Considering a canine friend - problem, issues on the road?

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John,
Only you can answer your questions, since you are trading restrictions on your lifestyle for the companionship of a dog.  Dogs do require a lot more services from the owner - all the things you mentioned and then some. The other unknowable factor is whether he will bark or whine if you aren't there, even further constraining your life. Personally, I wouldn't even consider it, but I'm not you.

Our cat just turned 17 and is clearly in his dotage.  When his time comes, and we are ready for another furry kid in our lives, it will be another cat.
 
I have one cat only and I would vote for just one cat. I am a dog person and would really prefer to have a dog, but the logic of living in a confined space as small as a motorhome with a dog escapes me. Right now it is raining and there is no way I would like to put on my raincoat and go out and take the dog for a walk. The poop palace (litter box) is worth it's weight in gold right now. Dogs that shed are a royal pain but dogs that don't shed are even worse. The constant grooming and cutting of the hair is a major problem.
 
John,

One last thought.  Dog breeding should be done with a lot of thought. Unfortunately there are breeders out there better known as "puppy mills" who breed indiscriminately.

It is the same as if humans start marrying their brothers , sisters cousins, etc. I think you get the drift. This often happens with popular breeds. Lassie almost ruined the Collie as a breed. Rin Tin Tin almost ruined the German Shepherd. 1001 Dalmations Disney movie wrecked the Dalmation.  The recent movie Marley and Me will harm the Lab. Breeders, not all, but many will start breeding them just for profit and not care about the blood lines. So make sure you find a reputable breeder, ask for references , go look at other puppies, the parents and adult dogs they have breed. Contact the AKC about breeders in your area.
Remember all and I mean all puppies are cute and adorable.. But not all adult dogs stay good.

I am partial to the Herding breeds... I would also recommend the Sheltie...Looks like a  Collie, Barks like a Collie, Herds better than a Collie, and I think they are smarter than a Collie. Obviously smaller and easier to groom.....

I'd get a female too......... males have one thing on their mind!!!! ???

Let us know what you do and may I suggest a name....."Forum" for a male and "Winnie" for a female...
 
I would suggest adopting an adult. Yes, puppies are cute and with a puppy you can start training early and you only have yourself to blame for problems. But adult dogs can be trained, too. When we got Gordon he had NO training, not even sit. So we worked with him a lot and now he knows many commands and is an angle (ok, almost an angel). And with an adult, you pretty much know what you're getting. Maybe you could try fostering a dog from the local humane society and see if a dog is for you? Or take one of the local orphans for a walk a couple of times. They'd enjoy it and you might too.

As for male v. female, males have fewer health issues. Get them neutered and they're calmer than non-neutered males (yeah, I can hear you men groaning). As for males having a one-track mind, you should have seen Marsha's Charlie and my Gordon, both neutered males dogs, "playing"....one-track mind, indeed.

Wendy
Happy owner of a goofy yellow lab we adopted in Las Vegas
 
one good thing about a small dog verses a big dog.....
little dogs can be taught to use the poddy pad  :)
my two little girls are very good at this and I don't have to go
out in the cold or rain or even the middle of the night, my male
dog on the other hand, I have to let him out, but he is much
larger and can hold his bladder all night, but still he must go
outside cause he wants to lift his leg to do his business.
The comment about cheap food is absolutely correct, cheap
food has so much filler in it and that makes so much more poop!
 
We have an eight month old Shitzu named Wickett (two t's) that we take with us everywhere we go - whether in the Dodge truck, Jeep, or the coach. For those old enuf to remember Star Wars, he was named after the Ewok character from the planet Endor.

They are a good breed, are hypoallergenic, don't shed, and have a great disposition. Plus we wanted a dog small enough to pick up if we have to.

He has his own small plush bed which sits between the seats and as soon as we get rolling, he falls asleep.  Can't say enough about his disposition.  A good point someone made about finding local vets - just in case.

As already stated, they do need to be groomed on a regular basis and a hair cut is a good idea as well, specially in warmer climates.  But those are small price(s) to pay for the love and affection that they bring us. Spend the extra money and buy good quality dog food. This is not the area to cut corners in.

Gonna catch it for sure on this one: As we men know, women and pets are pains in the butt!  But we need them to make us whole....
 

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I will comment here.. Dogs seem to come in several sizes

The big dogs..

Well. Big dogs are often friendly (I know some breeds are not so nice) but they need ROOM. and frankly an RV is not much bigger than a dog house to them

Small dogs.. Well an RV might be big enough, but.. They tend to be "Yappy Camper" always barking at everything cause..... Well.. they need to prove they are as big and tough as the big dogs.  (You know.. Dogs are a lot like people. or is it the other way around)

Cats, on the other hand. you know all about

I travel with cats, 2 of 'em, Amber the great hunter Queen, and Alex the great chicken Tom
 
We lucked out and didn't get the mouthy/yappy small dog syndrome that you mentioned.  I think it has to do a bit with the type of breed.  Shitzu's tend to be mild mannered, or at least that's been our experience thus far.

Cats are cool too.  I was a cat person for years and years and just made the transition to K-9, per the gentle prodding of my better half Janice.

Mike
 
Ya'll are fountains of knowledge about furry friends! 

It is difficult to beat a loving cat - very low maintenance, sociable, in your lap just enough, no barking, no walkies.  Speaking of walkies, we have had our younger cat out on a leash from Florida to Alaska and all points between.  She enjoys rolling around in the dirt even with the always inevitable conclusion of a thorough wipe-down with a pet wipe.

We are pretty much concluding a puppy would be way too much work for us, as would a long hair.  Don't want a hunting breed, but a herder.  A smooth coat collie would fit the bill nicely, but finding an adult with no health/social issues would be difficult I'm thinking.  We have a line on an adult Corgi who is the litter mate of a dog we are very familiar with - I have a call in for the breeder to discuss the dog.
 
John Canfield said:
Marsha - no way!  Like you, I'm a researcher and I'll spend days, weeks, or in some cases months investigating a particular topic.

The consensus seems to be Collies are a wonderful breed except for shedding, and that might be too much for us.

Thanks everybody for another batch of wonderful insight and comments.  And Jeff, staying with just one cat is also an option that's on the table!
Click to expand...

Collies and all of the herding dogs as well as the hunting breeds are active dogs.   They really need exercise lest they drive you nuts.  Walks are one outlet tho runs with you on a bicycle are a reasonable alternative.   This can be good news, a dog at one end of a leash can provide a human with a reasonable amount of regular exercise.   It can also be a pita since, unlike cats, dogs seem to be impervious to rain.   One cure for this is to avoid places with excessive rain -- isn't that why you have the Winnebago tho?

There is an old saying that dogs have family, cats have staff.   A dog will insist on being a part of your pack.  You have to insist on being its alpha dog, the pack leader.   Faced with a firm insistence on your prerogatives in the matter, most all dogs will go with your program and rapidly socialize to being an accepted but subordinate member of your pack.  A good dog will eat after you eat, get out of your way, sit when you say sit or jerk its leash upward and do its best to translate your word and moods and to get with them.   While dogs are NOT children, they are in your family.

Cats, on the other hand, really do not give a damn what you think.
 
THE RAINBOW BRIDGE

There is a bridge connecting Heaven and Earth. It is
called the Rainbow Bridge because of its many colors.
Just this side of the Rainbow Bridge there is a land of
Meadows, hills and valleys with lush green grass. When
a beloved pet dies, the pet goes to this place. There is
always food and water and warm Spring weather. The
old and frail are made young again. Those who are
maimed are made whole again. They play all day with
each other. There is only one thing missing. They are
not with their special person who loved them on Earth.
So, each day they run and play until the day comes
when one suddenly stops playing and looks up.The
nose twitches! The eyes are staring! And this one
suddenly runs from the group! You have been seen, and
when you and your special friend meet, you take him or
her in your arms and embrace. Your face is kissed again
and again and again, and you look once more into the
eyes of your trusting pet. Then you cross the Rainbow
Bridge together, never again to be separated.

.....Author Unknown
 
I could have used a little warning before reading that one - for example, get a box of tissue out and have it handy or something along those lines.....

Jan and I are big marshmallows when it comes to our furry friends.
 
Carl L said:
You have to insist on being its alpha dog, the pack leader. ...Cats, on the other hand, really do not give a damn what you think.
Click to expand...

Before we starting watching Dog Whisperer (Cesar Milan) a couple of years ago, I would have been totally unprepared to assume the leadership role, or even know how important that role is.  Now with our cats, we were completely prepared - we pandered to them as they expected and everything was in equilibrium  :p

carson said:
THE RAINBOW BRIDGE - There is a bridge connecting Heaven and Earth.
Click to expand...

Carson - that is beautiful - really a difficult thing to read at this moment.
 
John Canfield said:
Carson - that is beautiful - really a difficult thing to read at this moment.
Click to expand...

After we lost our chocolate Sam, I couldn't even hear the words "Rainbow Bridge" without losing it. And it's not much easier to read a year and a half after losing him, even with our big moose Gordon sitting next to me. But isn't it a wonderful thought?

Wendy
 
I'm the other way around.  I'm basically a dog person who has been adopted by a cat and thus had to change allegence

Of our two feline friends,, Amber, the queen, wandered into my life at about 7 weeks, cold, tired, dirty, hungry and abandoned she was.  I brought her home, introduced her to clean water, clean bedding and that most delightful magic dish.. THE FOOD BOWL (Which she promptly vacuumed very clean) and she decided to stick around

We had an older cat I got from the shelter many years prior, he was in renal failure, when he died Amber acted lonely so.. Off to Michigan Animal Rescue league and home came Alex. a slightly older (Couple of months) and larger, long hair Main Coon.

Good thing too. She's very aggressive :)  (That is good he's older, bigger and long hair)  Took 'em about 1 minute to become fast friends
 
John - our late Bosun was a humane society find - a beautiful tuxedo given up at six months of age.  Our current boss, Trekkie, was found while we were biking in Florida on our Trek bikes.  She was just weaned and apparently dumped in a remote area - we lived in a relatively rural area in central Florida and our bike route took us past some empty acreage.  She was a tiny thing but fortunately for her, she has good lungs and now she is a about a 15 pound queen of the estate.
 
carson said:
THE RAINBOW BRIDGE

[size=12pt]There is a bridge connecting Heaven and Earth. It is called the Rainbow Bridge because of its many colors.
Click to expand...

"There is a land of the living and a land of the dead and the bridge is love, the only survival, the only meaning."
--Thornton Wilder


-Don-SF, CA​
 
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