Dog or no dog?

[graycurlsvanning]

Agreed! I've had a couple of destructive dogs. It would be pretty bad to lose what little you have in a van.

 

[vanbrat]

There is so much good advice here.
I have had 5-6 adult rescue dogs and have worked for the first 6 months at training and training and more training! But most bad habits can be trained and loved out of the dog. But breeding cannot always totally be trained out. If you get a dog that is bred to chase prey, expect it to chase prey. If you get a breed that is bred to guard, expect it to guard. And without good training it may not do these things exactly the way you want. I have gotten 1 dog from a breeder and won't do that again. Not because the dog was not a great dog, but because there are so many really great dogs in shelters. But you may not find the one breed you may be looking for if you are looking for particular breed. I spent 5-6 months looking daily at shelter dogs last time I looked for a dog. Online, then in person when I could, lots of phone calls. The one I ended up with now is great, but it took a lot of training. He was just a great big happy love of a lug. He also has more than once 'earned' his way in the way of keeping us safe.
Personally, I have a hard time seeing myself without a dog, but at the same time I know I am getting up there in years and may not have the ability to take on another dog...... 'Speicaly sense I love the big strong dumb loves. This one is already too strong for me.

 

[graycurlsvanning]

I totally agree with only getting dogs from shelters since there are soooo many in need. And I would have to consider size too because of my age. Even my last small dog could end up bothering my shoulder when we walked and he didn't even pull! How's that for aging!! Yes, my very biggest worry is losing another pet to age. It's the worst pain and I am not sure I can endure it again...

 

[Ballenxj]

And I'm not saying they can't be trained out of poor behavior. But it is best to know if you will be facing certain problems. When you're living with what can be the bare necessities, you don't want them destroyed.

My first Border Collie was given to me by a couple that couldn't handle him. Border Collies can be a handful. I worked security for a guy that has a large military surplus store in a rough part of town. One day we were outside talking when he confessed to me that my Dog was smarter than most of his employees.

 

[graycurlsvanning]

I have heard that they are one of the smartest breeds. And being smarter than most humans...well...not too hard. Haha!!!

 

[D'L]

If you go with a mixed breed, it's going to shed -- guaranteed.

Sorry, but this is absolutely untrue. Some breeds of dogs shed a lot and others don't. I have one mixed breed that is part poodle and he doesn't shed at all, apart from two or three little clumps in a week. It all depends on what your mix dog is. And even with a shedding dog it can be drastically reduced by just brushing daily.

Formerly-owned dogs often have "problems":

Again, not at all true! I have worked in rescue for many years in carious different capacities. The vast majority of dogs we get into rescue organizations do not have "problems" at all. Dogs are given up for a hundred reasons.

- The people move and are not dedicated enough to the dog to keep him or her.
- The person marries someone or has a child that is allergic
-The person loses their job, has to move to small apartment that doesn't allow dogs.
- The person has no idea how to train a dog and so doesn't realize that what they have is not a "bad" dog but just a dog who has never been trained and it is very simple to train the dog so the dog behaves extremely well. Believe me, I have had a lot of those dogs come through my home.
-The people just decide they don't want a dog after all or got him or her for a friend/child who doesn't take care of the dog.
--The owner dies and no one can take the dog.
- The owner gets too ill to take care of the dog.
--The dog got lost and was not found by the owner, had no ID chip and ended up in shelter or rescue.
And so on.

And ANY issue the dog has (especially those listed in BegianPup's post above, which are very easy to train a dog not to do) can be solved with training, and all dogs need to be trained. The only exception to this is human aggression, which is a whole other thing and no one should adopt a dog who is aggressive to people unless they have specialized training to deal with it.

If you want a perfect dog without putting any effort into it, get a toy stuffed dog. Every single dog no matter age or breed or type or where you get them will need to learn to live with your particular set of rules. They may be very different from the former owner's rules, so it may not even be a matter of no training, just different training. Maybe the former owner liked it when the dog jumped on them.

And any dog can learn your rules with the right approach to training. And a person who doesn't know how to do that can get help. It doesn't have to cost a whole lot. You can find training classes that are cheap. I personally help train people's dogs and help them learn how to train as my volunteer work and do not charge a penny.

Maybe you can't find someone like that, but you can find good books. And forums dedicated to positive training for dogs who will give you good advice. Just make sure that the book or forum is about positive reinforcement training, and never punishment-based training. Consistency and kindness and patience are the absolute requirements in dog training.

And P.S. --If anyone here has an issue with their dog, PM me if you like and I will give you sound advice. This is what I love to do.

 

[D'L]

I have fairly good luck thankfully with rescue dogs, but it is a gamble for sure.

All relationships are a gamble. Getting a new puppy from an excellent breeder is even a gamble. Maybe the dog turns out to be terrified of things you do regularly, or for no discernible reason hates to travel, or is a super picky eater. Now, you can work with all those things as I said above, but it is extra work. There is no such thing as acquiring an animal companion that is not a gamble.

 

[D'L]

And I'm not saying they can't be trained out of poor behavior. But it is best to know if you will be facing certain problems. When you're living with what can be the bare necessities, you don't want them destroyed.

Actually, the very best way to know what issues you may be facing is to get a rescue dog who has been with an organization and in a foster home. There is someone in that circumstance who has lived with the dog for at least a couple of weeks, maybe for months, and can tell you all of those things.

Getting a dog someone gives you can work very well that way also, but some people will lie or not mention something about the dog either intentionally so you take the dog or unintentionally (they didn't think it was a problem or maybe the dog never did it living with them).

You will never have a case where you are completely certain about the dog ahead of time. But if you get the dog from a foster rescue home you have the very best chance to know most or all.

 

[D'L]

Border collies are the smartest breed of dog, and my favorite. They learn everything rapidly and really want to do things with you. They also learn the wrong thing quickly if you make a mistake in training or fail to be consistent with what you want, so they are usually not a good dog for someone who has no idea about training. They are very sensitive so that has to be remembered in training. I fostered border collies for 8 years.

They also need a lot of exercise and mental activity. If they don't have that they may entertain themselves and you probably won't like the result. They are great for an active person, not good at all for a couch potato person or someone who is physically disabled. They do vary in temperament and need for activity and some are a lot more active than others.
In my opinion if you can give a border collie what they need, they are wonderful companions.

 

[graycurlsvanning]

Sorry, but this is absolutely untrue. Some breeds of dogs shed a lot and others don't. I have one mixed breed that is part poodle and he doesn't shed at all, apart from two or three little clumps in a week. It all depends on what your mix dog is. And even with a shedding dog it can be drastically reduced by just brushing daily.


Again, not at all true! I have worked in rescue for many years in carious different capacities. The vast majority of dogs we get into rescue organizations do not have "problems" at all. Dogs are given up for a hundred reasons.

- The people move and are not dedicated enough to the dog to keep him or her.
- The person marries someone or has a child that is allergic
-The person loses their job, has to move to small apartment that doesn't allow dogs.
- The person has no idea how to train a dog and so doesn't realize that what they have is not a "bad" dog but just a dog who has never been trained and it is very simple to train the dog so the dog behaves extremely well. Believe me, I have had a lot of those dogs come through my home.
-The people just decide they don't want a dog after all or got him or her for a friend/child who doesn't take care of the dog.
--The owner dies and no one can take the dog.
- The owner gets too ill to take care of the dog.
--The dog got lost and was not found by the owner, had no ID chip and ended up in shelter or rescue.
And so on.

And ANY issue the dog has (especially those listed in BegianPup's post above, which are very easy to train a dog not to do) can be solved with training, and all dogs need to be trained. The only exception to this is human aggression, which is a whole other thing and no one should adopt a dog who is aggressive to people unless they have specialized training to deal with it.

If you want a perfect dog without putting any effort into it, get a toy stuffed dog. Every single dog no matter age or breed or type or where you get them will need to learn to live with your particular set of rules. They may be very different from the former owner's rules, so it may not even be a matter of no training, just different training. Maybe the former owner liked it when the dog jumped on them.

And any dog can learn your rules with the right approach to training. And a person who doesn't know how to do that can get help. It doesn't have to cost a whole lot. You can find training classes that are cheap. I personally help train people's dogs and help them learn how to train as my volunteer work and do not charge a penny.

Maybe you can't find someone like that, but you can find good books. And forums dedicated to positive training for dogs who will give you good advice. Just make sure that the book or forum is about positive reinforcement training, and never punishment-based training. Consistency and kindness and patience are the absolute requirements in dog training.

And P.S. --If anyone here has an issue with their dog, PM me if you like and I will give you sound advice. This is what I love to do.

Beautifully said!

 

[graycurlsvanning]

All relationships are a gamble. Getting a new puppy from an excellent breeder is even a gamble. Maybe the dog turns out to be terrified of things you do regularly, or for no discernible reason hates to travel, or is a super picky eater. Now, you can work with all those things as I said above, but it is extra work. There is no such thing as acquiring an animal companion that is not a gamble.

Same is true for humans

 

[Sarah’s Travels]

I love this thread lol. I sort of solved my research lol. I talked to my daughter last night. She called to see how I was doing, told her casually that I was thinking of getting a travel friend. Holy Cow she jumped at it. She is the queen of research. I told her what I wanted. Small enough that I could handle on a leash. But big enough it could jump in the van lol. She told me my desire of a shed free pup was because of the shepherds who sheds like it’s their job. So, she is researching breeds, and personality types of some breeds. One of her “hobbies “ is training support dogs. She is also not of the opinion that full breeds are the best. I am now about waiting to see what she comes up with.

If she finds one before I return home she said she will schedule play dates with our shepherds. So they will get along when I am not on the road.

And my husband is laughing….because we live on 3 acres….he made a bet that I am really going to end up with a new “ranch hand” lol

 

[graycurlsvanning]

This is so wonderful!! I had a cavashon. Non shedding dog and one of my best friends. He was my last guy (you can see his photo). Great good luck Sarah! Keep us posted and send photos. Do you have photos of your other dogs? I would love to see them. Amy

 

[Sarah’s Travels]

Let me see if I can post a picture.

 

[graycurlsvanning]

Awwww. Adorable!!! Thanks.

 

[WanderingRose]

I have a female lab mix who is a shedding fool, but a devoted and loving companion of now 12 years who I would not trade for the most pristine, shed-free animal.

Unless you have allergies, shedding is simply part of the animal ownership package, and low priority for what would make an acceptable traveling companion, imho.

She wants to please me, which is very critical, is an excellent watchdog and would die for me, I feel certain.

But, get other ducks in a row before considering a traveling animal, imo, and you’ve had many great suggestions here.

Hair I have to clean up is just not part of the equation, for me.

 

[Sarah’s Travels]

This is not a proper brushing. Buttttt lol

 

[BelgianPup]

Re: Training... I worked for a veterinarian for 15 years. Some of the people were far more stupid and irritating than the dogs.

There are many people who have absolutely no interest in training a dog, even in the very basics. They just yell at them, kick or hit them, apparently expecting them to read their minds.

And then, when that dog gets a new owner, that person has to work through the previous-owner problems, often before they can begin their own reasonable training.

Humans aren't the all-knowing gods they like to think they are.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

If you are open to a rescued dog (very commendable), I would recommend getting one from an organization that fosters their dogs. An incoming dog is placed in a foster home until deemed ready to adopt. At adoption you will know: its personality, how it behaves in a home, how it behaves around children, how it behaves around other pets, how it behaves around strangers, and any other known problems. This takes away a lot of unknowns.

 

[ramblinbob]

An Airedale and Poodle mix wouldn't shed. Probably very hard to find tho!