Easiest dog to look after?

Question

I think Beagles are. Do you guys have any other dog breeds that seem like the easiest dog breed to look after?

(I prefer it if it is a small dog.)

Answer 1

Dogs are not easy to look after. Dogs are living beings that need daily care and attention.

They can be expensive. Even the "free" ones require and deserve good veterinary care, microchipping, healthy food, a good leash and harness, a crate, bowls ... All of these expenses add up.

Dogs need daily exercise. They need to be taken for walks, played with outside. Played with inside.

Dogs can't be banished to the outside when you don't feel like messing with them. They will make noise, become destructive and become even harder to keep.

Dogs need training. They are not born knowing where to pee an which items are not theirs to chew up or how to walk nicely on a leash.

Beagles are noisy. They howl a lot.

All dogs require grooming, even short haired dogs. They need to be bathed, their nails need to be trimmed, they need to be brushed.

If you go away overnight you need to think about where the dog is going to stay. Is he going to travel with you? There's an extra cost to travel with pets on airplanes. Is he going to stay in a kennel or vet's office? That costs money, and will require that his vaccinations are up to date.

What if he gets sick? Dog illnesses can cost a lot of money.

It is reasonable to look for a dog that requires less grooming or that is not particularly noisy, but understand that it is a huge responsibility to own a dog. It means you take care of him when you're sick, when you're exhausted, when you are sad or depressed or angry... and you don't take out your moods on the dog.

I have two dogs. I don't find it difficult to care for them, but I've been caring for animals all my life so this is just how life is for me. For people who have not kept pets all along getting a pet can be a huge wake up call. What do you mean I can't sleep in on Saturdays any more because my dog needs to go out and pee at 7am? What do you mean I have to choose between taking a trip and paying my dog's vet bill? What do you mean my dog just vomited on my new carpet? These are all things that are part of dog ownership.

I'm telling you all of this for a reason. I see too many dogs that are perfectly good dogs but they're put to sleep because people decided they didn't have time for them. That's not the dog's fault, but he's the one that has to die for it. If he goes to a no-kill shelter, he's basically in jail until - and if - someone bails him out.

It's nothing to consider lightly. Google dog care, dog ownership expenses and other things like that online and see if it is REALLY something you want to take on before committing to getting a dog.

Good luck to you!

Answer 2

I had a beagle pup for about a month before I found it a home and let me tell you, it about tore up my apt. I had scratches and bite marks all over me. It chewed my cabinets in my bathroom up and I didn't leave it alone but maybe an hour or two at a time. They tend to be hyper and sometimes, aggressive. If you are looking for a low maintance, small dog, I would suggest something else. Maybe a poodle, bischon frise, maltese, japanese chin, cocker spaniel.

I have a japanese chin and cocker spaniel. They are both very loving. The cocker tends to bark and not get along with other pets. My japanese chin loves everyone, never barks, is basically a couch potato. She loves to play with toys and makes me laugh when she gets excited. She is really a joy, low maintance, and is not aggressive or hyper in the lease bit. She is a great inside dog. May take some effort to find, but well worth it. Try puppyfind.com, your local newspaper, or even some japanese chin rescue groups around your area.

Answer 3

If you want to find an easy dog to take care of then you won't find any. Dogs all have different needs and some may be big and some may be small. You may not want to go for a really small dog because they have small bladders so it would be very hard to potty train. Some big dogs have problems with barking and jumping on people. Your best bet would be to go fir a medium sized dog. They are loyal and very smart. Poodles might be your best bet because they are very loyal and smart. They need attention regularly but they are a lot easier than a beagle.

Answer 4

Dogs aren't easy to look after. If you've had them before then you'll know what it can be like but if you haven't you'll find out what it's like but don't forget "a dog is for life not just Christmas". I am 30 and have always had Collies, now I have a Collie and 2 Hungarian Vizslas which I breed and you have to have a lot of love, time and energy or you've no chance!!! They're all very very active dogs but I love every minute with them. Good luck.

Answer 5

All the loonies are on today, get a Nintendo DS and find out.
Not many dogs are easy to look after,might be better of with a cat if you do not feel confident they do not need as much attention as a dog but can still be very loving, or a ferret these are great pets one of my favourite.

Answer 6

Sausage dogs huh? Well, the only sausage dogs I've seen are at the gas stations spinning on the hot rollers. They don't jump off or anything, they just keep spinning until someone puts one on a bun. So yeah, I think they'd be real easy to look after.

Answer 7

All dogs need to be walked daily, need to to groomed (washed and at least occasionally brushed), need to be fed and have clean water a few times a day, need to go to the vet a few times a year, need to have their bedding cleaned and their bathroom area cleaned - not to mention cleaning their eyes, ears, sometimes feet, bottom, etc. All dogs take a lot of work to care for. It just depends on which dog you will fall in love with and won't mind caring for!

As far as beagles go, I personally wouldn't get one, as our neighbor has one that she constantly has problems with. It loves to escape from the yard and it takes her quite awhile to get it interested in coming home. It is extremely energetic (as I think beagles tend to be) and needs long daily walks and lots of activities to do. It is smart, but almost too smart. Their ears need attention so they don't get ear infections too. Check the following links to help pick a dog!

Answer 8

Mixed breeds are almost always easiest to care for, as they tend to have less medical issues. Beagles are great, but they tend to bark ALOT, so if you have close neighbors....

Answer 9

Shitzu's tend to be very easy to look after. They tend to not need walks as they can be playful and excited so wear themselves out fetching plastic toys within your lounge. They can only need feeding on alternate days as they're small cute fluffy dogs with tiny tummys. They're very affectionate and loyal most of the time, but can be trained to bark and growl at burglars if you so choose to train them. They appear to be quite intelligent dogs as the friends i know who own them never bothered with traingin them as such but taught them over time house rules and fetch and sit and paw and stuff.

Answer 10

Everey dog has his diffrences. So, taking sides on any one breed is not me I have 6 dogs and they are all pretty easy to look after.