For me, saying goodbye was tough but tougher still, is watching your wife and kids say their goodbyes.

 

Leaving for work in the morning, when all you really want to do is spend the day walking in the woods with the dogs.

 

The only thing that sucks about owning a dog is when they pass away.:frown2:

 

Losing them, no doubt. I say all the time the only thing I don't love about dogs is that they just don't live long enough. Devastating to have one pass. But a puppy in the house does seem to take the edge off because you can't mope too much with a flumpy kid who wants to play and you can see the hope for the future...

Second worst would be sick or injured. But the day you wake up to a happy face who is all better make me think of someone else's post. Anything I find mildly annoying....I would give anything to have that instead of a sick dog so when they are pestering me and I wish they weren't I am grateful for a healthy, happy dog.

 

I've never had a dog that has died before... my last GSD I had to rehome due to military reasons and not having anyone to keep her while away.. that was pretty hard but... I would say the hardest part is the puppy stage... constantly having to taker the pup out every 2 hrs though out an entire day and even at night... having to keep cleaning the kennel tray after she pees in it... over and over and over... having to keep getting our carpets cleaned.. trying to get rid of the odor of urine... the list goes on but you get the point

 

I think the hardest thing is when you have to let them go. Even if they die on their own or you have to put them to sleep so they are not in pain any more.

I have never killed anyone before but if I would have caught whomever kicked or took a bat to my dog and completely crushed his jaw and teeth and he couldn't even stand up (don't know what was done to his spine) but he still wagged his tail glad to see us. Never would hurt a soul kind of dog. And who ever did this did it in the center of my yard... Having to put him down when he did not get to grow old and did nothing wrong, loved everyone.

The other hard one was our illegitimate child (the dog my husband and I got before we where married). She was so old and hung on not only for my husband to get through his chemo but long enough for him to be barely well enough to bury her. She was an awesome dog.

 

Definitely saying good by to our pets.

 

I think the hardest part for me is dealing with illnesses, especially long-term, incurable ones. For my dog Syd, the worst part was knowing that I'd have to say goodbye soon, but at the same time I feared not making the decision at the right time. After seeing her go through several seizures on the same day, saying goodbye was the easy part. No more suffering for her.

Being the control-freak that I am, I also have a hard time when they're ill but don't know the exact reason. This frustrates me because I want to avoid putting the dog in the same situation that led to the illness.

When they die unexpectedly is also hard, but in these cases, since it's quick, it's likely that they didn't suffer as much.

 

when you want to travel and you dont trust anyone to take care of your dog

 

The hardest part about the "man and dog" relationship... is the human. Lol, I mean because I'm only human and I make mistakes - but if I don't learn from them, the dog has to pay for it too. That's not just in training either.

I think having dogs is easy, but it can be a hassle when you're not quite in rhythm with the schedule or having a bad day. Cause you can't take a break from being an animal's owner. You HAVE to feed them, make sure they have water, get their physical and mental stimulation, keep em healthy, train them, bla bla bla. That's hard when you're not truly up to it or if you don't have the resources, but doing it regardless of the obstacles or hoops you have to jump through is its own victory.

A home full of dogs is more fulfilling than a house with none, that's all I'm saying.

 

Definitely saying goodbye.

My heart still aches at the loss of Randolph, my dark sable GSD, last year. But having a new guy (Sakima) in the house helps ... especially with his puppy/adolescence moments.

 

I've literally had a dog every. Single. Moment. If my life, do it just comes natural to me, and none of it is hard. However, not being able to go on vacations or having to find a trustworthy dog sitter. But the worst part is when they pass away.

 

The hardest part is making the decision to put them to sleep when it's not an obvious decision. My late pup was given a month to live by her specialist but she lived on for another 6 months. She was a chaser but the day the birds passed within feet of her and she didn't move was when I thought she's had enough. And this is going to sound really loopy but that same day, she suddenly stood right in front of me and gave me a GSD mouthful. And I thought she's telling me something. My vet said she would rather put a dog down a day too early than a day too late. But afterwards you still doubt your decision.

 

Hi. I'm new to this forum and that's because I'm planning to get a GSD puppy. Actually i found one but is in different country and I have to wait till is gonna be 3 months old to get him here. Dog is my dream for 20 years especially gsd. I'm so excited but because it's my first dog I'm a little bit afraid if I'm gonna manage. I read a lot about everything but is hard to find answer for all my questions so will try here. So I've got 2 year old daughter and husband who is working quiet a lot so that's mean that usually I'm gonna take care of the dog for the all days. So please tell me how many times a day I have to walk and exercise gsd? If I'm not gonna be able to take him for a walk in the morning is it ok to let him run around in the garden so I can take him for a proper walk to the park in the afternoon and in the evening? Is there any routine for example everyday 8am in the morning and same tine in the evening? Obviesly I'm not working at the moment so I got plenty of time but I'm planning to get back to work in about year time. Is the dog gonna be ok then at home for a few hours by himself? If I hoover the house everyday is that enough to get reed of the hair everywhere? please please help and answer my questions. Thank you

 

I find a routine is a huge help in dogs. Plan for at least an hour a day of walks and 20-30 mins of training. Could be two 30 min walks, three 20 min walks, etc. May be less or more depending on the dog.

If you don’t exercise your dog, you’ll pay for it in return for their behavior around the house. The high energy dog will be FAR higher energy. Depending on the dog, an un-exercised dog can be completely unmanageable around the house.

Some people are good with routine, some aren’t. Just think long and hard if you have this kind of time. Even missing one walk may turn your dog into a super annoying high energy guy doing house laps until he does get one. You can’t blame the dog - either.

This is just my experience after having a lab for 13 years and now a 6 month old GSD. Others may agree or not. There’s a lot of research that should be done. I’d pick up some books and search the forums.


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Thank you for your answer. Is that ok if I'm not able to take him for a morning walk to let him out in the garden? Is that gonna be enough 30mins in the morning in the garden, 1 hour in the afternoon in the park play and 30mins walk in the evening? I mean for gsd?

 

It depends - is it like a full yard or just like a small garden? Being outside by himself probably won’t be enough. If it’s a big yard and you can go out and throw a ball and romp around with him for a bit, that’d be fair. For people with two dogs, they play enough with each other that’d probably be fine for 30 mins in the morning.

Maybe others will chime in, but I think if you just let him out for 30 mins by himself in the morning, he’s gonna be a handful until the afternoon.

If you can only do two walks a day - if you could do a vigorous 20-30 min walk in the morning, yard play time in the afternoon, then a walk in the evening, that’d be fine too.

Of course - people do far less, but I don’t think that’s fair to a high energy dog and I’m sure they often have more behavior problems around the house.

Again - just my two cents, let’s see what others chime in with.


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The hardest part at this time of year is the HAIR!! German SHEDDING dogs indeed!

And yes, saying 'goodbye' and when the dog is gradually going downhill over a long period time, knowing just when is the right moment to do what has to be done.

If ONLY they could talk and tell us...:crying:

 

When you travel and cant take them with

 

The amount of hair all over my house! Lol

 

Living longer than they do.


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Takes over your life!

 

For me it's losing them. But also the dog community is pretty toxic, and that can be tough at times. However, both dogs and dog people can be amazing and are over all worth it