Pedigree
or Heinz 57
How to choose the right dog for
your family?
When you first decide that it
would be nice to have a dog in the family you suddenly realize that
you are now faced with several questions that you will need the
answers to before you try to make the final decision.
For example.
• Do you get an adult dog
or puppy?
• What breed to choose, a
teapot Chihuahua or a German Shepherd?
• Do you want a mixed breed
or a Heinz 57 Mut?
• What characteristics will
be best to fit into your family?
• A companion or a guard dog?
So, starting with the first
question, let's look at the adult dog. There can be many benefits in
getting a grown up dog and these could include the fact that he is
probably already house trained and may have completed other basic
training including.
• Behaving whilst on the
lead and not dragging you down the street
• Not constantly begging
for food at the dinner table
• Being sociable and
friendly with other dogs and people
• Has grown out of chewing
at anything he can get his teeth into
• Not barking incessantly
and upsetting the neighbors
These are important
considerations if you need to leave a dog alone for any length of
time because of work commitments for example. You don't want to come
home to a house that has been chewed up, or the garden full of
craters where he has been digging holes or your neighbor in a fury
because he hasn't stopped barking all day. An adult dog that has gone
through all the basics and is well trained, will ultimately make your
life less stressed and that much more relaxed.
A puppy! Well this really does
need a lot of extra thought!
Firstly, a pup, cannot be left
alone and to their own devices, for long periods of time as the
frustration could lead to him chewing at everything in sight, and may
even cause him to suffer from separation anxiety. It would also be
cruel to lock him away in a dog crate because he would have nothing
to stimulate and help him grow mentally. If you don't have the time
to train him whilst he is a puppy, then you will have missed the best
opportunity. A puppy may be more suitable if someone is at home most
of the time to supervise and train, and like children, they learn
very quickly.
Other things to consider when
taking on a puppy.
• Is the time needed to
house train him. With concentrated effort, it is possible to
accomplish this over a period of a couple of weeks.
• Provide him with suitable
chewing products to help him whilst he is teething and to keep his
teeth out of your furniture.
• Taking him to
professional dog training classes will help ensure he learns all the
skills needed to transform him into a well-behaved and delightful
family dog.
What breed of dog to choose is
the "million-dollar question" because there are literally
hundreds of different breeds to choose from. Dogs come in all sizes
from tiny ones that will fit inside a teacup to big ones that would
be taller than you if they stood on their hind legs. You may wish to
look through books on all the different dog breeds and see which ones
attract you. If you can decide on the size of the dog, you will at
least be able to make a short list and eliminate the rest, and making
it easier to come to a decision. Some breeds are known to have a very
gentle temperament whilst others are protective and dominant, so what
characteristics would be better suited to your family?
Do you want a guard dog or a lap
dog? Or perhaps something in between? Once you have decided what you
want a dog for, then you can again, eliminate and narrow down the choices.
If you have very small children
then a very tiny or very large dog would probably not be advisable
because the child could look on the dog as a toy and could easily
injure it. A large dog could injure the child, quite innocently, by
knocking him over. If you do have children, it may be better to try
to pick a dog that is submissive and pose no potential danger to your
child and a sign to look for, is the dog who automatically exposes
his belly to you, this is normally a good indication that he is
submissive. The dominant dog will resist doing this. It is very
important that dominant dogs "know whose boss" particularly
large dogs, and are probably better with owners experienced in
working with dogs and who understand the importance of instilling
human leadership into them very early on, as problems can occur if
the dog thinks he is in charge.
Don't forget to consider the
older dog because they can also make superb pets as they have usually
had all the ragged edges smoothed away over time and therefore make
great laid back companions and it's never too late to teach an old
dog new tricks. Many older dogs have been abandoned for nothing more
than the crime of "getting on a bit". You will find many
dogs, old and young, in the dog rescue shelters, including pedigrees,
mixed breeds and the Heinz 57 mongrel. Rescue dogs can make great
pets if they are given a little time and understanding because they
seem to know instinctively that they have been given another chance
in life. Another benefit is that you can normally get these dogs for
free, however a donation to the rescue charity will greatly help them
continue with the good work that they do.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rosemary_Taylor
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Ciudad Quesada, 03170 - Rojales, Alicante, Valencia. Spain.