Please Tell Me About Dogs

[goldenkitty45]

DH will not have one of those "ankle biters"

Now my fav dogs are cairn terriers and whippets

His are lab or lab crosses. Keno's a small lab - I would not want her to be any bigger then she is

 

[ladycat]

Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

Well I've always had both dogs/cats growing up. Advantages/disadvantages to both. We have a lab and 2 cats.

Dogs HAVE to go potty outside (disadvantage if its raining and you have a dog that doesn't like to get wet....lol). So you can't just leave them home for the entire day like you can a cat with a bowl of food/water/litter pan.

They are more work cause you have to train them in basic obedience otherwise you have a dog everyone hates cause it has no manners whatsoever.

But they can be trained to do so many more things then cats can. Its easier to take a dog to the park for playtime with other dogs or a few toys you throw and they retrieve.

Most are good watchdogs if someone comes around. Cats don't "guard" the house

Now cats are much easier to leave overnite if necessary, are cleaner and its nicer to sleep with a 5-15 lbs cat then a 60 + lb dog (if allowed in bed). If you get a smaller dog, its more "catlike" in size, etc. but you still have the problem of having to go outside to potty.

I love both - but IMO cats are a little easier to care for overall

I don't know about cat not guarding the house...Nuit....she'd probly run at them with claws & teeth

that's how she was with me at first....good times.

 

[whosamyhercules]

I have found that if you want a dog that isnt clingy..dont get a basset. I love my dog but this is my first puppy not living with my mom. WOWWWWWW is there a lot to having a dog that I didnt know. I researched the breed and still what you read and what it is really like are never the same thing. Every dog is different and has different needs. But if you dont have hours a day and more patience than the pope..dont get a basset they are stubborn and muleish but I wubbb my boys squishy face and floppy ears..Im sure Rita's slaves understand what Im talking about!!!

 

[loveysmummy]

Originally Posted by 2dogmom

Definitely a dog person here.
And I have no idea why people say that dogs are "slobbery and clingy".
The Mastiff-type breeds tend to drool, but most do not.
A dog who has had a bad experience (neglect or abuse) can become clingy, but a well-adjusted dog usually is not.
QUOTE]

You havent ever had a toy breed have you

I think she just means in general that a well-adjusted dog is neither high-strung nor neurotic.

A "clingy" dog is also one that is in general, very fearful and insecure and this can occur in every breed (but in some more than others especially if it has a poor breeding line)

I have met many well-trained and well adjusted toys that do not have the "little dog" syndrome. To me, much of the neurosis of little dogs comes from the owners.

Dogs can also be poorly bred and carry the high strung neurotic traits associated with that..

 

[boxersncats]

I enjoy my kittens, especially Sky (who has a more dog-like personality!), but the dogs are my buddies. They go with me everywhere they are allowed, while from what I've heard, most cats don't take well to travelling (although, again, Sky loves going camping, she doesn't know she's a cat!).

Plus when my husband is travelling, I feel much more secure in my house with my dogs than I do with the cats!

Not many criminals would have the intestinal fortitude to take on 2 50 pound dogs snarling through the window. Not sure that same criminal would even hesitate to break in a house guarded by a kitten (or a pair of kittens, in my case).