How much does it cost to own a dog annually?

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I've been wondering how much it would cost to own a dog. I want to get a Labrador Retriever, and I plan on feeding it high-quality food, give it good toys, etc. If you can, could you do a first year and a regular year because first year will have a lot of expenses with everything being new and all of the vaccinations, etc.

Thanks!

Answer
First year is going to be well over a $1,000 dollars.

The one time expenses that you have in the first year:
Purchase price
Spay/Neuter surgery
Puppy vaccinations
Crate
Feeding bowls
Grooming tools
Leashes and collars
Dog bed
Obedience classes
Microchipping
Baby gates
Seatbelt for the car
More variety of chew toys as he grows--the puppy ones will be too easy for him to destroy as he ages
He's going to chew something that he shouldn't and you'll need to replace it or repair it
More frequent petsitting expenses--he needs to go out at least 4 times a day, while an older dog could do with 2-3 walks per day
You'll probably make a few extra trips to the vet as you learn to distinguish emergencies from non-emergencies

After the first year, average is $600-$1,000 per year. You have the basics at home by now, his vet visits will be annual or a few times a year, and you've been through obedience. The biggest variable expense that people overlook is boarding or petsitting. I''ve spent more than $1k on those in some years.

What should I do about my new dog who has severe separation anxiety?

Cruize

The dog is a one year old border collie mix and has been living with us for two months. He is very sweet and well behaved when we are around him. Anytime we leave our house he starts whining and yelping immediately, he will scratch at the doors to try and get out of the house. We have tried to crate train, use products such as Comfort Zone with DAP, homeopet anxiety drops, bark collars, etc and nothing has worked. We exercise him regularly, practice our comings and goings for short periods of time and he has plenty of chew toys such as kongs, stuffed animals, and bones to keep him busy during the day. Our vet recommended we see an animal behaviorist and put our dog on essentially doggy-prozac. The behaviorists we have spoken with will cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $450 to $600. The dog is great but I'd probably have to return him before I could drop that much money on him. He attends doggie day care 2 days a week and obedience class 1day. Any advice would be appreciated.

Answer
I went through the very same thing with my chihuahua, and it was ruining my life. He was the most, is, the most amazing dog, but he too suffered from this. We did everyhting you wrote about and paid for costly behaviouists. Her advice was basically to make LOVE his crate. We fed him in there, praised him when he would step in, give him treats in there. He would go in it after weeks of doing this for seconds at a time, and then the second we would make a move, he would run out of there in fear we would close the door and leave. I didn't feel right about medicating him for the rest of his life so I continued to stand my ground. I would put him in his crate, but instead of leaving I would do house work etc. to show him that his crate wasn't a bad place where we would put him before we did his worst nightmare- leave. To try to make a long story short, put soothing music on...Start off slowely by leaving for short periods of time before hours long, and if all else fails...get a second dog! We have two, so what we ended up doing was putting them together. Now he is happy because he is with his big sister. We didn't do this in the beginning because our girl liked to be in her crate alone, but we were desperate. Now all is well, and they love being together. Problem solved. Seperation anxiety, has been explained to me by various highly respected vets as a HORRIBLE many times forever long problem. You are doing everything right it seems...making sure he is mentally stimulated (walks), DAP, etc. So if he is truesly a great dog everyother time except when you leave, consider a second dog, or having a dog walker come by once or twice a day, depending on your work schedual. They usually charge, well in my area $10 every visit. That would definitely help..PLUS...remember...you are this guys, or girls...second or third home past puppy hood. Eventhough he loves you and they know you love him...technically he has been abandoned by his previous loved ones in his eyes. Remain consistant for the next months, and you could have a completely changed dog. One that feels at ease that you wont abandon him. Because that's what seperation anxiety is ultimately....a fear or being abandoned. Hope this helped you soom. I am a true animal lover, and my dogs are my life..if you need anymore help, or have any other questions feel free to email me directly. alllanas@yahoo.com Good luck, and stay strong. :)

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