Choosing A Dog

[izifaddag]

I am seriously thinking of getting a doggy to keep me company. The problem is that I know very little about dogs. 
Any tips would be welcome.

 

[user 423]

There is a show called "Picking a puppy" on my local TV. They let prospective owners choose between several breeds and explain usual traits,temperaments,etc. Look around as you might find older episodes you can stream.

 

[NctryBen]

First thing to consider is the time commitment. Many dogs will live ten to fifteen years. Then expenses like food, vet bills, their needs like beds, crates, tick/wormer control. Climate control... can you keep them warm or cool...
As far as breed, I like a bigger dog where many like the smaller ones. No matter what you get my opinion is you need to spend a lot of time with them. They’ll have you trained in no time! Haha!

 

[LERCA]

Mixed breeds are healthier. Look up various pure breeds and see what they suffer from: everything from blindness to cancer specific to the breed. I’m a big dog person but a small dog is easier to travel with. Take aside a volunteer at your local shelter and ask which dogs have the best temperaments. They know.
Edit: vaccines every few years, flea meds (oral or topical) ear infections (constant) random illnesses (my dog had water diarrhea and was vomiting $1100.) Once you take on an animal you’re responsible just like a person and vets cost more than doctors although I suggest pet insurance immediately. And you think you’re going to ignore the dog’s crying, whining, shaking their heads, limping and they look at you with those big sad eyes and there goes $2000.

 

[MrNoodly]

Have you been living as a nomad long enough that things are working well for you, that you aren't struggling with the day-to-day stuff? Because it wouldn't be fair to a dog to bring it into an unstable, tenuous, anxiety plagued situation. I don't think it's wise to be training a dog to adapt to your life if you're still trying to adapt yourself. And I think all this is doubly true if you've never had a dog before.

Having a dog (or cat) limits what you can do and where you can go. For example, check the forum for threads about needing to leave a pet in the vehicle for long periods. Or the problems of pets interacting with wildlife — as both predator or prey.

But if the life is going smoothly for you and you have the extra funds to support a dog, and a dog wouldn't complicate things beyond your abilities to adjust, then go ahead.

 

[jimindenver]

One thing to consider is that you can not just leave them alone often. They really are a sacrifice of your freedom as well as mentioned above, they are expensive to keep.

Personally I like mini schnauzers. Max is my fifth. They are intelligent to the point of being not just stubborn but manipulative as well. They can be trained very well just not by the usual hard lined do as I say or else type of training. Anyone that knows Max will tell you that he is a very good boy but he has a mind of his own too.

Is he spoiled? Oh yes. He knows his tricks both by verbal command and hand signal get him cookie.

Schnauzers of all sizes are hypoallergenic and do not shed. They do have to be groomed. All three breeds, mini, standard and giant were bred to be watch dogs and mini's have excellent hearing.  You are not going to get close to the trailer without him knowing it. He will alert on things even at a distance after dark.

Max is small because I'm not allowed to pick up much weight. He doesn't take up much room on the bed and fits in my lap perfectly. A larger dog might be trainable to be able to protect me in a more physical sense but I will never want a aggressive dog. I can protect us both as long as my dirty little Q-tip lets me know what's coming.

 

[user 423]

He is aptly named because he owns maximum cuteness.

 

[john*thomas]

Without question I would look for one that does not shed. We once had an American Eskimo and he could fill a house let alone a van/camper.
Our Shorkie doesn't shed either. Doesn't take a lot of room but loves to go. They can be quite the added expense though. Many areas have clinics that are far less expensive than a regular vet. She is OK alone as long as she can look out a window. Never leave a pet alone in anything not climate controlled.
 
 

 

[izifaddag]

Thank you everyone.
Certain things seem to being repeated over and over. Namely running costs, responsibility and cramped freedom.
I shall have to ponder this further although I really am taken with the idea of a dog. I loved the idea of a schnauzer like Jimindenver has.
Mr Noodly I am very settled in van life. I have lived an on the road style life since April 2008. I moved into my present situation in May 2019. I am very used to the ups and downs of road life.
Not with a pet though.
I had a cat for 3 years once. I also like cats very much. I like to watch the The Cat Lady Van channel on YouTube. She has got a very well behaved cat and seems to have the whole thing very under control. Disadvantages to that too. A litter box for one thing.
I think leaving the little guy alone for any time is a big problem. This winter I face multiple visits to Algodones for dental work. Any decision will have to be postponed until that is over with. I can't see leaving a pet in the rig while I waltz into Mexico for the day.
Thank you to everyone who took the trouble to give me some advice. Very kind of you. Everything you have sad has been absorbed. Thanks.

 

[kklowell]

Once you get a dog, never underestimate the busybodies who think it's their duty to watch for a dog left in a vehicle. I ran into one just the other night when we were out and decided to stop at Walmart. We had our Chihuahua with us but reasoned that since it was about 80 degrees out and the sun was low enough for the store to be casting a shadow on the truck and still going down (it was about 7pm) there would be no problem. That is until this lady saw her in the truck and said, "Sir, you're not leaving that dog in that truck...ARE YOU?" I explained that, yes, that was my intention because it was getting dark so the truck would be cooling, not getting hotter, and that it wasn't that hot out anyway. Her response to that was, "it IS hot and it's humid!" After explaining to her that humidity wasn't going to increase the interior temperature of my truck (which was 84 to begin with) she got in her car. I went in the store, but stood just inside and watched. She didn't leave for at least 5 minutes, so I knew she had called the cops. Yep, they showed up and checked us out, but didn't even talk to me or my wife.
I would never leave the dog in the truck if it had been hot, or getting hotter, BTW.
Having a dog with you while traveling could be pretty cool...someone to talk to who doesn't talk back and likes your suggestions would be nice. LOL

 

[nature lover]

I used to have a dog with me anywhere I traveled. But she left me and filed for divorce. Hey get over it I’m just kidding.

 

[dcbinvt]

Rescue is the way to go. Most rescuers know the dogs in their care, AND... they never forget!
Unconditional True Love has four paws.

DCB in VT

 

[izifaddag]

Once you get a dog, never underestimate the busybodies who think it's their duty to watch for a dog left in a vehicle. I ran into one just the other night when we were out and decided to stop at Walmart. We had our Chihuahua with us but reasoned that since it was about 80 degrees out and the sun was low enough for the store to be casting a shadow on the truck and still going down (it was about 7pm) there would be no problem. That is until this lady saw her in the truck and said, "Sir, you're not leaving that dog in that truck...ARE YOU?" I explained that, yes, that was my intention because it was getting dark so the truck would be cooling, not getting hotter, and that it wasn't that hot out anyway. Her response to that was, "it IS hot and it's humid!" After explaining to her that humidity wasn't going to increase the interior temperature of my truck (which was 84 to begin with) she got in her car. I went in the store, but stood just inside and watched. She didn't leave for at least 5 minutes, so I knew she had called the cops. Yep, they showed up and checked us out, but didn't even talk to me or my wife.
I would never leave the dog in the truck if it had been hot, or getting hotter, BTW.
Having a dog with you while traveling could be pretty cool...someone to talk to who doesn't talk back and likes your suggestions would be nice. LOL

You seem like you really love dogs so I know you would not leave your friend in a hot truck. There are so many nosy SJWs around lately. Just looking to cause trouble and manufacture a scene out of nothing. Your last sentence is so spot on. 
I find it a bit lonely out here. A dog would be a friend. Someone to love and care about.

 

[izifaddag]

I used to have a dog with me anywhere I traveled.  But she left me and filed for divorce. Hey get over it I’m just kidding.

 

[izifaddag]

Rescue is the way to go. Most rescuers know the dogs in their care, AND... they never forget!
Unconditional True Love has four paws.

DCB in VT

I agree. Last year I tried to adopt from the pound in Tupelo, MS. They had the facilities but they didn't have any dogs!! Only one who was cute as a button but he was spoken for. 
Still thinking about this. Thks for the i/p.

 

[lab_nomad]

Once you get a dog, never underestimate the busybodies who think it's their duty to watch for a dog left in a vehicle.

Oh, don't get me started! People do NOT understand how things work. I notice, for example, that my van stays much cooler than my car ever did...larger air space, tinted windows, etc. There's a big difference between uncomfortably warm and fry your brain hot. 

I've got a 45 minute commute each way to this current job assignment, and I hate leaving Penelope alone for 11 hours, so the other day it wasn't going above 80, so I took her to work with me. I park across the street, and I have an hour lunch and a half-hour break. I took her for two walks, and we sat in the van with the a/c on for a while.  The temp's back up again, but as soon as it stays below 80, I'll have her with me again.

Honestly, there are days when I can't wait to be done with work precisely b/c I can't wait to see her again. She's so smart, so quirky, hilarious, and has only one vice...she sheds like a sonofagun. If you brush her, very little hair comes out. But she can sit down for 3 seconds, then get up and move, and there's a ton of hair left behind. Crazy.

But yes, I've had the cops called on me, and it was all I could do to hold my tongue. I was at the flippin' shelter to see about another dog, and I had Penelope with me so I could see how they might get along. It was in the 70's, I parked in the shade, and I had the windows rolled down. All they had to do was come into the shelter and say something (or better yet, mind their own business), but they called the cops. By the time the cops got there, I already had Penelope inside, and I was afraid to tell them what I thought, lest they have some loophole by which they could take Penelope away from me (since it was the same shelter I got her from). Grrr, I was boiling by the time I left.

 

[kklowell]

One other time we had the cop called on us for leaving our previous dog in the SUV while we went in the store. It was not quite hot out, but it was pretty warm, so I parked under a tree, opened the sunroof and the windows, then went into the store. We came out about 10-15 minutes later...just as a police cruiser came rolling up. He said they'd had a call about a dog in a hot car...but then he looked at our vehicle with the sleeping, not panting, dog in it and after some pleasant conversation, wished us a nice day and left.

 

[Cammalu]

When it’s 70 degrees out the inside of a car can get really, really hot. Roll up your windows and sit in your car for a few and see. I was surprised just how hot it can get.

 

[lab_nomad]

When it’s 70 degrees out the inside of a car can get really, really hot. Roll up your windows and sit in your car for a few and see. I was surprised just how hot it can get.

I don't leave my dog in a car with the windows rolled up parked in the sun. That's stupid and I have better sense. Cars get BLAZING hot parked in the sun. And someone deserves to have the cops called on them if they have a dog in this situation.

I'm referring to a tinted window van parked in the shade with windows open. I get in and out of that van all the time when I'm running errands and I know how hot it gets. Or I have the car running and the A/C on if I'm only going to be ten minutes or less (I have remote start).

Just seeing a dog in a vehicle is not a reason to call the cops.

 

[kklowell]

When it’s 70 degrees out the inside of a car can get really, really hot. Roll up your windows and sit in your car for a few and see. I was surprised just how hot it can get.

 Sure, if the sun is shining on the vehicle it can, and will, get hot in a hurry. I think most dog owners are smart enough to know that.