Tell me NO--I am nuts! :)

[SKR8PN]

The flea problem is easy to keep in check. Frontline and DE are your friends in the house, and beneficial nematodes are your friends out in the yard.

We have never had any problems with grout coming loose OR with window sills getting damaged. That's where good obedience training come in to play.
FWIW we have both hardwood and tile throughout the house. Rugs yes. Carpet no.

One more of Shirley Ann in her favorite spot. I have NO IDEA why she does that, but she is the only one that does.
She must like me a little bit....

 

[miss_thenorth]

Ok, scr8pn, I know you are loving your indoor dogs, and I don't mean to be picking on you, but when you live in a raised ranch like I did, no matter of the degree of obedience training, which my dogs are both fully trained, is gonna do you any good when you are not in the room, especially when someone with a dog walks by. I didn't have any carpets in that house either, and no matter if I just dust-mopped the whole place, which I had to do every day, 10 minutes later, there was already dog hair all over. All I'm saying is each to their own. If she is already not a fan of having dogs in the house, if she decides to go for it and get one anyways, the reasons she didn't want a dog in the house to begin with , will surface with a vengeance. It's not for everyone. If my hubby vetoed me and let the dogs in, I would not love my dogs, (or my hubby for that matter ), as much as I do now.

 

[SKR8PN]

Ok, scr8pn, I know you are loving your indoor dogs, and I don't mean to be picking on you, but when you live in a raised ranch like I did, no matter of the degree of obedience training, which my dogs are both fully trained, is gonna do you any good when you are not in the room, especially when someone with a dog walks by. I didn't have any carpets in that house either, and no matter if I just dust-mopped the whole place, which I had to do every day, 10 minutes later, there was already dog hair all over. All I'm saying is each to their own. If she is already not a fan of having dogs in the house, if she decides to go for it and get one anyways, the reasons she didn't want a dog in the house to begin with , will surface with a vengeance. It's not for everyone. If my hubby vetoed me and let the dogs in, I would not love my dogs, (or my hubby for that matter ), as much as I do now.

I fully agree 100% with everything you said, except the obedience training.
There are days here in the springtime(shedding season) that we can sweep up enough hair to build another dog!! Sometimes TWO every day!
But we deal with it because we DO love our dogs and we love having them with us. There is no substitute for the unconditional love they give us. All they ask in return, is for us to pat them on the head and talk to them once in awhile.
If my wife came home tonight and announced that she wanted the dogs out of the house.......SHE is the one that would be sleeping under the Maple tree out back.

 

[2dream]

Yes you are NUTS.

Just say No To Dogs.

How old is Nicole now? Is she really old enough to take on the responsibility without you having to do the work?

I love my 70 lb house dog. He is extremely well behaved. Knows his place, and is an excellent companion for DH and me, he is still lots of extra work. I personally don't mind, but sounds like you do.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

that we can sweep up enough hair to build another dog!!

when we do this we say "golly do you think we can build us a GOOD dog with all of this" then give them The Look.. and then we laugh laugh laugh

no matter of the degree of obedience training, which my dogs are both fully trained, is gonna do you any good when you are not in the room,

i think it depends on the dog. Dog#1 wants to do the right thing... Dog#2 does what he can get away with...

but anyway...

just wait - FC will finally FINALLY let a critter come in the house and she'll probably fall head over heels in love! ha!

 

[miss_thenorth]

no matter of the degree of obedience training, which my dogs are both fully trained, is gonna do you any good when you are not in the room,

i think it depends on the dog. Dog#1 wants to do the right thing... Dog#2 does what he can get away with...

but anyway...

I agree with this, the wpg wasn't too bad, but the rottie?... i guess it was a matter of choosing your battles. After 6 months of discipline just short of a beating, we figured the damage was done anyways to the windowsills. Of course we could control him when we were in the room with him, but when we were not, he would let loose on those would-be trespassers. He is after all, in his mind, doing his job.

 

[Farmfresh]

I have had indoor BIG dogs for years. I am with SKR8PN, obedience and a few couch covers makes life all worth while.

As for cleaning, we have had Huskys, German Shepherds, and mixes of the above, as well as our share of mutts. LOTS of shedding hair. We have hardwood floors, ceiling fans and a shop vac. Turn on the ceiling fan, wait for the hair to all blow into the corners and suck out with the shop vac!! Hillbilly house keeping!

 

[SKR8PN]

I have had indoor BIG dogs for years. I am with SKR8PN, obedience and a few couch covers makes life all worth while.

As for cleaning, we have had Huskys, German Shepherds, and mixes of the above, as well as our share of mutts. LOTS of shedding hair. We have hardwood floors, ceiling fans and a shop vac. Turn on the ceiling fan, wait for the hair to all blow into the corners and suck out with the shop vac!! Hillbilly house keeping!

Box fans work pretty much the same way.

 

[k0xxx]

I have had indoor BIG dogs for years. I am with SKR8PN, obedience and a few couch covers makes life all worth while.

As for cleaning, we have had Huskys, German Shepherds, and mixes of the above, as well as our share of mutts. LOTS of shedding hair. We have hardwood floors, ceiling fans and a shop vac. Turn on the ceiling fan, wait for the hair to all blow into the corners and suck out with the shop vac!! Hillbilly house keeping!

Box fans work pretty much the same way.

So does a dust mask and a leaf blower.

Mostly though, we use a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter. The HEPA filters get expensive, so we pre-vac with a cannister type.

 

[FarmerChick]

this is hard for me

I feel the "kid wanting a puppy" thing happening and want to do it for her----but like 2dream said, I do mind the inside dog and any extra work that would go with it.

I don't think I can do it in the home. I just have that "no critters in the house" bone in my body and I can't shake it I believe.

Even when my best barn cat comes in the house for like "1 hr" I count the minutes til Nicole gets bored with her and I can throw her out the back door...and when in the house I watch every move she makes. She sure can't go in my living room or near my new leather couches lol


I now got the thinking of a kinda bigger dog then the super small ankle biter, but not too big for Nicole to enjoy....and letting it have the run of the fenced backyard and living in the garage fix up a dog bed in there and even that is giving me the creeps lol

my big dogs lived in a 1/4 fenced run that opened into a stall in the barn and they got let out all the time to do barn work with me.

but they had their home and I had mine lol



reading all this helps
I sure didn't want to jump into anything cause I am getting a wild hair to go out and find a puppy lol everyone loves that part--it is the 15 yrs after that'll drive ya nuts weeee with Nicole being only 5 I can distract her for a while still

so more thinking will go into this step

thks all