Am I crazy?

[CoachNemo]

So my wife and I are debating on bringing a dog into our family.  She is an oncology nurse and would like to train the dog as a "therapy" dog and of course I would like to upland hunt so I thought a lab would be perfect for both worlds.  Issues are, we live (own) in a 2 story townhouse with cats.  We have a 20x14 fenced garden patio and a large park within a couple of blocks but neither of us are close enough to come home for lunch.  We do have my 18 yr old niece living with us and my wife works 12 hour shifts that include weekends and I am a 7-4 M-F guy.  All three of us have had dogs growing up and in our adult life.

My thoughts are if we got a dog, we could schedule dog walkers on days when we all 3 work (shouldn't be too many) and once the pup is old enough, I have a well respected dog daycare, I could drop off and pick up from once a week.  Of course socialization and obedience are a must and we do have lots of friends with dogs as well.  I do want to crate train the dog too, but not for 12 hours a day 

How many of you live in an apt or townhouse and have a hunting dog?  How do you do it?

Breeders, looks like a pointing lab would be awesome (I have only hunted over pointers GSP and Brittany) and I like what I hear about Tri-Lab in Tonasket and Morgan's Point.  Anybody have dogs from either of these breeders?  If so PM me and let me know what your honest opinion is 

Thanks for the help,

Coach Nemo

[10Key]

Great that you are considering your living situation prior to purchasing, so often people do not. I don't have a space issue, but I would be very cognizant of the fact that no one will be home with the pup during its younger days. This will dramatically lengthen the time it takes to house train the pup. I am not saying it can't be done, it is all the time, but just be aware that it will be frustrating.

It sounds like the breed you are considering is perfect, demeanor wise. Other upland dogs, such as a GSP, Brittany, etc. tend to be a bit more energetic and need more exercise in general than a lab.

Keep us posted as to your decision and progress.

[Ben2Cold]

I have the same issue. I work nights away from home for 12-13 hours a day. I really want a hunting dog,but time is a huge factor. 

[gasman]

I am going to comment on the other part of your delema, therapy or hunting.

A lab is both 

I have labs, and they are great dogs. Every one I have com across loves our labs.
My dad lives with me, he is disabled and we help take care of him. When I first got a lab, it was hit and killed by a car at 9 moths old. Not only was the family devistated, but my dad was also devistated by the loss of his friend. Hemi was always there. Made him feel needed, and gave my dad someone to play with when ever he wanted, and would bug my dad to play with him when he was in the mood.

When we first lost Hemi, I decited it would be a while before i would attempt to get another lab, that wasuntill I realised how improtant he was to my dad. Less then a week after hi spassing, I heard my dad sitting on the back patio in the swing singing to Hemi  It broke my heart.


A few months later we got a Yellow Lab for my daughter, and it was like whole new world. Then a month later I got a call from the breeder that I got Hemi from and she had a pup that they were going to keep but decited against it, when they realised they would not be able to give the pup the time it deserved, so we got him and he my (and my dads) Buddy.

Labs have a personallity about them that will make you for get all your troubles and do what they can to please you, even on your worst day.
They are easy to train. for being a friend and for hunting. They will stay and wait for you, but also need to be ran and played with.

I can on and omn about Labs but I think I will stop there.

Good Luck with your decision 

[Packers10]

I am in a similar situation and live in Seattle.  IMHO you only need a yard big enough for your pup to do their business, but having a park close, or being a jogger is important.  I have a GSP and live in Seattle with a very small yard - but I have a park within two blocks where we can play frisbee in the evenings (at least 3 times a week) and I jog too, so my dog comes with me.  Easy to get plenty of excercise for a dog in a small space with a little effort.  Time at home alone is another thing, but there seem to be lots of outfits that will come to your house and walk your dog for you; for a small fee   I bet the small effort and dollars you put out for a dog will be more than rewarded by good times.

[mjbskwim]

Hunting dogs need tons of attention and exerciser.
If you don't have time to run the dog,how will you have time to train/work with it?

If you get a lab and have water close by,this will expend a ton of energy.But otherwise it needs to run.

I am also very glad you are considering the aspects of long hours and time with the dog.
So many get the cute little puppy and then wonder why it tears the house apart.

Oh,don't throw tennis balls for the dog, if you are going to use it for a therapy dog.They use tennis balls on the legs of the walker.Not a good mix.

[Stickerbush]

I have a similar situation in that we have 2 cats and a lab plus we both work/go to school full time. We do have a couple acres behind our house that I take her out to run around every day, but its not fenced in at all so for the most part she is an inside dog. When you get a puppy it does require more time as you cant leave it crated for very long at a time, need to socialize it and just spend more time with it in general. If you can plan it to where you get a puppy during a part of the year that you are less busy with other things then it will work out better. But it is a total lifestyle change as to have to take the needs of the dog into consideration. Especially if you plan to train it on a high level. But as you mentioned if you have people around that can spend time with it then it could work out. My vote is for a lab, I would also consider a springer spaniel for the upland aspect but that breed might not fit as well into the therapy dog role. I would also recommend crate training, it will make your life a lot easier. Good luck coach!

[mjbskwim]

Only problem with a few others spending time with the pup is consistency.
If they all aren't on the same page in the training,the pup will get a ton of different signals and may take a while to straighten out.

[Stickerbush]

Only problem with a few others spending time with the pup is consistency.
If they all aren't on the same page in the training,the pup will get a ton of different signals and may take a while to straighten out.

thats true, other people are hard to get on the same page