# Why my wife wants a dog but I dont!?



## bigwalleye (Jun 21, 2006)

Thought Id inject a little humor into the thread. 

Wife was always a cat person. I was a dog person. We dont have kids, arent gonna, and we're both gone from about 8am to 6pm each day. 

Now she thinks she wants a dog. One we can take on walks and hikes and all that. We have a couple acres so the dog would have space to run and romp around. We're fairly active so we'd get the dog some exercise. Maybe more on weekends and summers spring fall. Winter would be limited to weekends.

If I was to get a dog, Id want one that I could hunt with. Maybe a pointer for birds since I dont waterfowl hunt. Im thinkin the put/take pheasant fields around NE Ohio.

My problem is: every bit of research for the decent hunting dogs say 'dont leave em locked up at home all day. This breed/that breed has been known to chew thru drywall, tear stuffing out of couches, etc.' 

I did a little research and looked at Geman shorthair (grew up w one), weimareiner (cool looking but has a taste for drywall), even puderpointer - which is supposed to be a good all around dog that Ive never heard of before. 

Point being - I believe we are just not home enough to have a good dog and have it behave properly. We could run the heck out of it on weekends but I fear it will go stir crazy during the week and become one of 'those' dogs we see pulling their owners down the street. 

What do you dog owners think?


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## Nightcrawler666 (Apr 17, 2014)

Shelter dogs all-the-way. Less time, effort and $$$ than a bred dog. Might not be the best for hunting, if that's a deal breaker, but our mutt is the sweetest little thing on this planet. She never chews, soils or bites. Only barks when there is someone knocking on our door. And her sole purpose, as she sees it, is to be with us. Doesn't care if it is on a walk, fishing or just laying around, that's literally all she cares about. (That, and treats...)

She's home 8+ hours by herself when we are working and is very well-behaved. Thinking of her sitting in a cage scared just tears my heart out so, I try to encourage shelter pet adoption. Sorry if that wasn't what you were looking for. Rant over...

Plus, you might find a weird looking one and fall in love at first sight...I mean, c'mon...hahaha











Sent from my iPhone using Ohub Campfire


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## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

the last dog we had was a hairy little mutt that we got at the shelter. the little dog we got was a cross between a dachshund and a pekeniese (or however its spelled). but she was a great little dog. she was great about going to the bathroom and hardly ever went in the house unless we were gone for many hours. and boy was she smart. I loved telling her to give me a hug. then she came at a hard run and would place her head against my neck and shoulder and rub me good. we were attached to that little dog and really miss her. we had owned a few dogs before her but still haven't wanted another dog yet after she died. the one we had before her was a mix between a poodle and something elce. we got her at the shelter also. but I think she was my wife's favorite. but she still loved our last dog.
sherman


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## Snakecharmer (Apr 9, 2008)

We crate-trained our lab as she was never a problem. When she was younger and we had to leave her, we would say "Kennel, Brownie" and Brownie would walk to her home and step in turn around and lay down as we closed the door to her crate. Dogs instinctually love dens and our crate was her den. She loved it. If a storm was approaching she would also go into it. We never used the crate as a punishment so she never associated bad feelings with her home. Just my opinion.

Just like babies have to get their weight up to 10-12 pounds before they can sleep through the night, a puppies bladder/ bowels aren't mature enough until they are about 6 months old to be able to go more than 4 hours without during their duty. It would be nice if you go the pup route to have someone let them out every 4 hours or so until they get bigger.


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## Chris_H (Aug 27, 2013)

I have a three year old German Shorthaired Pointer and couldn't be happier. My first pointer was a terror, loved to eat couches but this one I have had little problems at all. I try to get a solid run on him at least three times a week and that solves most of the energy issues. There is much more to talk about but a well trained shorthair is tough to beat in the field and as a pet.


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## buckeyebowman (Feb 24, 2012)

If you're looking for a dog for the house and also to take bird hunting, you could do a lot worse than a German Shorthairs. They enjoy human company and will hunt like crazy! I would remind you, however, that dog personalities are just as variable as human! I will give you my buddy's two Shorthairs as an example. 

Abigail (Abby), is a phenomenal hunter. In fact, when we're in the field, the birds are all that matters! We might as well not be there. Yancey hunts well, points solidly, and will retrieve with the best of them. 

At home Abby is extremely "needy". She's on you all the time for attention. Yancey, on the other hand, after the initial excitement of me showing up, in five or ten minutes will lay down on the couch and go to sleep! 

Abby will eat the couch, Yancey will not. I will say that Shorthairs can be high maintenence kinds of dogs. They're all wonderful, but it kind of depends on what kind of dog you get.


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## ezbite (May 25, 2006)

10 hours inside alone is a long time. ive kept mine inside for longer, but it was over night and dark, so im sure he slept the whole time (lazy dog) make sure you paper train or you will be cleaning up messes.

mess or not, i couldnt imagine my life without my best friend.


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## bobk (Apr 30, 2004)

We sure like German Shorthairs. They will indeed need the walks though.


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## Mad-Eye Moody (May 27, 2008)

Read up on crate training.


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## jray (Jan 20, 2006)

Get a hound! I've been breeding red beagles for 15 years now and they are perfect for what you speak of. If you have a place for them to run rabbits, take them out and let them run their butts off for a few hrs on the weekend. Usually it takes a couple days for them to recover. Hounds sleep like, well hounds. Ours are fine during the day happy to get out and play in the evenings and by the weekend it's on. Oh and before I duck for cover let me tell you a secret. I've hunted rings around many a seasoned gsp in the pheasant field and I ain't just bragging my little mutts can back it up. Whatever you chose you will be happy!


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## bigwalleye (Jun 21, 2006)

Thanks for all the replies, advice, and suggestions on the different breeds. Wife and I were out walkin/hikin this weekend and she agreed that we're just not home enough and wont be during this next year while she has a big work project. We'll put it on the back burner and maybe just hang out w our dog owning friends more. We've still got two cats and Im sure theyll be happy w this decision. One should be renamed Abby and the other Yancey. One is extremely needy and the other is very independent. Cant imagine how theyd feel about having a new dog in the house.


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