Soon enough, I’m probably gonna get a dog of my own, but I’m a first timer and may need help choosing a breed. The easiest to access and also my favorite is the Catahoula Leopard Dog, beautiful design and common in my state. I know they’re very energetic and require a lot of play time, but does anyone here have experience with them? Like- personality wise, how are they? I’m sure I can afford to take care of it, but are they a huge hassle when it comes to training them? Also- another important detail, it’d likely be male. Hope my post isn’t a huge cluster, but it’s my first time posting lol.
First time dog owner.
- Thread starter Anon2525X
- Start date
SigmaTheZeta
Esteemed Citizen of ZV
Oh, first time owning a dog at all?
Okay, some first-time dog-owners can find it to be a bit of a mind-trip.
First, it is a myth and a falsehood that rubbing your dog's nose in his own pee is a valid part of house training. Some dog owners do it anyway because they get impatient and frustrated. It does not work. Shaming or punishing behaviors just makes the animal scared of you and often resent you, period. Instead, you must always relocate your dog promptly to a more appropriate location upon the incident, within seconds of it if possible. Always act with kindness and patience.
Training pads are your friend, or maybe it should be seen as a misnomer to call them "training pads." For some dog owners that have to work long hours like crazy 10 or even 12 hour shifts, the training pads end up being a permanent solution because they have no other choice. They just line the whole kitchen floor with them and, not saying anything about it to the dog, just put on a pair of kitchen gloves, roll them up, and throw them away. Ideally, the dog ought to try to learn how to wait until an opportunity to use the bathroom on walks outside. That said, there are many YouTube videos on training your dogs, and some of them are pretty good. If you don't think you can always be there to walk your dog often enough, then I suggest just saving money by buying them in bulk.
And here is the most important obedience training advice you will ever hear: play, play, and play some more. That's right, play. Lots of mentally challenging play. What it does is that it builds up a sense of pride in your dog. Your dog knows intuitively if a task is more complex than others, and your dog really likes it because it helps build up a sense of affirmation in your dog that your dog has a mind of their own, that they are a "they" or a "he" or a "she," not an "it." It also gives you many chances to reward your dog for being cooperative toward you. This actually helps with obedience a lot.
Exercise: good for your dog and good for you. Here is a way I can incentivize it for you: if you are attracted to your dog, then what kind of dog looks sexier, one that is shapeless and flabby or one that is trim and fit? Also, physical exercise is an important way to bond with your dog. Dogs are pack hunters. Running together is how they know they are with family.
Share your bed. This is one that is a zooey revolution. Traditional dog trainers will say, "Don't share your bed, since it causes role confusion." That is some fucking bullshit. Zoos have known for centuries, dogs are den animals, and they identify very strongly with whomever they sleep with. It is actually usually beneficial, in my experience, to share my bed with any animal, canine or feline.
Okay, some first-time dog-owners can find it to be a bit of a mind-trip.
First, it is a myth and a falsehood that rubbing your dog's nose in his own pee is a valid part of house training. Some dog owners do it anyway because they get impatient and frustrated. It does not work. Shaming or punishing behaviors just makes the animal scared of you and often resent you, period. Instead, you must always relocate your dog promptly to a more appropriate location upon the incident, within seconds of it if possible. Always act with kindness and patience.
Training pads are your friend, or maybe it should be seen as a misnomer to call them "training pads." For some dog owners that have to work long hours like crazy 10 or even 12 hour shifts, the training pads end up being a permanent solution because they have no other choice. They just line the whole kitchen floor with them and, not saying anything about it to the dog, just put on a pair of kitchen gloves, roll them up, and throw them away. Ideally, the dog ought to try to learn how to wait until an opportunity to use the bathroom on walks outside. That said, there are many YouTube videos on training your dogs, and some of them are pretty good. If you don't think you can always be there to walk your dog often enough, then I suggest just saving money by buying them in bulk.
And here is the most important obedience training advice you will ever hear: play, play, and play some more. That's right, play. Lots of mentally challenging play. What it does is that it builds up a sense of pride in your dog. Your dog knows intuitively if a task is more complex than others, and your dog really likes it because it helps build up a sense of affirmation in your dog that your dog has a mind of their own, that they are a "they" or a "he" or a "she," not an "it." It also gives you many chances to reward your dog for being cooperative toward you. This actually helps with obedience a lot.
Exercise: good for your dog and good for you. Here is a way I can incentivize it for you: if you are attracted to your dog, then what kind of dog looks sexier, one that is shapeless and flabby or one that is trim and fit? Also, physical exercise is an important way to bond with your dog. Dogs are pack hunters. Running together is how they know they are with family.
Share your bed. This is one that is a zooey revolution. Traditional dog trainers will say, "Don't share your bed, since it causes role confusion." That is some fucking bullshit. Zoos have known for centuries, dogs are den animals, and they identify very strongly with whomever they sleep with. It is actually usually beneficial, in my experience, to share my bed with any animal, canine or feline.
Thanks for taking the time to comment on my post, appreciate the advice. Still don’t quite know what breed of dog to get though as a first timer. I know Golden Retrievers and German Shepherds are good first dogs, but they can be preeeetty expensive. Any er- advice there? I know for sure I could get a Doberman or a Catahoula, but they aren’t good first dogs, apparently at least.
SigmaTheZeta
Esteemed Citizen of ZV
Well, if you intend to breed, a purebred KINDA makes sense because an aristocratic papered lineage all but guarantees a puppy a home and decide what kind of home, but if you do not intend to breed, then "any mutt you can stand to look at" is a good policy.
I mainly have experience with Labrador retrievers. They are well tempered and more intelligent than they are given credit for. German shepherds are popular in the zooey community, but I have never owned one or really known one. Golden retrievers are good first dogs, yes, and they are a little bit less wildly playful than a Labrador.
If you get a Labrador, I can tell you for a fact that you will almost always end up with a good adult dog, but stock up on tennis balls. They have a TREMENDOUS amount of energy, but it is easy to wear them out to where they behave like normal people. Just go to any place anywhere that it is safe to play fetch, and do that for about twenty solid minutes, just picking up the ball and throwing it anytime the dog brings it back to you, over and over. It will wear the dog out enough that, by the time you get home, you can have some peaceful time with the dog laying their head in your lap.
I am convinced that that is the only thing you need to know about a Labrador retriever that you don't also need to know about a golden retriever. The golden retriever is beautiful with the flowing hair, yes, but besides that, there is not much that the golden has over the Labrador in my humble opinion.
I mainly have experience with Labrador retrievers. They are well tempered and more intelligent than they are given credit for. German shepherds are popular in the zooey community, but I have never owned one or really known one. Golden retrievers are good first dogs, yes, and they are a little bit less wildly playful than a Labrador.
If you get a Labrador, I can tell you for a fact that you will almost always end up with a good adult dog, but stock up on tennis balls. They have a TREMENDOUS amount of energy, but it is easy to wear them out to where they behave like normal people. Just go to any place anywhere that it is safe to play fetch, and do that for about twenty solid minutes, just picking up the ball and throwing it anytime the dog brings it back to you, over and over. It will wear the dog out enough that, by the time you get home, you can have some peaceful time with the dog laying their head in your lap.
I am convinced that that is the only thing you need to know about a Labrador retriever that you don't also need to know about a golden retriever. The golden retriever is beautiful with the flowing hair, yes, but besides that, there is not much that the golden has over the Labrador in my humble opinion.
No intention on breeding, just looking for a pup that I hope can live a long happy life.
Labs are pretty common too, so it probably wouldn’t be hard to get one. Err- one more thing, is it true intact males tend to be more aggressive? I’m pretty against neutering and would probably be giving myself an extra challenge.
Labs are pretty common too, so it probably wouldn’t be hard to get one. Err- one more thing, is it true intact males tend to be more aggressive? I’m pretty against neutering and would probably be giving myself an extra challenge.
SigmaTheZeta
Esteemed Citizen of ZV
Actually, neutering does not always result in the betterment of your animal's behavior. @TogglesHappyZoo could explain it better than I could, I bet, but contrary to conventional wisdom, neutering can actually make your dog more bitchy and more emotionally complicated. You know how some men, with the decline of testosterone, can actually get very cranky and moody? Imagine the same thing being done to a human child at 15 and that human child having the same symptoms, for the remainder of his natural life.
However, an intact dog responds better to a training strategy that honors that dog's intelligence and capacity for good judgment. You know what I was saying about mentally challenging play being great for obedience? That figures in.
Got my mutt mix and Newfie girls 5 and 4 months ago, respectively. I'm still new to having dogs myself, I only grew up with cats. I fortunately have a dog trainer as a friend. But honestly YouTube will also be your best friend when it comes to training. Also, for breeds I'd recommend an easy going dog for your first dog. Such as Lab, Goldens, or Poodles. Better yet those three make great mix breeds too and are common to find on craigslist or marketplace. I broke the easy going rule and ended up getting breeds known for being stubborn, but I'm putting in the work when it comes to training. They're both already bonded with me because I'm very loving and patient with them. Mutt mix mix is 1 year and 8 months. Newfie girl is 2 years and 4 months old. If you intend on getting a puppy, early socialization will be very important as well. I don't have any experience with male dogs though, as I'm zoo straight.