If you want a lab, get a lab. Get the kind of dog you really want.
If you go to a shelter and do not see a dog you want, DO NOT just pick from what’s available. The idea is for you to get a dog you love, not just take home something.
This is not a one-night stand. It’s for life, so make sure you end up with the one you really, really want.
The flaw with rescue dogs, as you may have surmised, is that often these dogs have been dumped for a reason, and it’s typically a behavioral issue.
If you have no experience with dogs then you do not want to try to re-train or break the bad habit of a problem dog so you are, in my opinion, better off purchasing a puppy from a reputable breeder.
The two of you can then go to obedience training together, as you will need instruction as much as the dog does.
Puppies take up a huge amount of time but as he ages he will need less attention so if at first it seems as though you are chained to the dog, it will change over time.
However, you will be responsible for the care and well-being of this dog for life and this dog is a live being. It is not a toy that you can set aside when you have something better to do.
Dogs are a commitment of time and money so be sure you really want to have a dog. Know that it means walking the dog so he can pee and poop multiple times in a day in all kinds of weather.
A lot of people who thought they wanted a dog think again when they’re standing in the rain or snow waiting for Fido to poop so they can praise Fido for pooping and then pick up the poop and carry it around with them.
Know that you must scoop your dog’s poop and that you should not let your dog pee on the neighbor’s lawns or he will leave unsightly urine burns on their property.
Your dog, your pee burns in the yard. If you rent, you need to find a spot for your dog to pee that will not infringe on someone else’s rights or property including that of your landlord. Be sure he’s OK with Fido tinkling in the yard beforehand.
If you are tired at the end of the day, too bad. Fido still gets his walk. Want to sleep in? Forget it. Fido needs his morning constitutional or he’ll piss and crap in your home while you’re snoring in bed.
Want to go on vacation? Hope you calculated the cost of boarding Fido into your budget. Do not leave him with friends. They invariably miss a shift or two and Fido will not be able to hold it.
Fido will also not like the disruption to his routine. If he is boarded he will get food and exercise at regular times and will have opportunities to socialize with other dogs.
Going on a date? Better get home in time to let Fido out for his last scheduled pee-and-poop of the evening. If the date turns into a sleepover it has to be at your place so you can let Fido out and feed him in the morning. If your date has his own Fido and you both live alone then one of you will have to hurry home in the wee hours so the dog can be let out to toilet and be fed.
Family events? Holidays? Dinner parties? You have to time your appearances at these events around your dog so he can be fed at close to his regular time and so he isn’t stuck alone in the house for longer than he can hold his pee or poop.
DO NOT bring your dog to events unless he has been specifically invited. Do not ask if you can bring your dog. If the invitation does not include Fido, do not put your host or hostess on the spot by begging to bring your pet.
Either decline politely or cut short your evening so you can rush home to deal with the dog.
Fido needs to be neutered so figure that into his/her overall cost. Please neuter your pet for the sake of your pet’s overall health and for the good of the community. A neutered dog cannot have a ‘puppy accident.’
Vet costs are expensive so either suck it up and pay or look into medical insurance for your dog.
Fido will need exercise so do not just let him in the yard to do his business or he will get lazy and fatter than a pig.
Walk him. Take him to the park, play with him, or go to the dog park and watch him play with other dogs, but he needs to do something every day. This means his exercise time must be built into your day, every day.
Dogs typically need to move their bowels after eating so you can’t just dump food in a bowl and walk away. After your dog has eaten he needs to be leashed and walked so he can poop. Walking helps them poop so again, don’t just push him into the yard. Get the leash and go with him to force him to walk and also so you can clean up the poop after you’ve walked it out of him.
Dogs eat breakfast and dinner so that’s twice a day where you have to be available to give the dog a good poop walk.
Dogs can be good companions but they are also costly, a lot of work and a huge time commitment so be really, really sure you want one.
If you think having a dog is worth the money you will spend on him, the time you will spend tossing a ball, having him fetch it and tossing it again, the time spent walking him, doing the dirty but necessary job of picking up his poop and carrying it around with you (do not toss it in your neighbor’s trash cans), cleaning his invariable pee and poop accidents off your carpets, cleaning his barf, cleaning his slobber, smelling his farts, listening to his barking and tolerating his chewing and humping then you really want one so go for it.
We have always had dogs so we don’t think twice about all this but people who did not grow up in a ‘dog’ house may not have a clear picture of the down sides of dog ownership.
Obviously we have a dog and he pees, poops, farts, barfs, slobbers, chews, barks and humps and we have spent countless hours exercising him and picking up turds and probably could have taken a vacation to Hawaii with the money we’ve spent on his food and the vet, so we are on the ‘worth it’ side of the fence.
But this is a personal choice and you should go into it with all the facts and your eyes wide open.
Good luck, hope you fall into the ‘worth it’ category.