5 ms·

In my experience, the dogs ive been around dont generally look sad. The totality of their facial expressions show their emotion. Ive a one year old pup, border

In my experience, the dogs ive been around dont generally look sad. The totality of their facial expressions show their emotion. Ive a one year old pup, border collie/labrador mix. I can take a quick glance at his face and know exactly how he's feeling. Probably 80% of the time, its pure joy. Happy to run around, chew on toys, jump on the furniture and try and play (unrequitedly) with our cats. About another 10%, he's scared of other animals he can see out of the Windows of our townhouse and barks incessantly. The other 10%, I have no idea. Eyes on a dog don't tell the whole story. Need to look at eyes, ears, back position, tail and legs to tell. As I write this, my dog is laying against me, calm amd near sleep. Depending on perspective, I could see his face as seeming sad, but I know he's just sleepy. He's only awake because I am and I've not put him to bed yet. But his face says to me he's calm and content. His breathing is also slowing. His favorite chew toy is inches from his mouth and against my arm and he's content to let it stay there; that's how I know he's tired. If you were to just look at a photo of my dogs face right now, he might appear sad, but I know hes just calm and sleepy.

NetOpWibby 7y ago
Damn, I cannot wait to have a dog.
- jyriand 7y ago
  Getting a dog should not be an emotional decision. I have a dog and sometimes it's a lot of work. Feeding, pooping, pissing, neverending fur in the house and on my clothes, vet, constant attention seeking etc. Just to mention a few things. And if you need to travel you need a babysitter for your dog. It's easier if you have a backyard where the dog can chill.
  - maccard 7y ago
    Can confirm. I am sitting here with a 9 week old puppy that I've had since Friday. It's relentless at first.
    - poloniculmov 7y ago
      It gets better, but the first weeks are hell. I'm so glad my dog is not a puppy anymore, even though he was really cute.
      - mocha_nate 7y ago
        For me it was the first 3 months. Still a handful and i got more than i bargained for, but one of the better decisions ive made in life.
    - hermitdev 7y ago
      I feel you. When we got our rescue puppy, we were told he was around 8-9 weeks, but turned out he eas about 6 weeks old when we took him home. He was transferred to a no kill shelter outside of Chicago from a kill shelter in Kentucky. We took him home the day he was transferred. We had to bottle feed for a few weeks with formula before he was able to transition to wet food and them a few weeks later gradually transitioned him to dry food. I spent about the first week sleeping on the floor next to him to make sure he was comfortable and to take him out if he started whining. We were also told to expect him to top out around 35 lbs. We had him neutered on Black Friday last year. Figured he was born about May 1st last year. When he got fixed he was already 45 lean pounds. A year after bringing home, he seems to have peaked at 60 pounds, nearly twice what we told to expect. He definitely has tons of energy and is very athletic (he can easily jump entirely over our couch). He could easily clear the baby gates we have to keep him in the living room/kitchen in our townhouse. He did it once without thinking, chasing one our cats upstairs. First 3 months or so, there were a lot of accidents with urinating and defecating in the house. And he had worms when we first brought him home. I had to carry him up and down the stairs for that period, as well. At firat because he just couldn't get up and down the stairs on his own, and then later to prevent him having an accident before getting outside (never had an accident while I was carrying him). A year in, he's fairly well trained, but we still have some problem areas like barking and jumping on people. He's crate trained. He sleeps in his crate overnight and when we're away from home for a bit. My wife works from home and sleeps in a bit and he's gotten used to me taking him out early in the morning to do his business and goes right back into his crate on his own after having a bit of food and water until my wife wakes up an hour or so later.
  - breakbread 7y ago
    I've often equated proper dogcare to childcare-lite. Want to go out after work? Gotta go home and tend to the dogs first Weekend getaway? The cost just increased by however much it's going to cost you to board the dogs or hire a sitter. Surprise! One of your dogs has developed a thyroid condition and will require daily medication for the rest of its life. Time for that annual teeth cleaning ($$$$$) That said, next to fatherhood, it's one of the more rewarding things in my life.
  - NetOpWibby 7y ago
    I am fully aware of this, that's why I'm waiting until I own a home to get one. I have two kids.
    - undersuit 7y ago
      Good choice. Landlords in most countries can't deny you a lease because of your children.
      - NetOpWibby 7y ago
        Thanks for the laugh.
- mschuster91 7y ago
  Think about a cat instead ;) Seriously, dogs are a shitload of work and especially, no matter how fucked the weather outside is, you gotta take the dog to walks so that the dog can take a dump. In addition, many of the larger breeds are working dogs which means that they require massive amounts of attention and daily exercise so they don't literally go mad. Please do proper research upon the characteristics of your desired breed, and don't take in a rescue dog as your first dog either. Rescue dogs can and will have psychological issues.
  - matwood 7y ago
    I've had cats over the years, and currently have 1 cat and 3 dogs (my wife is part of a dog rescue). While cats are easier, IMO they do not give the same emotional reward that dogs give. You are absolutely right about understanding the breed and the work a dog requires. It makes my wife and I sad whenever we see someone get a 'cute' working dog puppy that requires proper exercise, and then barely letting it outside 2x/day. Any dog can have psychological issues, so all dogs should be trained. I highly recommend taking a training class with any new dog. The basics are easy, and generally work. EDIT I wanted to also add that insurance is a good thing to have with a dog. I never want to be in the vet and have to make a medical decision based on cost. My 2 year old dog had to have back surgery and the vet explained that many people just put the dog down when this injury happens even though it's completely fixable and recoverable otherwise.
    - deleted 7y ago
      [deleted]
    - RankingMember 7y ago
      I'd go a step further and say pet insurance is basically a requirement if you want to give your pet a solid existence without needing to hold a big chunk of money in case of emergency. There are few things sadder to me than someone putting an animal down for a fixable issue. WRT cats, I'd argue that perhaps you just haven't met the right cat. :P I've come to think there's an expectation incongruity at play in that people who are used to dogs are thrown off when a cat wants his/her alone time, whereas a dog is pretty much always "on" socially. Becoming the target of a cat's affection is imo emotionally rewarding in a special way partially because they don't give it away to just anyone.

NetOpWibby 7y ago

Damn, I cannot wait to have a dog.

jyriand 7y ago
Getting a dog should not be an emotional decision. I have a dog and sometimes it's a lot of work. Feeding, pooping, pissing, neverending fur in the house and on my clothes, vet, constant attention seeking etc. Just to mention a few things. And if you need to travel you need a babysitter for your dog. It's easier if you have a backyard where the dog can chill.
- maccard 7y ago
  Can confirm. I am sitting here with a 9 week old puppy that I've had since Friday. It's relentless at first.
  - poloniculmov 7y ago
    It gets better, but the first weeks are hell. I'm so glad my dog is not a puppy anymore, even though he was really cute.
    - mocha_nate 7y ago
      For me it was the first 3 months. Still a handful and i got more than i bargained for, but one of the better decisions ive made in life.
  - hermitdev 7y ago
    I feel you. When we got our rescue puppy, we were told he was around 8-9 weeks, but turned out he eas about 6 weeks old when we took him home. He was transferred to a no kill shelter outside of Chicago from a kill shelter in Kentucky. We took him home the day he was transferred. We had to bottle feed for a few weeks with formula before he was able to transition to wet food and them a few weeks later gradually transitioned him to dry food. I spent about the first week sleeping on the floor next to him to make sure he was comfortable and to take him out if he started whining. We were also told to expect him to top out around 35 lbs. We had him neutered on Black Friday last year. Figured he was born about May 1st last year. When he got fixed he was already 45 lean pounds. A year after bringing home, he seems to have peaked at 60 pounds, nearly twice what we told to expect. He definitely has tons of energy and is very athletic (he can easily jump entirely over our couch). He could easily clear the baby gates we have to keep him in the living room/kitchen in our townhouse. He did it once without thinking, chasing one our cats upstairs. First 3 months or so, there were a lot of accidents with urinating and defecating in the house. And he had worms when we first brought him home. I had to carry him up and down the stairs for that period, as well. At firat because he just couldn't get up and down the stairs on his own, and then later to prevent him having an accident before getting outside (never had an accident while I was carrying him). A year in, he's fairly well trained, but we still have some problem areas like barking and jumping on people. He's crate trained. He sleeps in his crate overnight and when we're away from home for a bit. My wife works from home and sleeps in a bit and he's gotten used to me taking him out early in the morning to do his business and goes right back into his crate on his own after having a bit of food and water until my wife wakes up an hour or so later.
- breakbread 7y ago
  I've often equated proper dogcare to childcare-lite. Want to go out after work? Gotta go home and tend to the dogs first Weekend getaway? The cost just increased by however much it's going to cost you to board the dogs or hire a sitter. Surprise! One of your dogs has developed a thyroid condition and will require daily medication for the rest of its life. Time for that annual teeth cleaning ($$$$$) That said, next to fatherhood, it's one of the more rewarding things in my life.
- NetOpWibby 7y ago
  I am fully aware of this, that's why I'm waiting until I own a home to get one. I have two kids.
  - undersuit 7y ago
    Good choice. Landlords in most countries can't deny you a lease because of your children.
    - NetOpWibby 7y ago
      Thanks for the laugh.
mschuster91 7y ago
Think about a cat instead ;) Seriously, dogs are a shitload of work and especially, no matter how fucked the weather outside is, you gotta take the dog to walks so that the dog can take a dump. In addition, many of the larger breeds are working dogs which means that they require massive amounts of attention and daily exercise so they don't literally go mad. Please do proper research upon the characteristics of your desired breed, and don't take in a rescue dog as your first dog either. Rescue dogs can and will have psychological issues.
- matwood 7y ago
  I've had cats over the years, and currently have 1 cat and 3 dogs (my wife is part of a dog rescue). While cats are easier, IMO they do not give the same emotional reward that dogs give. You are absolutely right about understanding the breed and the work a dog requires. It makes my wife and I sad whenever we see someone get a 'cute' working dog puppy that requires proper exercise, and then barely letting it outside 2x/day. Any dog can have psychological issues, so all dogs should be trained. I highly recommend taking a training class with any new dog. The basics are easy, and generally work. EDIT I wanted to also add that insurance is a good thing to have with a dog. I never want to be in the vet and have to make a medical decision based on cost. My 2 year old dog had to have back surgery and the vet explained that many people just put the dog down when this injury happens even though it's completely fixable and recoverable otherwise.
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
  - RankingMember 7y ago
    I'd go a step further and say pet insurance is basically a requirement if you want to give your pet a solid existence without needing to hold a big chunk of money in case of emergency. There are few things sadder to me than someone putting an animal down for a fixable issue. WRT cats, I'd argue that perhaps you just haven't met the right cat. :P I've come to think there's an expectation incongruity at play in that people who are used to dogs are thrown off when a cat wants his/her alone time, whereas a dog is pretty much always "on" socially. Becoming the target of a cat's affection is imo emotionally rewarding in a special way partially because they don't give it away to just anyone.