I have a cat

[P3nT4gR4m]

A lot of people get dogs, not realizing that even very small dogs need a great deal of exercise to not go crazy. My dog ran and swam probably eighteen miles today, and she'll be antsy again by dog-thirty Friday. Small dog ran about six and she's good for a few days too. Then we do the short beach trip where we all get a few miles in Friday, and next week we do another long trip, and so on.

This! Mine does about 4-5 miles per day plus wrestling and tug-o-war which knackers us both out. It's like having a pet and a gym in one package.

[Sita]

We had three dogs while I was growing up. The first two were strays my dad decided to bring home, the last we got from a guy dad worked with.

First was a Rhodesian Ridgeback mix, we called her Lady and she was certifiable. She would eat everything in sight, literally. Can't remember how many times we had to take her to the vet because she ate the linoleum floor or the plastic grocery bags or the cleaning supplies (and yes we did try and keep those where she couldn't get them, but she always found a way). She got plenty of chance to run around and play as we had a huge backyard.

Second was a German Shepherd, we called him Lobo. He was a very, very affectionate dog. Loved me to bits. Would knock me down everytime he saw me like Dino would do to Fred in the old Flintstones cartoons. He either ran away or was stolen. Came home one day and the gate was open and there was no Lobo to be seen

Third was a pit mix, we called him Rascal. He lived up to his name and then some. Chewed everything in sight, ruined my waterbed and a couple volumes in an encyclopedia set. Was always scratching at me. Almost took my eye out once when I was bathing him (if I had been a second slower..). Last straw was when I had put my foot over something I had dropped so I could scoot it where I could reach it and he went mental. Attacked my foot, growling and making all kinds of racket. Scratched Dad up pretty good when he picked the pup up to put him in the hallway (the only place that we could secure him at the time). he was gone the next day.

My cats however have never once scratched me out of anger. Never have tried to eat anything they shouldn't. Never given a single problem at all. So while I love dogs, I will probably stick to being a cat person.

[P3nT4gR4m]

There's a certain mentality required to own a large or powerful dog. You need to have a strong authoritarian streak or the dog will fill that role (usually against it's wishes) but, at the same time, you need to be on it's wavelength and up for a carry on, otherwise it'll get depressed or neurotic and wired.

So me and P3nTK9 will roll around the floor for hours on end play fighting and chewing on each others limbs but when I decide it's over, it stops with one word. If you can't establish and enforce those boundaries then dog ownership is not for you. If your lifestyle prohibits long hikes most days and an investment of time to stimulate the animal mentally through play or training then you're probably better off with something like a cat.

All you have to do is feed those fucks and even that isn't really necessary, it's just a fairly reliable way to persuade them to come back home.

[Sita]

Yeah, I think that might have been part of the problem when I was a kid. We were never prepared for having the dogs, my dad just showed up with them when he came home from work. The poor things were alone most of the day because everyone as either at work or school.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

A lot of people get dogs, not realizing that even very small dogs need a great deal of exercise to not go crazy. My dog ran and swam probably eighteen miles today, and she'll be antsy again by dog-thirty Friday. Small dog ran about six and she's good for a few days too. Then we do the short beach trip where we all get a few miles in Friday, and next week we do another long trip, and so on.

This! Mine does about 4-5 miles per day plus wrestling and tug-o-war which knackers us both out. It's like having a pet and a gym in one package.

Yes!

Dogs are best suited as pets for people who are moderately to extremely active, depending on the dog breed. Pits and Labs definitely fall into the "extremely active" category. A LOT pf people get small dogs thinking they don't need to be worked out, and IMO that's why so many lapdog-types turn neurotic; they really need to work out as much as big dogs do, you can just scale it down to fit their size, so a chihuahua needs four miles instead of sixteen, etc. 

My chi-pug mix was a ball of neuroses when I adopted her as a former puppymill breeder, and she was in such bad shape (at two years old!) that she would get tired and want to go home after a few blocks in the neighborhood. After a few years of taking her out and gradually working her up to it, she can easily run six miles with the big dogs, she's muscular and healthy, and she is vastly calmer, more confident, and less neurotic.

I think the big difference in personality that makes some people prefer dogs over cats, or vise-versa, may have to do with general athleticism vs. cuddliness. I'm not that athletic, but I am very active, and not very cuddly. Sitting around petting something on my lap doesn't sound like any fun to me at all, it sounds awful. I would rather exhaust myself in the woods and then collapse at the end of the day with a dog at my feet.

[Salty]

Ugh, I hate it when cats sit on my lap.

Cats are like decor that would kill you in your sleep if they could only figure out how to make Food happen.

Interaction should be minimal.

I see cats as a Cold War Pet.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Yeah, I think that might have been part of the problem when I was a kid. We were never prepared for having the dogs, my dad just showed up with them when he came home from work. The poor things were alone most of the day because everyone as either at work or school.

Oh yes, definitely; all of the problems you've described sound like classic boredom/inactivity/loneliness neuroses. Dogs do take work. It's just that the type of work they take comes more naturally to some people.

[Salty]

Cats are, generally, assholes.

That's the appeal.
That's why Bukowski liked them so much.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Ugh, I hate it when cats sit on my lap.

Cats are like decor that would kill you in your sleep if they could only figure out how to make Food happen.

Interaction should be minimal.

I see cats as a Cold War Pet.

[Sita]

I think the big difference in personality that makes some people prefer dogs over cats, or vise-versa, may have to do with general athleticism vs. cuddliness. I'm not that athletic, but I am very active, and not very cuddly. Sitting around petting something on my lap doesn't sound like any fun to me at all, it sounds awful. I would rather exhaust myself in the woods and then collapse at the end of the day with a dog at my feet.

This so explains my husband and his preference for cats.
Also explains why I love both. There are times I just want a cuddle, but do also like playing with my pets.

[P3nT4gR4m]

Yeah, I think that might have been part of the problem when I was a kid. We were never prepared for having the dogs, my dad just showed up with them when he came home from work. The poor things were alone most of the day because everyone as either at work or school.

It's a pretty common problem. A lot of people see people with dogs and think "ooh that looks like fun let's get one"

Next thing it's a year later and it turns out they "got lumbered with a psycho"

Or at least, that's how it looks to them. To an experienced dog owner it's an all too familiar and totally predictable story. Dogs require work. If you put in the effort, you will be rewarded with this furry thing that's really intelligent, loyal enough to lay down it's life for you and looks up to you as a god. It's the work thing that a lot of people don't think about.

I got a mate who trains gun dogs to retrieve birds which have been shot out the sky. He tells me people are always asking him where he got his whistle. Like it's some kind of special whistle that controls dogs as if they will be able to get theirs to come back or stop chewing the furniture if only they had one of these special whistles. Truth is he spends months training them from pups to respond to the whistle as a cue. Any whistle would do the job fine.

Also a lot of dog training is counter intuitive, as a result of how dogs minds work. First time dog owners make a lot of mistakes this way and, as a result, a lot of the training can actually work backwards 

[Anna Mae Bollocks]

Big dogs need TONS of exercise, yes. And it doesn't go exactly by size, little herding dogs like Shelties need a lot too but they can burn off at least part of the energy running around the house. But you still need to walk them and it's great if you can get them into agility or flyball, they rock at it. If not, park and frisbee.

Chows don't need a lot for their size. (My current and best-ever dog is a Chow mix and he does great with just long walks.)
They're rated as less intelligent but I think this translates to "less trainable" - which I totally relate to - but they're "velcro dogs" and very attuned to their humans. They WILL run all over a person who doesn't know dogs but for the most part, you can just hang out with them and they seem to pick up a lot almost by osmosis. Mine's not into obedience or fetching frisbees, he'll look at you like you're crazy, but he's very well behaved.

[Salty]

It's a pretty common problem. A lot of people see people with dogs and think "ooh that
Also a lot of dog training is counter intuitive, as a result of how dogs minds work. First time dog owners make a lot of mistakes this way and, as a result, a lot of the training can actually work backwards 

Would you mind elaborating on this point? I feel this may have been my problem with dogs on the past.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

One mistake a lot of people make with dogs is thinking that they're domesticated wolves, and should be treated like wolves.

Dogs are not wolves. They may have a common ancestor, but so do humans and chimps, and humans are not chimps.

In addition to that, a ton of what's made it into dog-training theory as "wolf behavior" is flat out wrong because the animal behavioralist who observed it and wrote books about wolf behavior studied wolves from different packs  mixed together in cages, where their behavior is nothing like it is in the wild.

Dogs are dogs. Dogs are specially adapted to be responsive to humans. Luckily there are a lot of dog books and trainers out there now who focus on understanding and training dogs without pretending they're some kind of stunted wolf.

[P3nT4gR4m]

It's a pretty common problem. A lot of people see people with dogs and think "ooh that
Also a lot of dog training is counter intuitive, as a result of how dogs minds work. First time dog owners make a lot of mistakes this way and, as a result, a lot of the training can actually work backwards 

Would you mind elaborating on this point? I feel this may have been my problem with dogs on the past.

Best example I can think of is potty training.

First off, dogs do not associate cause and effect, only immediate behavior. So you come into the room and you notice the dog has peed on the rug. Immediately you fly off the handle and roar and bawl at the dog who, by this time has zero recollection of peeing, ever. Straight away the dog is freaked out.

"I'm getting a bollocking. What was I doing, oh yeah, chewing my chew toy. Fine! Never again, it's just not worth it, I'll try the sofa next time. Gotta chew something, right? WTF? He's still yelling. He's pointing at that puddle of pee over there. Why you yelling at me, it's obviously the pee's fault? Fine so he really hates pee. Note to self - don't let him see pee, or I'm gonna cop some flak over it"

So you clean up the pee and feel satisfied that the dog has got the message. He did, loud and clear. Just not the message you were trying to put across. Next thing you know the dog will totally not pee in front of you. Ever. You can walk that little bastard til his legs are hanging off. No dice. He's got the message all right - you hate pee. So he'll wait til you come back home, hours later, walking all funny cos all he wants to do is pee but he can't cos you'll see. Soon as you get back home what happens? Straight behind the sofa. Relief.

Good luck fixing that one