection, so until he matures, he is kept very disciplined. No free roaming the house or anything until he is at least a year old.

The only time he is out of his crate right now is for specific training/play sessions where we are directly interacting with him.

edit: In total, I would guess he spends about 20 hours a day in it.

see that just seems cruel to me, but that could just be my own ignorance speaking. My previous GS was adopted as an adult, so I've never trained a pup. Isnt your dog sad that he has to be confined in such a small space all day?

 

[DukeN]

Nice looking dog.

I adopted a schnauzer (standard) and poodle mix six months back and would do it again.

All the best!

 

[bignateyk]

see that just seems cruel to me, but that could just be my own ignorance speaking. My previous GS was adopted as an adult, so I've never trained a pup. Isnt your dog sad that he has to be confined in such a small space all day?

Nope. He doesn't mind it at all. It's all about building a relationship with your dog. I've never yelled at him, disciplined him, etc... When he is outside of the crate it is for a purpose and we are directly interacting with him.

How many dogs do you think get 4 hours a day of direct interaction with their owners? Probably pretty close to 0%.

The point is to not give the dog the opportunity to misbehave. When you just leave a puppy out of the crate, they will misbehave to get your attention, and then you will inevitably yell at them, which destroys your relationship. Once the dog matures it will understand that it can't always have your attention.

Dogs arent like people. Their purpose is what you tell them their purpose is.

If your dog gets upset about not being in the same room with you all the time, it is unstable. To a stable dog, there is no difference between sleeping in a crate and sleeping on the couch.

 

[alkemyst]

Find a dog park, I have a decent backyard but it doesn't cut it with my Cattle dog. Even an hour+ at dog park isn't enough for him. We walk 30 mins each morning (I'd like to do 45 though) then dog park each night for 1-2 hours, on the weekends about 2-3 hours.

Collies need about the same level.

To other's dog's don't mind their crates during the day, but if they are spending more time in them than out, a dog is the wrong choice for a pet.

 

[Capt Caveman]

OP - Roscoe being a collie mix will more than likely require hours of exercise a day. A puppy will also need to relieve itself every 3-4 hours if you're lucky. Is someone planning on coming home in the middle of day? If not, do you plan on hiring a dog walker or sending him to doggie daycare? Any local dogs parks that will allow the dog to be able to exercise leash free? Collie's need to be both mentally and physically exercised. They thrive in environments where they have a purpose/job.

I rescued a 10 month old Rhodesian Ridgeback and he requires close to 4 hours a day of exercise or he goes crazy.

Dogs, especially puppies are a lot of work and responsibility. Are you willing to dedicate the next 10-15 years to Roscoe?

 

[thedarkwolf]

I'd just find an adult instead that is already house trained and past the annoying destructive stages. I'm also not big on crating.

 

[CraigRT]

CUTE dog... I recently began to appreciate cats because they're so low maintenance and actually can be a lot of fun. (I have 2 now)

But I think I will still get a dog again one day...

 

[JM Aggie08]

**paging all shelter and pound fanboys**

 

[DougK62]

**paging all shelter and pound fanboys**

Uhhh...it clearly states that this is a rescue dog.

 

[El Guaraguao]

Dogs make great running\jogging partners.