Skip to main content

to dog or not to dog

Oooooh.. dilemma.. I just got offered a dog..

A cross between a poodle and a labrador (Lord alone knows what it looks like).. so tempting.. have really wanted a dog for a while now..

But so impractical. Maybe it could be a boilerdog and come hang out in London too.. hmmm... who knows..

Alll wisdom gratefully received..

Comments

Anonymous said…
Hey Jude!

a few questions about the dog:

1. How old is the dog?
2. Has the dog been obedience trained?
3. How much time a week will you be able to devote to the dog?
4. How are you going to get the dog to the BR?

A dog that is a mix between a lab and a poodle is not a loner. It will need constant company and attention. The max that you'll be able to leave the dog alone is 6-8 hours every other day, and that is if the dog has been obedience trained properly.

I would say that if the dog is older than a year, has not been obedience trained and you can't spend 5-8 hours a week in exclusive dogtime then don't do it. If you are going to be away 6-8 hours every day, when you get home that dog will be majorly wound up, will have probably gotten in to the trash and probably ruined a cushion or two (plus a little present or two).

The dog definitely won't be able to stay at the BR on it's own. This'll be a mid to high maintenance dog. Poodles are people dogs and need to be around people all the time. They are also extremely intelligent. That means they get into trouble if they are not trained properly. Labs are people dogs that aren't particularly intelligent, but they need a lot of exercise.

Don't wanna rain on your parade, but I think this specific dog might make your life more complicated than you need.

You need a loner dog that won't mind being at home all day by himself (yes, you will definitely need a male dog) and will need little exercise. A big, heavy dog would be up your alley. They are less people oriented and more territorial. Plus it'll keep your house safe while your in the city!

Hope that is helpful.
Jude said…
Jonah.. thank you.. you are a star.. totally what I needed (though maybe not what I wanted to hear!).. how are you guys.. you a daddy yet? Will check your blog.. ooh. it appears not.. bless you lots. Love to Heather too
Tim said…
jude jude jude juddddeeee..........

labradoodles are mental and massive!!! like big sheep, but you can't eat them. i know some people who have one, their friends secretly refer to it as "it" and "the thing"!!!! the choice as they say ....is yours!!!
Kate John said…
A LABRADOODLE????
ok that HAS to be gay.
Gay dogs, in my experience, whinge a lot but are fine left alone as long as you leave them with some clothes to dress up in... ok that MIGHT be just mine...
Anonymous said…
don't be silly...its not gonna work

Popular posts from this blog

Who will rid me of this meddlesome...

... piano? It occurred to me yesterday as i nursed ANOTHER bruise on my arm.. that I have had a piano sat in my hallway for 2 months! It seemed like such a good idea at the time but apparently is not... its stuck there and everytime I walk down my hall I have to squeeze past the darn thing- often not successfully! A number of options lie before me: -chop the thing into several hundred pieces -find lots of people who want to move it.. to where I'm not sure -sell it -give it away -pray it away It goes next weekend.. even if it kills me... which it might.. hummm

Remembering What I Enjoy..

Occasionally I forget things. Some stuff like birthdays, names and stuff is a normal human thing, and I don't sweat it so much. But I also forget some other stuff which is not so good. I forget what I enjoy. I don't know how it happens but it does from time to time. And its at these moments that I need a bit of help remembering. So- this is a request for help. What do I enjoy doing? What gives me joy? Leave me a comment.

A Broadside: *plot spoiler* for Tory sympathisers

Today some alarming social equality data was released. It said what we all know: if you are poor, you have less opportunities in life. For every £100 a month less income than the median you start school one month behind developmentally. Your vocabulary aged 5 is half what it is for a rich kid if you are in the bottom ten percent of income. Housing tenure stats are even worse. "Only 4 per cent of those of working age living in social housing have degrees, and nearly half have no or only low qualifications. Only half of men and 42 per cent of women of working age living in social housing are in paid work, compared with 89 per cent of men and 81 per cent of women in households with a mortgage." Social housing: by its nature, is grouped (london people ignore this, you are the freaks not the norm). That means that we have allowed ghettoes of poverty and low attainment (not just in a SATS way either). Now it would be easy, and some daft Tory has already done it, to pin this on