Townhouses, Yards And Dogs Etc...

[park]

townhouses, yards and dogs etc...

I will be moving house in the summer to a townhouse with a small yard out front.

I'd really like to get a small dog, Jack Russell size.

Is it fair to leave it on its lonesome in the yard all day while I'm at work, 6.30 - 4.30 ?

Evenings and weekends I'm a complete homebody so plenty of time to catch up, but I worry its too long in the day.

Maybe get two so they can keep each other company?

An older dog that is more used to being on its own for a time?

Or is it just not a good idea?

We were never a dog family, plenty of cats and lots of looking after friends and neighbours dogs but this would be the first of my own.

I'd appreciate input from those with more experience.

cheers

[3billygoats]

I'd wait awhile if I were you.I love dogs and live in a townhouse.We adopted one but my wife thought I gave it more attention than I gave her. So the dog went back. (if you're married... think first) The street I'm in has dogs in three houses. Two are SO annoying it's not funny. Bark bark yap yap all day and night. makes the neighbours unpopular. The dog in the 3rd house is wonderful... good as gold and quiet as mouse. However, the neighbour to that house insists that the dog is chained up round the back all day as he doesn't want dog fur blowing near his car or house. I am dead serious! The dog owner accepts this for an easy life, and because the nasty neighbour has killed a cat recently for 'just being there.' All of the above is absolutely true.Move in, get a feel for the street and think about your spouse (if applicable), then make a decision.Good luck!

[ETatBKK]

if you have nice dog likes Jack Russel, don't leave them out while you are not there. you won't see them back next day !

hold on for awhile is a smart idea. your neighbour may not be a dog lover as we do, even they have dogs and cats . . .

if Jack Russel you may not have energy and time, you need two and they can play together. a Thai friend of mine, they set their ground floor semi open, esay to clean, lot of space and toys for the three dogs, and they live 1st floor up. well, they are dog lovers !

[Tatsujin]

Jack Russell's are not good left out in a yard as they are quite excitable and will drive your neighbors crazy when the soi dogs walk past or the street cats do. We leave our dogs inside the house when we are out, and leave a tray down for "mess" if they need to go. Not hard to train them to go to the bathroom in a certain place, rather than messing all over the house.

Rather than buying a dog, I strongly urge you to adopt rather than buy yet another imported dog. There are 1,000's of wonderful dogs out there that are looking for a loving family and a good home. Try looking at www.scadbangkok.org in the Adoptable Dogs section and I'm sure you'll find the perfect dog there for you. We've got 3 of them.

Good luck.

Edited June 6, 2011 by Tatsujin

[park]

thanks for the advice so far.

i will definitely be going to scad rather than buying a dog, i'd much rather give a good home to a dog in need.

i said jack russell just for a gauge of size, i'd take any similar small sized mutt.

i will get a feel for the neighbours first, i know the soi quite well, its very small and most of the houses seem to have dogs, hopefully they're cool.

its a fair sized house so keeping them indoors would be no problem, im still worried about the amount of time they would be on their own though, is it fair? thats my major concern.

once again thanks

[dotx]

Dogs are not like cats --They need company (the dogs; the cats could care less). If you're sure you're going to keep them (and not return them or abandon them in a few weeks), get two dogs. Scad could even set you up with a couple of dogs that already know each other and are friends.

And definitively keep them inside. It's cruel to leave animals outside in the heat and humidity for so long.

[katabeachbum]

thanks for the advice so far.

i will definitely be going to scad rather than buying a dog, i'd much rather give a good home to a dog in need.

i said jack russell just for a gauge of size, i'd take any similar small sized mutt.

i will get a feel for the neighbours first, i know the soi quite well, its very small and most of the houses seem to have dogs, hopefully they're cool.

its a fair sized house so keeping them indoors would be no problem, im still worried about the amount of time they would be on their own though, is it fair? thats my major concern.

once again thanks

dogs can be trained to be alone all day

start with a few hours and make it longer and longer

most important is what you do when you are with the dog. most dogs like to exercise and have tasks to do, with you

feed the dog where you want it to be alone, play with the dog where you want it to be alone, sleep with the dog where you want it to be alone, last part looks funny tho

I have had dogs for 40 years, and the dog has been alone home during school- and work days. My dogs are allowed to alert when someone touches the gate, not when only walking by. Townhouse frontyard is an excellent place for a dog to live, just make sure parts are sheltered from sun and rain.

[Cuban]

You need to consider the exact environment that you live in and exactly what you seek?

We lived in a dead end soi so little passing traffic apart from food carts and the rubbish collection at 5am. With my wife at home all day our three dogs were kept busy and amused. Dogs are pack animals and if a single dog is left alone he/she cane become bored without someone/something to interact with. A bored dog is likely to react to noises by defending his/her patch by barking - if this is the only pleasure he/she gets it can become habitual. If the dog is a PTIA to locals you might find that he/she has been "dealt with" in a Thai fashion.

Dogs need exercise, at least an hour or two a day. While in the city we went out twice a day locally then at weekends to the beach or friends house for the day. If stuck in the yard, there is toilet areas to be considered. On the subject of toilet and dog shit - if neighbours complain about the smell this will cause problems. Dogs fed a BARF diet have less smelly shit and better health.

Also how hot does it get during the day? We had some canopies set up so there was shade and as the house was separate with an area of our ground along side the house whenever there was some breeze the passage alongside the house became a cool place.