ok dog owners help us decide

[wendyquat]

I agree that a rescue is the first thing to consider. However, having to consider allergies, we opted for a Cairn terrier puppy and have been very happy with him. Although we don't have small children, we have grandchildren and they love Tucker and he loves them. He is 3 now and still likes to "play" a lot but he has really calmed down and does well with our schedules. DH likes to go to bed early so Tucker is out for the last time about 9 and is out for the night until 8 or 9 the next morning. He doesn't shed, is hypoallergenic and needs very little grooming (unless you opt to show). He can "talk" so you have little problem figuring out what he wants.
I would like to suggest that if you get a puppy you might want to consider ordering a "Snuggle Puppy". We put one in the crate the first night we brought Tucker home at 9 weeks and he has never cried nor woke us up during the night.

We did crate training and our biggest mistake was probably letting him skip the crate at night and sleep with us. He crawls under the bed now when he wants his "quiet time" and I think if we had kept the crate he would have felt "safe" there instead of under the bed. I don't think the crate is cruel if they enjoy going there. It comes in handy when you are traveling with them.

Good luck in your decision. If you get a puppy you can expect many months of "never thinking you're gonna get them trained" but if you are consistent it will happen and you will have many years of satisfaction with your "child with fur".

 

[BradyBz12]

She wanted to spend the time INSIDE with the air conditioning and not with us out under the trees in the shade.

That's funny because right now we're here at the Fort with our 3 border collies. Lyn (2yo, who we just adopted in May) is content bouncing around the x-pen we set up behind the TT with her toys. Blizzard (adopted as a wee pup and now 3) is on the tie out because she prefers hanging here with us and laying near the TT watching the world go by, and Brady (adopted at 7 mos and now nearly 8) prefers to be IN the camper, sitting at the screen door watching us or laying under the table.

Talk about a quirky bunch of individuals!!

Luckily they all love camping. This is Li'l Lyn's very first big trip and you'd swear she'd been camping forever. We took a bunch of weekend "test trips" with her this summer and she did great, but we really didn't know how she'd do for this long (nearly 3 weeks).

 

[trasor]

As wonderful as the excitment of getting a puppy at Christmas is, the reality won't be that great unless you live where it is warmer year round. Puppies go out a lot during potty training and if you don't want to be outside in the middle of the night in 20 degree weather, you might want to wait. Also, puppies need to be socialized alot and that is done by walking them and taking them out alot to meet new and different things. So, if you not cold weather lovers, you might want to wait till spring. I got an 8 wk old
German Shepherd the end of August and as other people have mentioned, puppies are ALOT (can't stress it enough) of work and can greatly restrict you life for a while. Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[FWCamper]

We have always camped with our dogs, actually bought the RV for the dogs.

For the most part it has never been a problem. One summer we camped in Ohio. My DH went out for the day and I stayed behind. As luck would have it the campground lost power that day and it was very fortunate that I was at the RV with the dogs. In 20 years of camping that was the only time, but it only takes one time.

Whenever we left the dogs in the RV , my DH went back often to check that the AC was running. Which he did not mind.

I agree that crate training is very helpful. Also we had BIG dogs and they were great for traveling because they didn't need to go out all day but they took up alot of floor space. We now have a little dog and he needs to potty break way more often and thinks he should go out whenever we are stuck in traffic. LOL

My kids are older now and they remember more about camping with the dogs than whatever we were visiting or seeing.

 

[cnlmom]

I do all breed dog rescue and have for years. You have been give some good advice thus far. First off realize a 7 year old will NOT take care of a dog....Oh they will promise they will, but they will not. Get a dog that matches your lifestlye above anything else. I have seen people mention beagles and border collies, both fantastic dogs, however borders generally speaking are very high energy, extrememly intellegent and love to be busy. Not the best choice for many families. Beagles are great and fantastic with kids and are oh so adorable, but they tend to have a very distinct loud "bark", are a bit harder to contain (they like to "hunt" and get distraced and do not always come when called) and they are more pack animals and do better with another beagle.
Now remember I said these are general characteristics of these breeds. Those characterists may be just what you are looking for.
Do your research, Each breed has pro's and con's and remember what is a Pro to your family may be a con for another.
My suggestion, just based on the little info I have about your family would be a medium size dog....big enough to handle being played with by a 7 year old boy and small enough to be easy to take with you. My defination of a medium size dog is a 20-25 pounds. Make sure you are specific in what you ask for.....your definiton of a medium size dog might be 15 pounds and someone elses would be 50 pounds. Same thing with age....Some people think puppy and visualize a 8 week old pup....others still see puppy at 2 years old. I would suggest a dog that is over 1. Puppies although cute and cuddly, are a TON of work.....whatever you expect, triple it. Adult dogs can learn and adjust quite well. Plus you see what you are getting with an adult. I have seen many a dog discareded at the shelter cause it was "bigger" than they expected when it grew up.

Might I suggest you go onto Petfinder.com. It is a nation wide data base of vitrtually every rescue group in the country. Type in your zipcode and start browsing. Hopefully you will find a great agency in your area. My rescue group pulls for Municipal animal controls death row. These dogs are great pets who normally have no behavioral issues, they are being euthanized simply because there are more animals than there are homes. We foster the dogs in our homes and can tell you all about their personalities. A good rescue group will tell you the good, the bad and the ugly to help you make a fantastic match for your family. Dogs adopted from a legitimate animal rescue will be up to date on vaccines, spay/neutered and heartworm tested. Feel free to ask the group for their 501c3 charitable license info, any legimate group will have this. Beware backyard breeders which are quite often (but not always) found in the classified sections of your newspaper and trade magazines. Also avoided places that sell many breeds of dogs, they tend to be smaller scale puppy mills. Also avoid petstores that sell puppies like the plague...not the best place to get a healthy well adjusted animal (please no flames....I am speaking in generalities here and there could very well be some halfway decent petstores that sell dogs, but have never heard of one). Petsmart and Petco have dogs available for adoption, but do not "sell" dogs themselves...they invite rescue groups to showcase their animals there.
If you are seeking a purebred, please know they too are in animal Rescue situations....about 30% of our rescued dogs are purebreds. If you prefer a breeder, check their references, visit their homes and go with one that specializes in one breed.
Hope this info helps.
And dont forget make sure your pet is spay/neutered!!!!

 

[freshlybarked]

Great suggestions from everyone. Once you get that new (older) dog home I would highly suggest training classes. More dogs are returned to shelters, rescues, etc. due to the fact that they misbehaved, were destructive or just "bad dogs". It has been my experience that 95% of dog misbehavior is the lack of training and not just on the dog's side. I have found that training through a local dog club will be a great experience for you and your dog. The bond you will have with your dog will be rewarding and the people you meet in dog clubs are a valuable source of information. I have met some great friends during training classes.

 

[ftwildernessguy]

My Dad always said, in order to successfully train a dog, you must be smarter than the dog. I am convinced this is why some people are unsuccessful at training their pet.

 

[BradyBz12]

Lots of people want border collies because of their reputation as "smartest dogs" but they fail to see the dilemma in that. I spend most of my day trying to out-think my dogs!

I'd be willing to say that 80% of dog training is about teaching the HUMANS not the canines.

 

[Tinkerbell8989]

we have always traveled with our three dogs. while we are out of the motor home we crate them so we don't have to worry about them getting into trouble while we are gone.
The only down fall of traveling with your pets is that you can not be gone all day because the dogs need to be walked every few hours. when we are at disney we normally get an early start around seven or eight when ever the park opens. We usually leave the park around noon and head back to the motor home to let the dogs out grab something to eat, etc.
The problem with traveling with a puppy is that they will have to use the bathroom more frequently so if you are going to be gone from the RV for a while I would put down news paper and bring extra towels or blankets for the crate in case of accidents.
if you have more questions feel free to ask.

 

[BradyBz12]

The only down fall of traveling with your pets is that you can not be gone all day because the dogs need to be walked every few hours.

Absolutely - especially when you're talking about a puppy or small dog that needs to potty frequently.

In our case, our super active border collies also need to R-U-N-N-N-N if they're going to be content quietly hanging out in the camper for hours at a time. We've come up with a routine when we're at Disney that works for us and them, but it does take some extra time/effort...

Up at 8am - coffee/breakfast (for us and dogs)

Take Brady for a romp down the dog walk (he isn't always great with strange dogs which makes him a bad candidate for the dog park) while DH takes the girls for a walk around our loop.

DH and I then take the girls to the dog park for a good, tongue-dragging romp. Cool down lap on the golf cart (DH's idea - although the girls do love the ride) then one last potty break for everyone before they settle into their crates with their stuffed kongs to watch the Disney channel.

We head out to the parks around noon, come back around 5-6 to let everyone out and feed them dinner, then head back out for the evening for a while (we really like PM EMH). All of my dogs are adults (2, 3 and 7) and can "hold it" for a long time, but we try not to push it and give them too many days longer than 6-7 hours.

Of course we're also fortunate that we stay at the Fort long enough (2 weeks +) and try and go each year, so we don't feel the need to spend all day long in the parks. If we did, it definitely would be a lot harder to bring the dogs.

As it is, we enjoy spending the time with them - especially DH who is usually at work during the week and doesn't see them as much as I do (I work from home) and don't mind that it takes a chunk out of our "Disney day". We actually consider hanging out at the Fort a big part of our trip, and our routine with the dogs fits into that very nicely.

A few pics of the "kids" from the trip we just got back from...

 

[dfchelbay]

I would suggest a smaller dog, both for your child and for you too. They're so easy to travel with, their things are smaller...bed, toys, collar, leash, etc. too. The cause far less damage when chewing as a puppy. They take up far less space, which, at times, don't we all feel a little cramped in our RVs. Most important is that if there should ever be an accident, either in your RV or at your home, it's much easier to clean up a mess the size of a post it note than one the size of a small lake. When we leave our dogs in the RV, we put their food, water and crate in the bathroom with it's door open and close the bathroom door. They are contained in the bathroom, with tile floor, so if they ever have an accident, it's not on the carpet, and much easier to clean up. I can't even remember the last time either of them had an accident though. But a chihuahua accident is a breeze to clean up.

If allergies are an issue, consider a poodle, or poodle mix dog. I'd shoot for a dog under 15 lbs. since this is your first dog. Ease yourself into a big dog later in life.

 

[freshlybarked]

It all depends on the breed as to if they are good for first time people. Some small dogs have big attitudes and would not make good first time dogs.

I have to take my hat off to you for having a bathroom big enough to contain a dog of any size. We have a 32' Class C and there is enough room for someone to sit on the toilet and with the door closed you can rest your head on it.

We are lucky because, although our dogs are older (12+), they still have good bladders. They sleep a lot and watch Disney TV. Then we we get back tired from hours at the park they are ready for a long walk and the dog park. Life is good for RV dogs.

 

[BradyBz12]

It all depends on the breed as to if they are good for first time people. Some small dogs have big attitudes and would not make good first time dogs.

Agreed 100%! While size may work better for traveling, the dog you live with 100% of the time is what you should focus on and for that, the breed's overall characteristics are going to be way more important than size.

Perfect example - Jack Russell Terriers
There are THOUSANDS of them in rescue for the simple reason that they are a LOT of dog in a very small, very cute package. People get them not having any clue how much energy they have to burn every. single. day. (whether it's raining or you feel up to it or not) and that they really do need regular training and something to DO to be a happy, settled companion.

We have a 32' Class C and there is enough room for someone to sit on the toilet and with the door closed you can rest your head on it.

sounds about the same as our hybrid!

We are lucky because, although our dogs are older (12+), they still have good bladders. They sleep a lot and watch Disney TV. Then we we get back tired from hours at the park they are ready for a long walk and the dog park. Life is good for RV dogs.

Agreed
Only difference is we have relatively young border collies (Brady is a VERY young 8!) so our bunch get their run time in the a.m. before we go out so that they WILL sleep while we're gone. When we get back it's walkies and playtime at the campsite or in the camper. Wanna party?? Put 3 active BCs, ready to play, in a 21' hybrid TT..... DH and I just get up and out of the way and enjoy the show!!

It's no wonder I sweep about a dog's worth of hair out of the TT almost every day.