to give or not to give

here's the story...

okay so frodo is growing bigger now.. and i live in a small apartment. Every single day he'd look down the window crying for a walk. Well i walk him like 4 times a week for 20 minutes most of the time. The problem is that my mom wants to give him away because he's big and he barks a lot at night. Well i dont know if i should because frodo had been my good friend since 5 months ago..My mom wants to give him to a factory where he can run around the fields with the other dogs. But frodo is more of an inside dog and i remember one time he got fever cuz he was playing in the rain.

I am really confused wether i should give him away or not. Cuz if i do, i'm going to really miss him and if i dont, he's going to stay at home most of the time. My mom said she'll buy me a mini pinscher and a pet pig. The kind of pig that stays small forever you know..

So uhm...any advices?

A factory?

Why can't you walk him more? Or hire a dogwalker or have a friend walk him? It sounds like he's just a little housebound. I'd hate to see you part with your friend!

20 minutes 4x a week is not enough for a big dog.

i know..i will do that my mom will come out with more problems..he jumps on guests, he barks randomly at night, the newspaper in the bathroom is making a mess...blah blah blah ..well i'm trying to train him to jump and bark but still..

thanx anyway.

training will stop most problems, but there is no substitute for more walking. Buster is walked twice a day and he still gets overly excited whenever we grab the leash. What sort of dog is he??? i think if he is a good dog and your willing to put the time in then go for it

wat sort of dog is he and how old is he??

wat sort of dog and how old is he

You say your problem is barking.. Your mom thinks a MINIATURE PINSCHER is going to be a quiet dog?! I've yet to meet a minpin that wasn't a yapper.

Walking is not the only way you can exercise a dog. If you have a long hallway, throw a ball down there. Play tug-of-war inside the house. Set up a few agility jumps in the hallway and teach him to go over them. Stuff like that will wear him out just as well as a walk.

What breed is the dog in question?

This dog need more exercise a tired dog is a good dog, he also need proper training, try putting a baby gate up so that when visitors arrive he dosnt jump all over them, once he is settled then let the dog meet visitors, the paper in bathroom will not be there if the dog is taken out more often, all these problems can be rectified if YOU put the effort in, the dog knows no difference, its YOU and your family that is teaching this dog how to behave,

Mo

Giving a dog to a FACTORY?

what exactly is a factory???

Frodo is a German Shepherd/Akita/Chow mix in Chell's profile.

yeah renee, thanx. Anyway...maybe not a factory cuz i dont think its safe..my mom knows this guitarists guy who used to own a dog but his dog was recently stolen when he was performing a gig..its cuz his dog hates to be leashed and whenever shes leashed she wouldnt move, the guy had no choice to let her follow him everyday when he performs gig

he lives in a house thats not an apartment..and he likes dogs..my mom wants me to give frodo to him...cuz frodo doesnt suit to live in an apartment..but i couldnt give him away but at the same time i want him to be happy ...yes i tried to train him but he still cant heel and be quiet..i mean whenever i bring him out he just runs like he havent gone out for decades.. i get blisters everytime after walking him...he really likes walking outside but i can only walk him 3-4 times a week cuz of my school and stuffs. Whats the right thing to do?

That's a really tough one, Gell.

Frodo's going to run and carry on like he hasn't been out in decades because to a dog, only going out three or four times a week IS decades. Especially the type of dog Frodo is. All three of Frodo's breeds need plenty of exercise, and he's getting big. Using a paper in the bathroom isn't going to be a viable option for him much longer. Add to that the fact that he needs to learn to let you know when he needs to go so that he can learn to go outside to use it.

I think you really need to sit down and look at your time and where it's being spent and decide which "stuff" you're willing to give up to have time to play with Frodo and take him walking.

I'm afraid that if you can't make time for him, it might be in his best interest to find him a home where someone has the time to give him the love, attention and exercise that he needs. The very best way to do that is usually to find a reputable organization that fosters dogs until they find a new home. I'm very afraid that the fact that he hasn't learned to go outside to do his business could land him in a situation where a new owner might get frustrated and just abandon him to a shelter - or worse.

I feel for you and the decision you have to make about Frodo. I think Renee said it all about sitting down and really looking at your situation. I know you will make the right decision for you and for Frodo. Please keep us updated as to what you are thinking or if you have any questions.

Wow Chell...so sorry. I agree that you should look at your "stuff" and see what you can give up to make time for Frodo. He sounds like a good dog, and you sound like you care about him a lot.

Rip had some awesome ideas for exercizing him. I don't like walking my dogs, because my neighborhood is full of people who don't watch their dogs, and leave them loose. Yesterday, I saw a huge yellow lab outside, on the road, alone. And, because my boys are allergic to the coral, I can't even let them play in the yard...Thank god I'm moving soon!

Best of luck to you and Frodo! Keep us posted.

okay so i took frodo a long walk today around the neighborhood and taught him how to heel which in return he gives me more blisters on my palm ..lol..but he kind of learned how to walk beside me ..but the problem is sometimes he likes to sniff on trees to mark his territory..so there are like a tree every 5 foot and he has to stop in every single tree to sniff it..

but i see he's making progress and bout the outside potty thing..is 30 inches tall and 28 inches long dog impossible to be paper trained forever?

You might get by with a litterbox or something more absorbent than papers, but he's going to be soaking through quite a stack of newspapers.

Have you thought about getting up a bit earlier and taking him for a short walk first thing in the morning, then for a nice long one when you get home from school and then a short trip outside before bedtime? When he's grown that should handle his bathroom needs under normal circumstances, especially if you're feeding something that is absorbable and usable in his system and isn't just passing through.

The walk in the morning is a good way to start your day, too, and a good walk/romp is a great way to shake off sitting in school all day.

yeah thanx ren, he pees in the guests bathroom now, sometimes without the newspaper..it does leaves a lot of foot prints on the floor..is it okay to let dogs mark every single tree they sniff? cuz i'm teaching frodo to heel and he always darts left and right to mark a tree everytime he passes one..

Has he been neutered yet, Gell?

Really, though, marking is a way of communicating for dogs, so although it's a bit frustrating, it's good to let him get it out of his system for awhile. A dog's gotta be a dog sometimes, lol!

If you'll start taking him on an early morning walk, then giving him a Kong toy that's been frozen with peanut butter or cheese inside it should cut way back on the barking during the day as well. Alternating the Kong with a puzzle ball filled with treats should help too. You don't want to be too predictable or he'll get bored.