Thursday, July 30, 2009

I have had a cat for real long, but I really want a small dog now?

I want a pet that is more reliable than moody CAT and who needs more attention and care and who is more vocal, etc... but I AM WORRIED as I read a lot about training and I have no clue what is meant... it seems like I have to have a degree to understand and train a dog.
Are dogs easy to be integrated to a family or are they so difficult to become assimilated to your environment?
Also, I heard they get more sick than cats. How many times on average do you have vet visits a year?
I am thinking about getting a pomeranian. Does anyone have one so you could tell me about...? I am not worried about taking him out many times a day, but I work 8 hours a day and worried that a dog might not be ok with that?
Please be honest and detailed in your answer. The fate and life of a dog depends on it!! Thanks
Answers:
I have a female Pomeranian and personally am a huge fan of the breed. That being said they do have downsides. They are generally yappy and like to give their opinion on everything. They need to be socialized as puppies and even if they are can sometimes grow up to bark when you have company over. They usually bond strongly with one person so they may not be ideal as a family pet and if you have kids (especially small children) Poms generally do not mix well with them. Training a Pomeranian isn't particularly difficult they are not an extremely stubborn breed though again they generally will respond best to the person they are most bonded to. If you have problems with training you can always take an obedience class they are relatively inexpenisve and available year round. It sets a good foundation for training and they can give you pointers for other areas of training as well. As a puppy before the dog matures and gets better at housetraining it will probably have accidents since you will be at work most of the day you may want to consider crate training though I never did that with mine. I only take my dog to the vet yearly for checkups and shots but Pomeranians do tend to have a lot of problems with their knees (popping out of joint) and can have eye problems. They are an energetic breed and will need plenty of play time and walks when you are home for work and they bond very strongly and can be very demanding wanting your attention/affection all day long. Hope this helps you decide and best of luck.
I hope you will keep your cat even tho you get a dog. Its a member of your family %26 you have taken on the responsibility to care for it.

Dogs go to the vet far more than cats; watch the 2 vet shows on animal planet for examples.

My oldest cat is 18 %26 I still have to take him to the vets only once a year. Same for my 8 yr old cat.
First off, dogs and especially yound dogs need lots of attention otherwise they may become to be quite quiet and moody and so when its a puppy you might want to get someone to visit it during the day, secondly, yeah dogs can get sicker than cats but not a whole lot, and usually its because it went and swallowed a sock or something (which usually comes out anyway). As for getting assimilated, your cat may have a problem with a dog in the house, when we had a cat and a dog they did NOT get along well at all. especially when the dog is a puppy so take that into consideration. The dog should integrate into your family fine as they are quite social and finally, before they are fully toilet trained and stuff, dont be suprised to find little surprises and/or your couch ripped to shreds. Hope this helps!!
Just go to the pound and ask for a small dog that is good with cats most pounds already know that kind of information about their animals. Also i have 3 dogs for 5 years now and exept for the usual check ups and regular stuff ive only had one emergency and it costed 500 dollars so just be ready for a check up and maybe some shots usually the spay or neuther is free tru diffrent programs.
what do you entend to do with your cat, maybe it's not affection towards you because you don't show it any love.if you intend to keep it, then introduce a dog to it slowly. starting with a puppy would be prefered as a older dog may get nasty, if it's not used to cats... if you have a back yard then that should be enough room for it to run about,but you could still take it out on weekends for a walk,on a lead...teaching a dog is not that difficult.but you must teach it while it is young..dogs get a few needles at a very young age to stop them for getting sick with diseases.then they usually get one again every year.

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