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I'm not sure if this is the right forum to place this is in, as I'm new here. But I recently got a puppy and I need some advice.
First off, I'll give you a little history about me. I'm a student whose going to be going to taking an online school for animation classes (something I've always wanted to do) in addition to working a full-time job. I'm 28 and I'm buying a home (although in a something bad neighborhood) that has a fully fenced in backyard and I'm working on fixing it up whenever I can afford to.
Obviously, I love dogs and almost all animals, as does the rest of my family. We never had the pleasure of owning a dog though, until one of my younger sisters finally convinced my parents that she really wanted one and she was willing to take care of it and pay for everything it needed. His name was Zephyr and he was a handsome dog mostly German Sheperd with a bit of Border Collie.
Anyways, since then I love german sheperds so when my brother called me up and asked if I wanted a "Zephyr" (we fondly refer to any dog/canine that has german sheperd or looks similiar as a Zephyr) I was pretty excited about having my own dog, especially since it was the breed I had grown to love so much. I initially had doubts and worries about being able to care for him, but I finally convinced myself (with the help of some friends and family who said I should have a dog) that I would take him.
Unfortunately now, I've been thinking about all the responsibilities of training him and the amount of time I need to spend with him, plus the cost of shots and such (which I could afford, but they would cut away from other things i need to pay for/buy) and I'm beginning to have second thoughts about whether this is the right point in my life to raise a dog, and if I could give this puppy the care he needs to grow up a happy dog.
So I've come here for some suggestions or ideas.
I could try to keep him but with homework + regular work I'm not sure how much time I could spend training him. How much time should one spend with a puppy as he's growing up?
Also, I rent my house out to some other people, but unfortunately most of them aren't his biggest fans.
One is strictly a "Cat" person who doesn't mind the dog but pretty much ignores him.
This guys wife has a family of dogs and plays with him every once in awhile.
Another is a friend from college who is only going to be there for a month. Which is good for the puppy because this guy was apparently raised in a country where you need to "hit" dogs to train them or use other abusive techniques like slapping a paper or making a loud noise to scare them.
Fortunately I've been able to prevent him from hitting my dog, but he was trying to scare a few times by slapping papers or snapping a belt. Again though, he'll be gone soon, so I don't have to worry about him soon.
I've had the puppy for almost 2 weeks and he's been potty-trained in my room, but not the rest of the house. He also likes the crate I finally got for him, and I think he's beggining to catch on to his name and the command of "Come", or he just does it because he's happy to see me anytime I come outside. The one big problem right now though is he always tried to bit or chew on me or anything attached to me! I've bought several Nylabones and a Kong toy. He usually only chews them for 5 -10 sec before trying to bite me again or chew on the clothes I'm wearing immediately after praising him for being a good dog for not chewing on me (his timing is remarkable).
Also, if I scold him or say "No" he tends to get more ferocious and he'll start yapping and lunging/snapping at my hands that are correcting him or withdrawing to avoid his sharp teeth.
Ok, well, I guess that's enough for one post and I would really appreciate any advice or information about this situation. If I need to I think I can still return him to the owner. I know he needs shots very soon, so I need to either get those or give him to someone that can. Although, I'm not sure if I'll get refunded for the money I've spent on him so far (which is about $70) or the cost of the shots.
First off, I'll give you a little history about me. I'm a student whose going to be going to taking an online school for animation classes (something I've always wanted to do) in addition to working a full-time job. I'm 28 and I'm buying a home (although in a something bad neighborhood) that has a fully fenced in backyard and I'm working on fixing it up whenever I can afford to.
Obviously, I love dogs and almost all animals, as does the rest of my family. We never had the pleasure of owning a dog though, until one of my younger sisters finally convinced my parents that she really wanted one and she was willing to take care of it and pay for everything it needed. His name was Zephyr and he was a handsome dog mostly German Sheperd with a bit of Border Collie.
Anyways, since then I love german sheperds so when my brother called me up and asked if I wanted a "Zephyr" (we fondly refer to any dog/canine that has german sheperd or looks similiar as a Zephyr) I was pretty excited about having my own dog, especially since it was the breed I had grown to love so much. I initially had doubts and worries about being able to care for him, but I finally convinced myself (with the help of some friends and family who said I should have a dog) that I would take him.
Unfortunately now, I've been thinking about all the responsibilities of training him and the amount of time I need to spend with him, plus the cost of shots and such (which I could afford, but they would cut away from other things i need to pay for/buy) and I'm beginning to have second thoughts about whether this is the right point in my life to raise a dog, and if I could give this puppy the care he needs to grow up a happy dog.
So I've come here for some suggestions or ideas.
I could try to keep him but with homework + regular work I'm not sure how much time I could spend training him. How much time should one spend with a puppy as he's growing up?
Also, I rent my house out to some other people, but unfortunately most of them aren't his biggest fans.
One is strictly a "Cat" person who doesn't mind the dog but pretty much ignores him.
This guys wife has a family of dogs and plays with him every once in awhile.
Another is a friend from college who is only going to be there for a month. Which is good for the puppy because this guy was apparently raised in a country where you need to "hit" dogs to train them or use other abusive techniques like slapping a paper or making a loud noise to scare them.
Fortunately I've been able to prevent him from hitting my dog, but he was trying to scare a few times by slapping papers or snapping a belt. Again though, he'll be gone soon, so I don't have to worry about him soon.
I've had the puppy for almost 2 weeks and he's been potty-trained in my room, but not the rest of the house. He also likes the crate I finally got for him, and I think he's beggining to catch on to his name and the command of "Come", or he just does it because he's happy to see me anytime I come outside. The one big problem right now though is he always tried to bit or chew on me or anything attached to me! I've bought several Nylabones and a Kong toy. He usually only chews them for 5 -10 sec before trying to bite me again or chew on the clothes I'm wearing immediately after praising him for being a good dog for not chewing on me (his timing is remarkable).
Also, if I scold him or say "No" he tends to get more ferocious and he'll start yapping and lunging/snapping at my hands that are correcting him or withdrawing to avoid his sharp teeth.
Ok, well, I guess that's enough for one post and I would really appreciate any advice or information about this situation. If I need to I think I can still return him to the owner. I know he needs shots very soon, so I need to either get those or give him to someone that can. Although, I'm not sure if I'll get refunded for the money I've spent on him so far (which is about $70) or the cost of the shots.
