The cost of owning a dog

My girlfriend and I have been playing with the idea of a little black lab. We both know that owning a dog is like owning a child, having to buy it food and take it to the doctor (err....vet) and all that other good stuff..

So, after you buy it toys, and food, and after the vet bills, what do you generally spend per month on a dog?

Food and vet bills are going to be your biggest.

Other things to keep in mind..

monthly heartworm/flea medication
grooming (optional for a lab if you want to give it a bath yourself, or if you don't mind doggy smell)
The cheap foods are not worth it.. you'll have a healthier dog (and less vet bills) if you get quality food such as Nutro, Royal Canin, Bil Jac etc.
Also your bills are going to be higher for a dog as big as a lab. You may want to consider a smaller breed. I'm a dog groomer so I have first hand experience with hundreds of breeds.. if you have any questions I can likely help!

there cool smalle dogs to. I have a min pin(miniature pincher) and is very cool and very defensive to de famoly, and I allsow have had, boston terriers, does are cool laid back dogs, well the final desition is up to you and your tast.

Not a fan of small dogs in my opnion if it's smaller then a cat get a cat. I like the bigger breeds most of them tend to be better temperd less nipping less irritaing to you and your neigbors.As for cost I've owned several over the years most you can groom yourself vet vists are just normal expences figure one or two a year unless somthing comes up, vets are easier to find for dogs them exoctics. All in all not much more then it costs for anyohter pet really.

A lot of small dogs can be snippy, but not all. Min pins are cool little dogs, as are italian greyhounds (I love these guys)

there's a breed for everyone!

Standard vet care such as shots ,worm check, heartworm & flea prevenative such as frontline Run me about 275.00 per year. That includes the rabie tag. If your dog has short hair the grooming can be so easy to do yourself. Learning to cut nails is also a simple task.

Remember the spay or nueter surgery is a one time cost and well worth it if you are wanting a pet.
If you do maint. care on your dog and use a leash when out, to avoid accidents vet bills can be kept to a min.. The 275 was actually more than my bill was this year.
Quality food is a must. For a 25 lb french bulldog and a 95 lb. borzoi it cost me about 10 dollars a week for a high performance diet.
Also about every 3 years the dog may need a teeth cleaning. Dental chew toys will cut the number of those visits. My borzoi is six and has never required a cleaning. I brush his teeth and do a little dental scraping. Caution! A dog that isn't used to someone messing with his teeth will not allow you to scrap.
I show my dogs so maint. has always been the key to cutting cost. Any size dog is affordable if you practice reg. maint. The giant breeds are more prone to extremely expensive medical problems.
The best thing to remember is to buy from a reputable breeder that will put a guarantee of some degree as far as hereditary problems.

Sorry for the lengthy post:)

Yes.. please no pet shop puppies! I don't care what the pet store owner says, these dogs do not come from reputable breeders.. mostly from puppy mills (can you say bad genetics and health problems?)

Yes make shure the breeder is reputeable or if your just getting a pet and go to the local human socitey i have found most of the dogs i have ever owned there.

If adopting from a shelter they usually include the 1st vet visit , spay/ nueter cost as part of the fee. Than so much is taken care of from the start. Simply boils down to what your looking for.:D

if you realy want a big dog get a great dane there realy cool and frendly, I have 6:)
http://i1.tinypic.com/x4kiud.jpg

I used to have danes. keep a slobber towel handy!!:giggle:

Danes are such sweet monsters. Don't live long enough though..

If I got a giant dog, it'd have to be an irish wolfhound. Awesome dogs.. and so sweet.

I have 3 dogs. Two male pit bulls, and a female husky/lab mix. Our main monthly expenses are food and dog biscuts. Shots once a year, heartworm once a month, flea preventative once a month. Once a month baths, but we have a shower massager and we just put an extra length of hose on it so it reaches the floor of the shower and instant dog bath made available.

I consider it all very well worth it. My husky mix, Andromeda, Drama for short, and I have a very special relationship. I wouldn't want to do without any of my dogs!!!!!

Take in to consideration when picking a breed, your time to train a puppy is more involved than with an adult. also how active are you going to be. Labs can be both active and couchpotatoes. some breeds such as our frenchie has a rough time making it around the block if its warm,so if you jog that would be a dog that would always be getting left at home. On the other side my borzoi wants to just take off and go. Sometimes for miles.:D

Labs are a greet breed (have had 2 over the years). Normally very well tempered, excellent with children and not extremely high maintenance. If you are getting a young one or puppy though I would suggest budgeting in a large dog crate and a Kong dog toy. Kongs are pricey but well worth it. We always bought the red normal one and the blue water one. Labs will chew, especially young ones so the Kong pays for itself many times over in my opinion. Labs also tend to be somewhat goat-like and will get into anything their superior nose tells them is "interesting". Make sure garbage cans have strong lids and that your young lab is crated when you aren't around to keep an eye on it. Our labs always housetrained very quickly but then the crating helped that.

All labs love retreiving, it's part of the instincts of that breed so plan in time for daily ball throwing or water retrieval training. Like most hunting breeds these dogs need to have a job and will be a way better pet if they can express their strong need to retreive for you.

Labs seem to have a long puppyhood/teen stage so discipline and training sessions are a must or they can be big idiots until they settle into the couch potato stage LOL. We found that the haltie type collars (on the face not the neck) worked really well with our labs to stop them from sniffing everything and getting distracted during walks, also for snapping up any piece of garbage laying near the sidewalk that some doofus had dropped (see goat-like LOL). Watch them for weight gain as they do tend to chub out later in life if they are allowed too many treats and a fat lab isn't a happy lab.

They are my favorite breed and one I can't wait to own again.

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

Labs are a greet breed (have had 2 over the years). Normally very well tempered, excellent with children and not extremely high maintenance. If you are getting a young one or puppy though I would suggest budgeting in a large dog crate and a Kong dog toy. Kongs are pricey but well worth it. We always bought the red normal one and the blue water one. Labs will chew, especially young ones so the Kong pays for itself many times over in my opinion. Labs also tend to be somewhat goat-like and will get into anything their superior nose tells them is "interesting". Make sure garbage cans have strong lids and that your young lab is crated when you aren't around to keep an eye on it. Our labs always housetrained very quickly but then the crating helped that.

All labs love retreiving, it's part of the instincts of that breed so plan in time for daily ball throwing or water retrieval training. Like most hunting breeds these dogs need to have a job and will be a way better pet if they can express their strong need to retreive for you.

Labs seem to have a long puppyhood/teen stage so discipline and training sessions are a must or they can be big idiots until they settle into the couch potato stage LOL. We found that the haltie type collars (on the face not the neck) worked really well with our labs to stop them from sniffing everything and getting distracted during walks, also for snapping up any piece of garbage laying near the sidewalk that some doofus had dropped (see goat-like LOL). Watch them for weight gain as they do tend to chub out later in life if they are allowed too many treats and a fat lab isn't a happy lab.

They are my favorite breed and one I can't wait to own again.

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Well put!!! I have seen so many puppies loose a perfectly good home because they're owners didn't know about crate training or proper chew toys.

Thanks Nancy. I think any young dog needs appropriate toys/housing but labs especially are almost orally fixated. Maybe it comes from their hunting skills so they more than most need something to have in their jaws or they will find something they shouldn't. We had a friend years ago with an aged lab that would not settle at night till it had a baby sock to take to it's bed at night. They hadn't had a baby in the house in years but had to regularily go out and buy packets of baby socks for the silly thing. He had a whole basket of rolled up socks to pick from LOL.

Funny thing, for a big lab to have a baby sock dangling from his mouth he almost looked wussy LOL but this same dog stood down a wolf that wandered on to their property and near where their kids would play (this was a night so of course the kids were not actually there). Labs are not great guard dogs but I know our two labs would have died before allowing anything to hurt "their" kids. Only problem we had was one of our female labs would not allow our kids to go swimming. We had to restrain her from jumping into the lake and herding the children back to safety LOL.

Yeah, and don't forget possible added costs in the beginning with a puppy can include: a training crate/kennel,wee wee pads, gallons and gallons of nature's miracle, and various housetraining aids. There are just so many hidden costs with a dog....such as if you decide to keep him outside when you're at work for instance, a doghouse is a must...quite costly for a large breed. If he's gonna be kept inside, a crate/kennel is a must..and you may have to buy more than one to compensate for a puppy that will outgrow its kennel pretty fast. I think the most you'll have to spend with a puppy ....is time. Time for training, bonding, walking, playing,housetraining,vet visits,cleaning up after "messes", etc. And like everyone else says...get from a breeder.Absolutely NO pet stores!!! If your going to adopt, go to a specific breed rescue. Good luck!..puppies are nothing short of having a kid....especially the big ones!

I think that if you're going to get a lab, I wanted to share something that happened to my parents. They bought a female chocolate lab about sixteen years ago. (She passed away a few years ago.) Anyhoo...when she was a puppy, she ate EVERYTHING. She ate her dog house, shoes, hoses, etc. Just remember that puppies are cute, but they're a HANDFUL.

I don't want to scare you away, but you ought to know what CAN happen.

Everyone that has responded to this thread has offered great advice.

The only thing I have to add to this, is do make sure you get a pup from a breeder who will stand by thier breed. If you choose a big breed, ask alot of questions about hip dysplasia in thier stock....dont be shy..be direct. Hip dysplasia is common in alot of the larger breeds. My hubby bought me a st. bernard pup for a wedding present when we married almost 6 years ago, the breeder said she had never seen HD in any of her dogs and said they (all her adults) were all pen hip certified. Once my st. got to 6 months old, I noticed some odd movement within his hips when he walked and heard alot of popping that should have not been there. Took him to the vet, knowing what the diagnosis would be, after expensive x-rays and anaesthetic to make him sleep to get films of his hips, it cost me around $300... to verify what I had guessed was wrong...HIP DYSPLASIA ofcourse. When I contacted the breeder, she calously, told me, put the dog to sleep, I will replace it with one out of my next litter, that was unacceptable to me seeing as though the contract w/ her said other remedies would be taken. Be wary, breeders gaurantees usually mean they will not pay for the cost of fixing such issues in a dog you have already gotten attached to, thier idea of taking care of the situation, is to put the animal down and replace them usually. So ask questions, ask what happens in this situation should it come up for you. In the end, my st. needed over $5000.00 worth of hip surgery to replace BOTH hips, we did scrounge up the money after lots of saving and pinching, he had his hip surgery, unfortunately, he rejected the implants and had to be taken back to have his hips fused and implants taken out. He was euthanized by the time he was 11 months old due to the pain he was in and loss of quality life. A very sad sad loss for me. After all this happened, I had contacted others I knew who purchased from the same breeder, and SAME litter that my st. came from, out of a litter of 9, all but 2 presented a case of hip dyplasia by the time they were 1 yr. old. Mine and one other were eventually euthanized.. the rest are doing as well as can be expected with replacement hips and/or supportive care. What was intially an $800 dog for me, turned out to be somewhere around $7300 (cost of animal, hip surgery, x-rays and 2nd surgery) not including anything else. And all I have to show for it, pictures of a dog I loved very much.

Also, no matter what breed you get, I reccommend buying a kennel and using it regularly. It will make training so much easier and may be a really good thing like I have found out since Zeus (g.shephard) has gotten older.

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Originally Posted by basuca

if you realy want a big dog get a great dane there realy cool and frendly, I have 6:)
http://i1.tinypic.com/x4kiud.jpg

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Great Danes are great (lol) but take a look at her:

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...g/P1010035.jpg

Libby's an Olde English (hence the Olde) Mastiff. Currently, at 6 months, she weighs in at 90 lbs.. Mom and Dad were 150 each at two years old and still growing. For temperament you can't do any better than a Mastiff. She still a pup (i.e. excitable) but her outbursts of energy last about thirty seconds then she's back laying down. My wife and I love her dearly.

Obviously everything stated above is accurate and helpful but another thing to consider in a breed is your activity level. With a lab, you're looking at several exercise 'sessions' a day. You have to work/play all that energy out of them or they'll use it in places you don't want them to! :D

Also, look into puppy kindergarten. Well worth the investment. Helps develop the bond between you and your dog AND helps socialize the puppy young which cannot be overstated. Good luck in your search. If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask.

PS---please don't get me wrong, I think labs are great dogs and an excellent choice if they are the right fit for your personality!

English mastiffs are awesome.. can't find a more level-headed guardian dog.

With labs training is extremely important.. a lot of the ones we have that come in to the groom shop have absolutely NO manners. They barrel through like elephants, jump on us, scratch us, bark their heads off and won't even sit when told. Training goes a long way!

Might I also throw out the suggestion of adoption? There are so many adult dogs out there that need homes... and getting one from a good shelter usually means that they're already trained (or mostly so) and up to date on shots.

Just my two cents. :colbert2:

Yay for Lynn!!! Good suggestion! I'd also say go check out your local dog rescues/pounds/animal shelters. There are always a lot of wonderful dogs there that need good homes and will have been vetted and temperment checked prior to being placed for open adoption. Our local humane society charges about $150.00 for a dog adoption but that includes everything from spay/neuter to heartworm to rabies and so forth. That's a deal any day of the week! The nice thing about getting a rescued dog that's past the puppy stage is, especially with a mixed breed, you have a fair idea of what you are getting at maturity. Some of my best pets (cat and dogs) have been rescues (our first Labrador actually was a "pound puppy")

Here's a link to a great resource online. You can define your search and will get a list of dogs that fit that criteria available for adoption in your area. I love this link (though I want to bring them all home everytime I go look).

http://www.petfinder.com/

Here's the link specifically for Labs/Lab mixes available today in the Orlando, FL area. Hope you find a new family member here. :) (personally the pup named Skeeter is about the cutest thing I've seen in years!)

http://search.petfinder.com/search/search.cgi

I would personally recommend getting an ex-racing greyhound. They are the sweetest and most laid back dog you will ever own. Their short hair and low shed ammount makes them fairly hypoallergenic. The only thing is that their stomachs can't handle beef, so Nutro chicked and rice mini chunk is ideal. They also have to stay inside because they can't handle the cold.

I've been searching the sites of local dog shelters around Columbus and have found there are many, MANY full-blooded and mixed-blood labs up for adoption. And, like Jo said, their adoption fees usually aren't that much... most places spay/neuter, and the dogs are fully updated wit htheir shots. They're also usually treated for behavioral problems, and are pretty well-trained.

I'm always one for pushing adoption!

We had an Irish wolfhound for a while when I was growing up. What a regal animal. I swear those dogs are born with old souls...=)

Irish Wolfhounds just look so cool! I've never met one personally but man they look very handsome!

The one caution against adoption is unfortunately you have no background info on the previous owner. If the dog was abused/malnourished/etc. it may not necessarily be the best choice for the novice dog owner. Especially if there's small kids either present or in the future ;)

Just something to keep in mind.

One thing I would like us all to keep in mind is that at some point we have all acquired our first pet. Some of us did so carefully, others not so. Keeping in mind the overall vet, training and supplies aside. Lets try to educate people on care, rather than scaring the daylights out of them with the extreme horror stories. MOST dogs I have owned have made it thru life without major trama to theirselves or my pocketbook. If someone truly loves a dog enough to go searching for advice on how to care for it, I'm sure if a crisis occurs they will deal with it as best as possible.
I always am looking to learn more. I don't know if I would have loved animals the same way if the venture appeared overwhelming.

I am in no way slamming anyone, There has been a tremendous amount of advice given. Once they have the basic facts, they can then make a choice.;)

A little suggestion for a first time pet owner. I was raised with dogs, a lot of dogs. When my family looks for a pet we look for rescues or people who need to get rid of pets because of moving or some reason. Timba we got at a year old. She was already house trained and fixed. The people were getting a divorce and wanted her to go to a home where she wouldn't be left outside or alone for two long. She is perfect. The only thing she ever really did wrong was go for my throat when I was playing rough with my kids. I gave her a slight attitude adjustment and decided to keep her. She wanted to protect my kids, made her good enough for me. I messed up by acting violent around a new dog. We get along fine now. She is the best dog I have had in a long time. I like the older dogs cause puppies are a lot of work. I wouldn't suggest one too old but between 1-2 yrs old is a good age. I do love the Great Danes and sight hounds, but they live short lives and bigger dogs tend to have a few more problems. Like Nancy said with maintenance and proper care they can be pretty cheap to keep. Also look at taking the dog on a trial basis if possible, get a feel for it's temperment and attitudes. Sometimes the best things in life are free. I would not advise anyone to buy a dog from a petstore. They are raised in the worst of conditions and prone to more medical problems. Get you dog from a breeder, a rescue or from a private owner. Check the local dog clubs, and most of the time you can find the perfect dogs and really great prices.

wow i wasn't expecting so many replies...but thank you all who did respond and i read every single post. Some great advice was given and I will def. remember this post in the future.

The dog is mainly for my girlfriend. A few years ago she adopted a black lab. It was not her puppy...i cannot remember the company that she adopted from, but basically, you adopt a pup, train it, and then give it back to the company you adopted from. that company then finds a home for it, for say a handicapped person who needs help getting things, or a seeing eye dog. She had him (his name was Cooper) for about one year before having to give it back. She absolutly loved that dog and loved training him and being his mother. She treats animals with the utmost care and i would completely trust her with a new dog.

She has already made the decision to adopt from a humane society here in Orlando. The humane society is basically giving away puppies (i do not mean that in a bad way)...it's amazing what they do for these animals here. She found some black labs that were spayed/neutered, had all their shots and everything for $45 from the shelter. She held one and said it was very active, not scared of her and just the cutest thing she's ever seen.

She is being very cautious about getting a pup at the moment, and I understand. We're both full time college students working part time jobs...i think she wants to wait till she gets out of college...but it's not a crime to start planning for a puppy 2 years in advance is it? course not...

Best of luck on your future puppy whenever it comes along remember to post pics!!!!:D :D

[QUOTE=frankykeno]Thanks Nancy. I think any young dog needs appropriate toys/housing but labs especially are almost orally fixated.

Jo, you can add huskys and husky mixes to that. Drama still chews everything in sight and she is over 2 years old now!! My smaller bully (Igor) still chews as well, but the bigger one (Alex) is 2 years older than Drama and Igor so he does not chew unapproved items anymore, thank goodness!

LOL yep the northern breeds, most especially the Husky, are all big time chewers and big time talkers usually but I do love them. One of my dream dogs is the Alaskan Malamute and lucky for me we have a couple of rescue organizations for northern sled breeds right here in Ohio so perhaps one day we'll get one. My first Labrador was actually 3/4 lab, 1/4 husky. We got her in the Canadian Yukon. She basically looked close to a purebred lab but boy did she love to go under harness and pull our oldest around on a sled or haul wood when we visited my brother's cabin. Only poor side effect of the Husky bloodline, she was almost impossible to train to walk on leash...her instinct was to pull, pull, pull LOL.

I don't know if this is actually true or not, but I've heard that black and golden labs tend to be smarter than brown labs for some reason. My Dad's brown lab was dumb as a box of rocks and I've talked to other people who've had very clever and well behaved black or golden labs but rarely a brown lab. Feel free to correct me on that, just what I've heard.

Good luck adopting the puppy! I always try to plan my pets way ahead of time, it's the best way to do it when you can imho. :)

So many cute breeds... I'm partial to min pins, dobermans, malamutes, border collies, and a whole host of cute mutts. :) Karen and I always figured we'd get a border collie if we ever got a dog, they're cute and very trainable.

I have to agree.. chocolate labs seem to have a few screws loose. Yellows seem to be extra rambunctious.. obnoxiously so often. Many black labs are much more laid back.. this is my observation.

I have an english shepherd, which is a rare breed similar to a border collie. Yes, they are VERY smart, and can be trained a lot, but they are not easy dogs. They need to be doing something all the time. If you don't keep them busy, then THEY will.. and they don't usually pick the most convenient things to keep busy with. They often try to herd you, and your other animals too. These dogs need a lot of training to channel the amazing amount of energy and intelligence they have.

About 20 dollars a week. Not counting the little bit you set aside for the oops factor ( vet visits)

Beauty the BP