[tracerspiff]

Hello, Can anyone comment on the Jack Russell Terrier breed? we re thinking of getting a pet and I feel the JRT breed would be a good fit for apartment life.

[orbabu]

Hi, this is about our beloved "cherrie" a Persian cat. Changed our life completely.

[digitalnirvana]

Originally Posted by tracerspiff

Hello, Can anyone comment on the Jack Russell Terrier breed? we re thinking of getting a pet and I feel the JRT breed would be a good fit for apartment life.

Intelligent, energetic, and I'd say very expressive personalities! Do note that JRTs have high prey drive like all terriers bred for hunting or catching vermin so if you have birds or bunnies or cats, absolutely not recommended.

Personally I think it would be wrong in keeping one in an apartment without adequate exercise and mental stimulation. Look for other docile breeds or best get a
an Indie off the streets at pup stage for free instead of buying a pedigree. Give them a loving home and they'll reward you a million times over every moment of every day.

Here's one link with more info though there's hundreds of such on Google https://dogtime.com/dog-breeds/jack-...rrier#/slide/2

[shankar.balan]

There is an aspect to a dog which is very important but which few people heed.
1. Yes it is very important to go for good walks and run about and exercise and have fun.
2. A part of this is the ‘sniffing about’ that all dogs do.
When you take the dog out he or she takes time to sniff at all sorts of things. This is very important because they are basically hunters and scavengers and their sense of smell needs constant stimulation and they need to explore.

This is one more reason that any pet dog requires at least 3-4 nice walks a day. They need to be allowed free and should not be tied up. Apartments by their very nature and especially the ones which are high up, arent at all conducive to all this. Dogs are happiest at ground level where they can loaf about the house, compound and terrace etc.

It is simply cruel to keep a big dog confined to a high rise apartment. Like Prison for Life. And they dont live very long either as compared to humans. So it is needlessly cruel.

[dvr08]

Originally Posted by digitalnirvana

Look for other docile breeds or best get a
an Indie off the streets at pup stage for free instead of buying a pedigree. Give them a loving home and they'll reward you a million times over every moment of every day.

I agree. After months of discussion, we finally decided in 2020 to get a dog (thanks to covid and wfh). We were first time dog owners and were clear that we are not going to buy a dog and adopted a female indie rescued from streets of Bangalore while she was about 60 days old.

Having Cookie at home initially was a challenge as we took time to understand the way she is. It's been 2 years now and all she has done is show unconditional love.

Even though she is a medium sized dog, I still feel a 2BHK flat isn't enough for her energy levels. Thankfully, I have a friend who lives in the same apartment who has a Golden Retriever (Enzo). Both these are good friends and we ensure they have at least 45 mins of play time every night in terrace post 9PM.

[Sa!lor]

Originally Posted by dvr08

I agree. After months of discussion, we finally decided in 2020 to get a dog (thanks to covid and wfh). We were first time dog owners and were clear that we are not going to buy a dog and adopted a female indie rescued from streets of Bangalore while she was about 60 days old.

Having Cookie at home initially was a challenge as we took time to understand the way she is. It's been 2 years now and all she has done is show unconditional love.

Even though she is a medium sized dog, I still feel a 2BHK flat isn't enough for her energy levels. Thankfully, I have a friend who lives in the same apartment who has a Golden Retriever (Enzo). Both these are good friends and we ensure they have at least 45 mins of play time every night in terrace post 9PM.

She is beautiful, you did a right thing adopting a dog. Don't know why people have obsession with breeds as any dog will love you unconditionally and in return all they need is love and care.

Adopting is the best way because breeding largely in India is an ugly affair, dogs are treated very badly just to earn money and lot of dogs and cats need home so adopt instead of shopping.

Last year I got a call that a dog is left to die and needs urgent rescue, got to the location took him to vet and instantly got some connection with him, nothing was planned and he was adopted by us and now after one year turns out to be the best instantaneous decision ever taken by me, he was just skin and bones with barely two days remaining to live and now he is a huge dog, we had no idea what breed he was until after he recovered and vet along with other rescuers found out he is a Mastiff abandoned by someone obsessed with breeds and couldn't take care of.

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by udzgodfather

Thanks for the very detailed answer, I work from home/have my own office, so I won't be leaving the dog alone, I understand that I have to be very careful to meet its needs and that is what I am planning for, I already own a farm land in Udaipur, and few years down the line I would shift there allowing him to have more larger area to enjoy and exercise himself.


See this is what I want to learn more about, I have been mulling on getting the Rottweiler for last 6-7 Months and still want to familiarize myself for what more it is going to need from my side to cater its need.


I know that having a dog is a full time job not some timepass, hence I asked the question here so that I can be more prepared for him.


I resonate a lot to the breed, they are purest bundle of joy and love who are misjudged by the society for no fault of there own.

If this the first time that you are getting a dog, I suggest the following course of action

. Get a small low maintenance dog, say beagle.
. Get aquainted with owning and taking care of the dog. That will take at least a couple of years.
. Make all the meals at home.
. Once you have acquainted yourself with ownership, then think of getting a big dog, but keep a big dog in the farm and not in a flat.

In my opinion for the first time owner the ownership path should be

Small Dog (Beagle, Samoyed etc) -> Medium Sized -> Working Dog (Labrador, German Shepherd, Rotweiller) -> Large dog (Great Dane, St. Bernard etc)

That way you will learn how to take care and train without much pain.

[udzgodfather]

Thank you everyone for there prompt response, even though I am not liking it at the moment and I want to put a lot of "will do this" or "will do that" into the equation but I understand that it won't be a wise choice hence I have decided to push the Rottie plans for the future until I get myself a good and bigger place for him.

[Fuldagap]

Originally Posted by digitalnirvana

or best get an Indie off the streets at pup stage for free instead of buying a pedigree. Give them a loving home and they'll reward you a million times over every moment of every day.

People are increasingly adopting stray pups. They really come out be fantastic. I picked up a very young about to die puppy lying in a big drain few years back. She had been separated from her mother and siblings due to some incident. Intention was to get her treated and let it be in the surroundings. Chanced upon a fantastic vet too. It was north of Pir Panjal and area was under total lockdown. Never had a pet nor had any intention to keep one. Cared for her for about 2 months. She had both hind legs broken and other many infections. Then couldn't let her be and kept her forever. The dog came out to be very fine. Extremely intelligent but very stubborn too. It's been a huge learning curve and life revolves around her. Wouldn't have ever kept a dog if not for this incident. The only problem is she is unfriendly towards other dogs, especially breeds. Though very friendly sith humans. 10 kms per day walking is mandatory thanks to her.

[am1m]

Originally Posted by Fuldagap

People are increasingly adopting stray pups. They really come out be fantastic. I picked up a very young about to die puppy lying in a big drain few years back.

This is an amazing aspect of Indies, some of them recover from serious infections and injuries that would certainly kill any of the other breeds. Of course it comes at a price, from a street litter hardly one or two pups will grow past puppyhood. Survival of the fittest and the ones that do survive will usually survive anything.

Another factor that changed my mind about Indies is the rampant illegal breeding that goes on in cities. Because of the desire for a "majestic-looking" breed as a pet, people from all sections of society have started breeding these dogs. It's no longer the poorer sections of town where you will see some huge dogs being kept for breeding, people from upper-middle class families too see this as easy money. (I know one family in my neighborhood who do this sort of thing and their poor dogs are kept caged most of the day and are understandably aggressive!) The sad part is, without any oversight, they breed dogs from the same litter and other such things, the result is weakened bloodlines and chronic conditions. What's worse is there are also several vets who encourage breeding. One vet we went to asked us if we would be interested in breeding our dog! The only way to stop this cruelty is to stop the demand for such pedigree breeds.

Sad to see so many Siberian huskies, Alaskan malamutes and other such breeds that have no business being this close to the tropics in a city like Bangalore!

The question we should ask is do we want a pet to love and to be loved by, or do we want to acquire just another status symbol.

[Biker Ram]

My advise to anyone going through this thread with the intention of bringing home a dog, especially their first dog: Adopt if you can. You'll be surprised at the number and variety of dogs that are looking for homes. Keep an open mind on adopting non puppies too. Just a few months after getting the dog quite a lot of people realize that having a dog or raising them is not all hunky dory so they give up, and dogs end up in rescue centers. So, quite a lot of grown up or juvenile dogs come for adoption.

If you are fixated on a breed and want to purchase it, please buy it from someone known to be an ethical breeder. How to know if one is an ethical breeder? Stay away from all the 'puppies for sale' ads you see on Facebook, Insta, newspapers or anywhere else. If you see 'available for adoption' posts but have watermarks of some breeder, stay away. Stay away if the post says 'home bred'. Stay away if the post can't spell a dog's breed correctly. You will see many posts for Rattweeler, Labour Dog etc. Stay away if you see 'free home delivery'. Stay away if they are trying to sell for a 'good discount' or 'very cheap' prices.

Once you have filtered out the obvious ones and shortlisted a few others, see if you can visit them and take a look at how they take care of their dogs. This will help you forming an opinion about them. Also, try getting info from the dog owners you know, or if possible get added to a couple of dog owners Whatsapp groups and seek advise. Be prepared for discouraging responses. If you are too discouraged and doubt whether you should get dog, probably it's best not to get one!

I have a 9 year old Lab at home. Bought from a good breeder at 6 weeks age, no complaints about the breeder. But before our dog turned one year old we had already made up our mind that our next is going to be adopted. Don't know if or when that's going to happen, but sure he/she will be an adopted one.

[VWAllstar]

Say hello to 'Mishti' a poodle (father) & maltese (mother) mix. She is 4.5 months old and been with us for 1 month now.

[ptaneja]

Originally Posted by VWAllstar

Say hello to 'Mishti' a poodle (father) & maltese (mother) mix. She is 4.5 months old and been with us for 1 month now.

Hello from my 3 year old Lhasa !
I am seriously looking for a company for him - poodle or ShihTzu - but don't want to get into breeders. Let me know if you have any contacts here in NCR.

[r_nairtvm]

A good friend of mine is looking for a Labrador pup. Not interested to get from a professional breeder. Would prefer one bred responsibly and registered with Kennel Club. Any city in India is fine.

Please let me know of any such.

Best Regards & Thanks.

[VWAllstar]

Originally Posted by VWAllstar

Say hello to 'Mishti' a poodle (father) & maltese (mother) mix. She is 4.5 months old and been with us for 1 month now.

What are some good dog foods available in India? I am currently feeding Mishti with Royal Canine Puppy Dry Food (chicken) Earlier tried N&D (Farmina) puppy dry food (chicken & pumpkin) She does not get excited about them. As per her weight (1.8 KG) she should be eating 30-40 Gms per day. We feed her thrice a day with each serving of 15 gms out of which she eats 3/4th.