Getting a Dog to keep you company while in a residency

[AutomaTron]

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How hard is it to get home to let the dog out to urinate and so forth? Is it fair to the dog? I really feel like I need one.

 

[carn311]

DO NOT get a puppy. All I remember was getting up every 2 hrs to let him out ALL NIGHT LONG. I could handle it because I was in undergrad; I had the time and sleep wasn't as much of a problem as it will be for you.

Check out the local shelters. Many people have to give up their pet just because of logistics (ie: new apartment is "no pets").

Good luck, an ADULT dog is a great idea

 

[nradsoit3]

Assuming you are single, getting a dog while a resident is out right animal cruelty. You will be in the hospital hours on end while your poor dog will be home all alone. He will feel abandoned and lonely especially when you are working those 30 hr marathon shifts. Anyone who gets a dog during residency training should be reported to the ASPCA. If you want some pets buy a tank and get some fish.

 

[AutomaTron]

Assuming you are single, getting a dog while a resident is out right animal cruelty. You will be in the hospital hours on end while your poor dog will be home all alone. He will feel abandoned and lonely especially when you are working those 30 hr marathon shifts. Anyone who gets a dog during residency training should be reported to the ASPCA. If you want some pets buy a tank and get some fish.

Are you a resident? I was thinking of building a dog house with airconditioning and heat with a house and yard. Also, I was thinking of getting a rescue dog.

 

[MossPoh]

Assuming you are single, getting a dog while a resident is out right animal cruelty. You will be in the hospital hours on end while your poor dog will be home all alone. He will feel abandoned and lonely especially when you are working those 30 hr marathon shifts. Anyone who gets a dog during residency training should be reported to the ASPCA. If you want some pets buy a tank and get some fish.

It depends on the breed of dog as well. Some breeds are perfectly content with being alone. Others such as Rotts, Dobies, Golden retrievers, and many of the dogs that are very reliant on family...that is not every dog though. Also, one has to factor in proximity your apartment is to the hospital, and if you have friends that live near-by...there ARE people that will gladly walk a dog or check up on it for a few bucks a day. Puppies are frowned upon because they take lots of work. Depending on where you are, the best bet is either a toy dog (which can be trained to use litter boxes...) or if you can rent a hosue with a small yard a dog that can be outside. Just make sure you offer it shelter, access to food and water. If there is winter a warm place to be. Some breeds (like bulldogs) don't handle heat well either. It is really a search for the best breed for your needs. If you do it, just don't go to the pet store and pick one out by how cute it is or something. Read up and it is doable.

 

[Winged Scapula]

In addition to the above excellent suggestions about really considering the breed and age of the dog, it will depend on your residency choice and how close you live to the hospital.

If you will be expected to take overnight call and have unpredictable hours, you will HAVE to find someone/pay someone to take care of the dog while you are away for 24-30+ hrs at a time. It generally is not realistic to expect to be able to go home during the middle of the day, even in the most laid back specialties. You'll also have unexpected emergencies, meetings, etc. which will require a Plan B for animal care.

I would have loved to have had a dog during residency, but doing surgery pretty much made that impossible. Cats are more independent but I even find now, that one of my cats has died, the other gets really lonely when I am gone...he's become quite the momma's boy!😀

 

[sunlioness]

I've wanted a dog for so so long and I just can't see doing it yet. Even now when I am PGY-3 psych resident who doesn't take call anymore, I just don't think it's fair to the animal to be home alone so much.

I volunteer as a dogwalker at a local animal shelter and that helps somewhat. I also leech off some of my non-medical friends who have dogs. Sometimes I think I want to meet someone and get married just because I could have a dog then. 😉

I have two guinea pigs. They are cute and cuddly and can be left alone for a day. And I love them very much.

 

[AutomaTron]

This is what I am thinking about. Housing is pretty cheap where I'm going. I think I can't get a decent sized yard and a house for 100-150,00 dollars. I just don't like the small dogs that much especially if they have a loud bark. My last dog was a mastiff.
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Home > Heated Pet Products > Dog House Heater & Air Conditioner Combo Unit

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[MoTweety]

Man, I need to get one of those for myself...

All of the above advice is great. I can see how it would be easier to have a primarily outside dog, but at the same time I have big issues with people that think its ok to get a pet and then keep it outside all the time even with the poshest dog house. Kind of defeats the point of having a pet. However, if you are planning to have an actual pet (inside and outside) and you live in an area that isn't fricken freezing then maybe the fancy dog house is a good idea for those 30 hour stints at the hospital...though not optimal

As far as ease of potty training I will just reiterate what everyone else has said...DO NOT GET A PUPPY! Puppies need consistent training and have tiny bladders (every 2-3 hours) on top of trying to learn to urinate outside. It is HARD. Therefore, in the situation of residency, if you are single, and you desperately want a pet, I highly recommend a rescue. Especially if you get a slightly older dog 1.5-2+ years that's already house trained.

As far as type of dog, I do recommend only one type of little dog--rat terrier...not horribly yappy like other small dogs and very smart and cuddly and relatively easier to train. However, I also have a mastiff-boxer mix...good dog, but very needy. Labs and golden retrievers are great easy to train dogs that won't feel quite as neglected as some breeds.

Personally, I have 3 dogs (2 rat terriers and the mastiff-boxer) and there is no way I could do it, if it weren't for my friends and boyfriend.

 

[pillowhead]

How hard is it to get home to let the dog out to urinate and so forth? Is it fair to the dog? I really feel like I need one.

I'm a 4th yr med student and my husband and i have a rescued dog. Well, it turns out he was significantly neglected and to make a long story short, had significant issues due to the neglect. Not aggressive thankfully, but he bonded to us so much he couldn't deal with being alone. (That's what happens to a dog tied up to post 24 hrs a day for the first 2 yrs of its life whose fed sporadically and never taken to the vet.) He could go 11 hrs without peeing while we were asleep, but he'd pee if he was alone for more than two minutes even if we'd just gone on a 30 min walk (dog bladders are impressive in many ways and quite different than human bladders). We even looked into paying big bucks to send him to some fancy trainer for a month that would supposedly return him in almost perfect state. Except that not even these advanced trainers who can turn around aggressive dogs were willing to take a dog that couldn't hang out in his own crate for more than a few minutes with peeing in the crate. So now our dog is on clomipramine (a tricyclic antidepressant) every single day and although it has worked wonders, just thnk about ALL the possibilities that can happen with a rescue dog. (That said, I would only ever get a rescue dog again and as others said, I think a puppy is simply unreasonable for a resident to handle). A dog is for life! They are not returnable! Even if you get them from a rescue, that does not make it okay to return him to rescue if you can't handle him (extreme aggression is another issue). I guarantee you we have lost our apartment security deposit and more and probably have spent $200 on carpet cleaner and now have the cost of a daily medicine for a long time to come, but he's our dog and our family and that's just what we have to do! Just beware before you get into it!

 

[Doowai]

Presa Canarios are good protection dogs - laid back. Some people think they are wussies because they will let puppies chew on their ears or kids poke them in the eye and they do not respond. But they are real big...real big ... think Rott on steroids... and if challenged can be real scarey....so for its sake it needs training to obey commands or someone might freak out and order it put down if it just barks aggresively at them, you need to be able to make it heel and be quiet on command. But it is not a very needy dog like a Rott - won't have to sleep in bed with you (just what I need with 4 children and a wife is a 160 LB dog that sleeps in bed with me). But pity the fool that tries to enter your house to burglarize it - these dogs can easily clear a 6 foot wall with a vertical and drag a VW down the street at a run while chained to it, with no exagerration. They re laid back around family - tey are not like Chows that have the highest rate of biting their owners, they are great around kids - but can and will get it on if you are in a bad neighborhood and someone breaks in.

 

[sykosomatik]

I too have wanted to get a dog, but I won't anytime soon. My schedule is busy and will get busier with residency.

It's pure selfishness to get one just to keep me company. What about the dog? It may not be able to talk, but its going to get really restless and depressed staying cooped up inside, especially when its young and has a lot of energy.

Don't get a dog if you can't give it attention. I hate people like that. My neighbor got a puppy when he was my age. Now his parents are the ones taking care of the puppy. Not only did he hardly ever take it out for walks, but they almost never take the dog out. It's pretty cruel.

 

[AutomaTron]

All the dogs I have ever exercised with (dalmation, mastiff, golden retriever) didn't really want to get out and exercise again (run another 2 miles) for at least 48 hours after the first run. I guess just walking it around the block would be different.

 

[AutomaTron]

I too have wanted to get a dog, but I won't anytime soon. My schedule is busy and will get busier with residency.

It's pure selfishness to get one just to keep me company. What about the dog? It may not be able to talk, but its going to get really restless and depressed staying cooped up inside, especially when its young and has a lot of energy.

Don't get a dog if you can't give it attention. I hate people like that. My neighbor got a puppy when he was my age. Now his parents are the ones taking care of the puppy. Not only did he hardly ever take it out for walks, but they almost never take the dog out. It's pretty cruel.

I don't think you are supposed to take dogs for walks until they are at least 6 months and no rigorous exercise like jogging until they are 1 year due to possible skeletal problems like hip dysplasia.

 

[Snoopy]

There's been lots of great advice given on this thread. I would have liked to read this when I was in this situation. Here is my experience:

I had wanted a puppy/dog since I was in college, but it was never a good time, and I thought it was unfair to the dog. I trained in EM. I planned my third year so that I did my last month of call (ever in life!!!) in July and then was on vacation for 1 week and on research elective for 5 weeks. Basically I was able to home 24 hours a day for 5 weeks.

In January, I began looking for potential litters as I really wanted to get a puppy. I had concerns about rescues as outlined by one of the previous posters but totally support the concept if it is right for you. The labrador breeder who we got our family dogs from was having a litter at the right time. At nine weeks old, I brought my yellow lab puppy home.

I got super lucky. He slept through the night EVERY night (between midnight and 6 am anyway) and picked up housetraining pretty quickly. (If you do get a puppy, get one slightly older as opposed to slightly younger--they train more quickly.) We had lots of time to bond and got into a routine. It was hard work (and that's probably an understatement) but it was fun.

When it was time to go back to work, I worked mostly 8-hour shifts, rarely 10-hour or 12-hour shifts. I found a dog walker through craigslist.com and paid him to walk my dog at least once, sometimes twice a day EVERY day that I worked.

There were times where I regretted getting a dog and had second thoughts--the puppy months are NOT easy. But, we got beyond our growing pains and I can't imagine my life without him. Now that I'm attending, I work less. I still have a dog walker every day or take him to day care. It is so wonderful to come home to his wagging tail and kisses and curl up with him on the bed at night.

Remember, though, if you get a dog, no matter what kind, it is a decision for life. People who give away their dogs because it didn't work out really bother me.

A couple final thoughts: if you want a purbred and/or non-rescue dog, many breeders have retired breeding females or show dog prospects that didn't make the grade. These dogs are usually well-adjusted and trained and will fit right in to your home. (My brother had great luck with a 9-month old show dog flunkie.) Just make sure you go to a reputable breeder. If you want to try out the reality of dog parenting, you could foster a dog for a breed rescue. This obligates you to care for a dog while the rescue group is trying to find a permanent family. If it works, you might keep the dog or find a permanent dog. If it doesn't, you haven't let down the dog and know better what your situation is.

 

[GoodMonkey]

I don't think you are supposed to take dogs for walks until they are at least 6 months

this is just not true. start walking it and getting it used to a leash as soon as possible. start slow and short. work up to longer walks.

and no rigorous exercise like jogging until they are 1 year due to possible skeletal problems like hip dysplasia.

this is also not true and, in reality, is very breed-specific. for some dogs, yes, this may be true. some dogs shouldn't be running regularly at all anyway. other dogs you can start out easy jogging (around a couple of blocks to start with) as early as 5 months. ask your vet about your specific breed. a good rule of thumb (for mid-sized dogs that can run without difficulty) is keep it under 10 or so miles a week, with one day off for every day of running, for dogs 6mos-1yr. after that, check with your vet. like i said, the recs are very breed-specific.

 

[GoodMonkey]

oh - ETA:
i have a young dog. i run with him pretty early in the morning and again in the evening (or play in the park for 30-45mins or so; we only actually run 1x/day) and will be paying someone to come to my house at least once every day (if not more than 1x/day, depending on call schedule) to take him out when i start residency this summer. i've budgeted for it already (it helps that i don't have a car payment 😉 ) ... by the time i start my program he will be about a year old; he's already pretty well trained, housebroken and crate-trained as well. 🙂 i had/have a few months of very very very minimal responsibility where i could spend a ton of time with him, training him and getting into a routine.

i also have a cat. i love my little zoo. 😍

 

[AutomaTron]

this is just not true. start walking it and getting it used to a leash as soon as possible. start slow and short. work up to longer walks.



this is also not true and, in reality, is very breed-specific. for some dogs, yes, this may be true. some dogs shouldn't be running regularly at all anyway. other dogs you can start out easy jogging (around a couple of blocks to start with) as early as 5 months. ask your vet about your specific breed. a good rule of thumb (for mid-sized dogs that can run without difficulty) is keep it under 10 or so miles a week, with one day off for every day of running, for dogs 6mos-1yr. after that, check with your vet. like i said, the recs are very breed-specific.

Where are you getting your info? I did a search and came up with multiple sites before posting the above info.

 

[c.bear]

Personal Experience: I got two Maltese during medical school. Trained them to use puppy pads in the apt (but took forever to train them). But now for residency I am moving to NY and they are going to be staying with the grandparents. 🙁 I just cannot see moving them to a small apt and waiting for me to come home all day. I wish I would have waited to get them now...for them. This is making what should be an exciting time, very depressing because I won't have them to keep me company...but it is the best for them.

 

[GoodMonkey]

Where are you getting your info? I did a search and came up with multiple sites before posting the above info.

hahaha ok if you want to trust "multiple sites" you found googling whatever it was you googled, go ahead. i'll trust what my veterinarian tells me. that's where i get my info. that, and the dog trainers at my puppy obedience class. feel free to hold your googled info up there on that pedestal, though.

 

[avhart]

I worked at an animal shelter full-time the year before medical school. I 100% agree that rescued adult dogs are the most appropriate choice for working couples (and pretty much any sane person). A single person who lives alone entering residency should not take on a dog. There is no way to provide that animal the attention that he needs. Dogs are pack animals and not designed to spend extended periods of time alone...and don't get me started on "outdoor" (aka--generally speaking--neglected) dogs.

For the person who thinks rescue dogs are problem animals with baggage: this is an over-generalization. If you choose a good rescue organization that is honest with their adoptive families, screens their animals using temperament testing, and gives you the information you need to successfully take care of a new animal, adult rescue dogs will always be a better choice than buying a purebred puppy. The adult dog is not only past the puppy stage, they are easier to train, easier to leave alone for a day of work, but you also can know the dog's temperament and personality (unlike the puppy, which is relatively impossible to figure out when it's just a playful puffball). Not to mention the good karma from saving lives rather than contributing to the enormous problem of pet overpopulation in this country.

My secret hint: for those who live near hunting areas, check out your shelters for lost or abandoned hound breeds, who are just about the most perfect dogs ever...gentle, happy to exercise but are couch potatoes inside, tolerant of just about everything, great with kids, love to please, etc. In hunting areas, many people don't consider them pets and overlook these amazing dogs...leaving them for you to snatch up!

I have two dogs and a cat (and a husband who works normal hours) and cannot imagine my life without them. Cats are certainly easier to leave alone during resident hours, particularly a pair of them.

 

[FuzzyBK]

My wife and I got the first of two Australian Shepherds in undergrad. The second during med school. Man did I love those dogs. After approximately 1-2 months into our residencies, we had to find someone to take the dogs. Being away from home for such long periods doesn't really make it feasible to have a dog around - couldn't get home to let them out, play with them, etc. I would wait it out.

 

[kungfufishing]

as far as avoiding walking your dog as a puppy goes, what do you think they do in the wild? dogs are designed to ambulate.
If you are single, buying a dog and leaving it alone, outside, with or without a dog house while you work as a resident is pretty cruel. Dogs have evolved to live with people. Wait until you are working fewer hours.

 

[pillowhead]

For the person who thinks rescue dogs are problem animals with baggage: this is an over-generalization. If you choose a good rescue organization that is honest with their adoptive families, screens their animals using temperament testing, and gives you the information you need to successfully take care of a new animal, adult rescue dogs will always be a better choice than buying a purebred puppy. The adult dog is not only past the puppy stage, they are easier to train, easier to leave alone for a day of work, but you also can know the dog's temperament and personality (unlike the puppy, which is relatively impossible to figure out when it's just a playful puffball). Not to mention the good karma from saving lives rather than contributing to the enormous problem of pet overpopulation in this country.

My secret hint: for those who live near hunting areas, check out your shelters for lost or abandoned hound breeds, who are just about the most perfect dogs ever...gentle, happy to exercise but are couch potatoes inside, tolerant of just about everything, great with kids, love to please, etc. In hunting areas, many people don't consider them pets and overlook these amazing dogs...leaving them for you to snatch up!

I wholeheartedly agree. We have rescued basset hounds--they are awesome. Playful when you want them to be but generally they are content to sit around a lot too. Also great with kids. Rescuing an adult is a wonderful thing to do and in spite of major problems with one of our rescue hounds, the majority of people have great experiences. The problem is we took in our hound without him being fostered first so we had no idea what we were getting into. Most of the time, rescue dogs have been fostered and someone can give you a good idea as to the needs and personality of a certain dog.

 

[Surgeon24]

Ok,

so it is SO difficult to take care of a dog while in residency, and yet people are having kids during residencies.

 

[c.bear]

I think most of the people with kids have spouses or other support...

 

[AutomaTron]

as far as avoiding walking your dog as a puppy goes, what do you think they do in the wild? dogs are designed to ambulate.
If you are single, buying a dog and leaving it alone, outside, with or without a dog house while you work as a resident is pretty cruel. Dogs have evolved to live with people. Wait until you are working fewer hours.

I think they play in the wild until they are tired and the mother protects them not led around on a leash for long distances by a homo sapien. Designed to ambulate? Dogs have not "evolved to live with people" They have been bred to be tame. They are no more "designed to ambulate" on a leash" than a baby is "designed to ambulate" immediately after popping out a vagina.

What are you a 6th grader?

As far as being lonely I guess it would be possible to get a couple of litter mates.