How to choose a puppy (Part 4): Shelter Dogs
- How To Choose a Puppy (Part 1)
- How To Choose a Puppy (Part 2): The Right Breed For Your Lifestyle
- How To Choose a Puppy (Part 3): Well, Maybe Not Quite A Puppy
Shelters vary widely; some are very upscale, well maintained adoption facilities, and others are depressing "dog pounds...." Dogs coming from more dire conditions will often need more "rescuing" than those from the more well-funded shelters, but they're no less deserving! You should think about what level of resources you can afford to devote to your new pet ----the adoption fees at the pound will be lower, but you may end up spending more at the vet, fighting off fleas, mites, skin infections, intestinal parasites, kennel cough, and other health problems. But if you can, few things are more rewarding than seeing a sick, scruffy, forlorn dog transform within months into your sleek, healthy, happy, and so very appreciative best friend for life!
Some shelters do extensive behavior testing, and will tell you whether the dog gets along well with cats, other dogs, and children. Rescue organizations will often let you "test drive" a dog for a few hours, or even overnight or longer. Walk them around a bit. You can get an idea of how they behave on a leash, how they do in the car, how they react to squirrels and birds at the park. If you have other pets at home and want to get an idea of how the new dog will respond to them, I would recommend that you first take the dog to see your veterinarian for a quick health check. Even then, be aware that you are taking a chance of exposing your pets to fleas, mites, or kennel cough. If you do take the dog to your vet, don't forget to ask for their opinion on the dog's temperament too!
Next, we'll talk about the pros and cons of those wonderful puppies, and some of the things you should look for, as well as look out for!
Have a question for the Veterinarian? Use our Ask The Vet Form here.
This post was generously contributed by Dr. Stanley of Housecall Of The Wild.
How to choose a puppy (Part 3): Well, Maybe Not Quite A Puppy
View the previous posts in this series:
Ok, so you've figured out the perfect breed (and it's not just because they're just so darned cute!). Or maybe you don't care about breeds, you've just considered your lifestyle and thought about the type of dog that will fit in best with it. Now it's time to look at some actual dogs!
First off, you can look for a puppy, or you can find an adult dog in need of a home. Even if you want a purebred, there are purebred rescue organizations for almost every breed. Breeders sometimes have adult dogs available as well ---the Obamas just got a 6 month old Portuguese Water Dog who'd been returned to the breeder by someone who was unable to keep him. And the shelters have lots of wonderful adult dogs who are often overlooked in the general rush towards those adorable puppies. That's a real shame, because some of the best dogs I've ever met were adopted as adults out of shelters. Adult dogs often come house trained, and sometimes even obedience trained ---one of the dogs I had growing up came from the shelter with a long list of tricks! Sure, some shelter dogs have specific issues that will need to be worked on, but sometimes wonderful, well-behaved animals just have the bad luck to end up in the shelter. And don't worry that your dog won't bond with you as strongly if they aren't a puppy when you get them ---I really think that dogs who are adopted as adults appreciate their owners that much more, because they remember very clearly what you rescued them from!
View the next post in this series:
Have a question for the Veterinarian? Use our Ask The Vet Form here.
This post was generously contributed by Dr. Stanley of Housecall Of The Wild.
How to choose a puppy (Part 2): the Right Breed For Your Lifestyle
If you have your heart set on a purebred, do some research ---find out what the breed was created to do, and think about how that will fit in with the lifestyle you want to lead. Do you have or want other pets, or children? Are you active, or do you want a pet content to putter around the house with you? How much space do you have ---a studio apartment, or 100 acres of rural property? All these things are important variables that will profoundly influence what breed of dog is right for you ---and what breed is wrong wrong wrong!
Sometimes the answers to these sorts of questions will help you figure out which dogs to steer clear of. If you have a pet rabbit, you would do well to avoid dogs that were bred for hunting small game or 'vermin,' like most terriers. If you want a dog to go on 15 mile hikes with you, well, that cute dachshund is just not going to be able to keep up. On the other hand, those gorgeous huskies were bred to run all day long in a blizzard ---don't expect them to be happy sitting in the house or in a hot yard all day! That border collie is an amazingly intelligent working dog, capable of learning enormously complicated tasks and of working tirelessly herding livestock or doing obedience and agility trials ---just don't ask him to sit in your city apartment day after day, waiting for you to come home from work to take him on a half hour walk, because he'll go absolutely stir crazy and become horribly neurotic.
If you think you've found the breed that's right for you, talk to as many people who own that breed as you can ---and ask them what they don't like about their pet. Most responsible breed advocates try very hard to make sure people understand all the potential downsides to the breed, because they never want to see one of their beloved dogs go into an inappropriate home.
View the next posts in this series:
- How To Choose a Puppy (Part 3): Well, Maybe Not Quite A Puppy
- How to choose a puppy (Part 4): Shelter Dogs
Have a question for the Veterinarian? Use our Ask The Vet Form here.
This post was generously contributed by Dr. Stanley of Housecall Of The Wild.
How to choose a puppy (Part 1)
Everyone who gets a dog envisions all the fun and frolic their new pet will bring to their lives, but too often, the pup comes with a few drawbacks they didn't anticipate. The sad truth is that the leading cause of death in dogs is actually not a disease ---it's euthanasia in shelters, and most dogs end up in shelters because of behavior problems. Even if you would never abandon a pet to a shelter, nobody wants to live with a dog who causes headaches ---a pet should be a source of joy, not hassles!
The most powerful way to avoid problems with a new dog is also one of the least utilized methods ---and that is simply this: Choose the right dog!
What does that mean? Well, dogs come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, colors and coat varieties, long hair, short hair, even no hair at all. It is easy to fall in love with the look of a particular breed. But what a lot of people forget is that most dog breeds were not created to look a certain way, but rather to act in a certain way ---our dog breeds were bred to serve specific functions, and to do certain jobs. Even though you may look at a dog as simply a companion, your fabulous furry friend's genes will strongly influence how they behave.
I find that most people already have an idea of what kind of dog they think they want. But it is important to spend some time thinking about what kind of dog you don't want!
Look for our next post in this series “The Right Breed For Your Lifestyle”.
View the next posts in this series:
- How To Choose a Puppy (Part 2): The Right Breed For Your Lifestyle
- How To Choose a Puppy (Part 3): Well, Maybe Not Quite A Puppy
- How to choose a puppy (Part 4): Shelter Dogs
Have a question for the Veterinarian? Use our Ask The Vet Form here.
This post was generously contributed by Dr. Stanley of Housecall Of The Wild.