Choosing a dog that is right for you
Choosing A Dog That Is Right For You
Choosing a dog that’s compatible with you and your family is an extremely important step towards becoming a responsible and happy dog owner.
To choose the dog that is right for you, it’s essential to find the information necessary to help you make a knowledgeable decision, evaluating your family, lifestyle, plans for the future, living space, financial situation and yourself. Always keeping everyone’s best interests in mind, including the dogs’.
Becoming a dog owner is a decision that needs to be planned carefully, although choosing a dog is an important part of this journey, you must cautiously determine first, if you and your family are ready to bring a dog into your home and handle the added work and responsibilities necessary to provide your dog with a quality life.
Once you have decided if owning a dog is the right thing to do, it’s time to move along and get into choosing a dog; and also think about where is best to get your new dog from and plan how are you going to start this relationship the right way.
The Importance Of Making The Right Choices
Most dog owners start their journey in dog ownership with plenty of good intentions and their heart overflowed with love, however overflowing shelters all over the world show that good intentions and a big heart are not the only qualities a responsible dog owner should have.
One of the most frequent reasons why dogs are surrendered to shelters are that their owners got them without knowing about the responsibilities involved in owning a dog and without thinking of the consequences their choices could have, specially for the dog, considering that only about half of the dogs that are surrendered to shelters are adopted, all the rest are killed within a few days.
The best way to avoid finding yourself in that situation is to inform yourself before owning or choosing a dog, considering all the aspects involved in choosing a dog that is compatible with your family, lifestyle, energy level, financial situation and future plans.
Now it’s your chance to make it right and create a great life experience for yourself, your family and your new dog.
Start by choosing a dog that fits in your lives.
Please continue reading and find all the information necessary to help you evaluate all the aspects that play a part in the process of choosing a dog and planning for a successful dog ownership experience.
STEP 1 – Let’s Make Sure This Is A Good Idea…
Before choosing a dog it’s important that you determine if bringing a dog into your home is a responsible decision. Don’t forget that as a dog owner you are responsible for caring and providing a quality life for your dog.
To find out about the benefits, commitment and responsibilities of owning a dog. Visit our Owning A Dog page.
But don’t stop there…. There are many aspect of your life that must be considered and evaluated to help you determine your potential to become a good dog owner.
* Is Your Family Ready To Have A Dog?
Bringing a dog into your home is a decision that needs to be discussed with everyone in your home, whether it’s your spouse, kids or roommates.
Talk about the idea of having a dog, the benefits, commitment and responsibilities involved in owning a dog.
Evaluate their opinions, to get a better idea of their understanding regarding the responsibility and commitment; and how eager they are to get involved in the dog’s life and care duties.
Watch for fearful reactions, jealousy, nervousness or if someone is against the idea of having a dog, issues like that must be corrected before you bring a dog home, to prevent behavioral problem between the dog and that person.
If you already own a dog(s), we suggest that you correct any behavior problems before you get another dog to prevent behavioral problems between the dogs.
Remember, it’s important to take everyone’s opinion into consideration, but ultimately you must be the one to decide if bringing a dog into your home is a responsible decision.
* Does A Dog Fit Into Your Long-Term Plans?
Take time to look into the future and evaluate if you are going to be able to fit your new family member into your plans and how changes will affect you capability to live up to your commitment, considering that a dog lives approximately 10 to 15 years.
Estimate how owning a dog is going to interfere in your plans for the future and how willing you are to modify your plans to accommodate your dog into them, think about changes like moving, having babies, changing jobs, traveling and others…
Timing is key for success, if you consider that maybe getting a dog right now is not a responsible decision, is always best to wait until the conditions are more favorable.
* Can You Take On The Financial Responsibility?
You must determine if you can afford the cost of basic dog care, which includes food, veterinary care, obedience and behavior training, shelter, safety and grooming.
The best way to make owning a dog more affordable, is choosing a dog that’s right for your budget and utilize the low cost resources available in your area.
Here are a few tips for choosing a dog that is budget friendly:
– Choose a dog from a shelter, their rates are considerably lower than a rescue organization or a breeder, and their dogs are just as good.
– Choose a dog with a mellow temperament, to save on extensive obedience and behavioral training.
– Choose a medium or small dog to save on shelter and safety.
– Choose a shorthaired dog to save on grooming.
– Choose a small dog to save on dog food.
– Choose the low cost veterinary care services provided by your local humane society or animal shelter. Services often include low cost vaccination, spay and neuter clinics, affordable veterinary care, financial help and more…
Please visit our resources page to find a list of reputable Humane Organizations.
* Do You Have The Time To Care For A Dog?
It is essential that you evaluate your time availability to take proper care of your dog, most of us have busy lives already and adding a new member to your family can become overwhelming if you are not prepared.
You must know if you will have the time and energy necessary to fulfill your dog needs for daily exercise, obedience training, socialization, potty breaks, playtime, and others; specially at the beginning where training and bonding require that you dedicate even more time, to prevent the development of behavioral problems.
* Is Your Living Space Adequate For A Dog?
It doesn’t matter how big or small your home is, if you get the appropriate dog for your space and provide plenty of physical activity a dog can adapt to any environment.
However, there are some indispensable safety requirements:
– If your dog is going to stay in the yard, it needs to be appropriately fenced to effectively keep your dog from escaping and also keep unwanted visitors out, like stray dogs or someone trying to steal your dog.
– Your home and your yard should be free of materials that could hurt your dog, like chemicals, toxic plants, exposed nails, unprotected balconies and others…
– Your home or yard must provide sufficient shelter from the weather, whether hot or cold, extreme temperatures can kill a dog quickly.
* Get A Free Trial… Consider Fostering A Dog
Homeless dogs in rescue organizations and dog shelters need foster homes until they get adopted to a permanent home. Fostering a dog is a great way to experience how it would be to own a dog.
If you decide that owning a dog is not for you, you can return the dog to the rescue organization it belongs to, or if you like the experience, perhaps you could even adopt your foster.
STEP 2 – Choosing A Dog
Now that you know about the facts involved in owning a dog and evaluated your real potential to become a responsible dog owner, It’s time to learn about the facts involved in choosing a dog that’s suitable for you, your family and lifestyle.
* Choosing A Dog Breed
When choosing a dog breed, consider size, energy level, temperament and what purpose the breed was created for.
Dog breeds where created by humans to create dogs that excelled at a specific purpose, whether it’s work, sports or companionship, find out what breed or breed mix would be more compatible with you, your family and your lifestyle.
If you have kids, choosing a dog breed or breed mix that is good with kids is important, but don’t forget to match their temperaments and energy levels no matter what breed you choose.
Choosing a dog based on its looks could be a big mistake, please do some research and make a responsible decision.
* Choosing A Dog With The Right Temperament
Your goal is choosing a dog with a balanced behavior. Curious, respectful and calm.
Evaluate your own temperament; are you excitable, mellow, soft, calm, strong, confident or vigorous?. Then look for a dog that’s compatible with it, ideally a dog with a similar or mellower temperament than yours.
Dogs that show signs of fear, insecurity, hyperactivity or over-excitement are cases that need more attention and training to become balanced.
If you become interested in choosing a dog that is fearful, insecure, hyperactive, overexcited, dominant or even aggressive, you can always consider the possibility of committing to help the dog overcome his issues.
– Should you consider choosing a dog with behavioral problems?
There are so many troubled dogs in need of a home with an experienced leader that can help them overcome their issues.
However, you should only do it if you are an experienced dog owner, have a good understanding of dog behavior and training techniques; and can provide the leadership needed to help a dog with behavioral problems overcome his issues.
Choosing a dog with behavioral issues is a choice that requires a higher level of commitment and work, but ultimately, helping a troubled dog find balance and happiness is an extremely rewarding experience.
Just make sure you are choosing a dog with an issue you can handle, if you don’t know how to properly correct the problem you could make it worse and instead of helping, you will be preventing the dog from having a real chance to have a better life.
* Choosing A Dog With The Right Energy Level
You must choose a dog that can be easily included in your daily routine, share your favorite activities and play an active role in your life.
Think about choosing a dog for a purpose, whether it is a jogging partner, a companion for walks, a playmate for the kids, a companion for a senior, someone to relax with, an adventure partner or others; and choose a dog with the right energy to serve its purpose.
The more activities you can share with your dog the more balanced your dog will be.
As a general rule it’s recommended that you choose a dog with a little lower energy level than yours.
Dog breed descriptions can give you a good idea of breeds typical energy levels and what kind of activities the dogs excel at, but to find a good energy match, you must also consider the dog’s age, since usually young dogs have way more energy than senior dogs; and when it comes to temperament, dominant dogs have more energy and strength than submissive dogs.
* Puppy, Adult Or Senior?
Here are few facts to consider about a dog’s age:
Puppies are the cutest things in the world, but on the other hand, they need lots of attention, obedience training, housetraining and socialization; in addition to that, they have lots of energy and if not exercised properly they can become destructive or develop behavioral problems.
Adult dogs are easier dogs, since they have already calm down and learned how to properly behave around people and dogs, most adult dogs are housetrained and against popular believe, training an adult dog is not difficult.
Adult dogs are recommended for families with kids because are more calm and even tempered.
Senior dogs are perfect companions for calm people or seniors; they need a calm environment and enjoy low intensity exercise. Adopting senior dogs is a great chance to provide comfort and happiness to a dog in his final years. However, you must consider that senior dogs are at higher risk of developing health problems.
* Choosing A Dog That Is Compatible With Your Other Dogs Or Pets
If you already own a dog, you must consider your dog’s temperament and find a dog with an equal or lower energy level, ideally a dog in the same life stage and similar age.
* Choosing A Dog You Can Handle
Powerful and big dogs are not recommended for inexperienced owners, they require owners that can offer strong leadership, good understanding of dog behavior, obedience training skills; which is crucial to prevent the development of behavioral problems.
You should also make sure you are physically strong and fit to handle a big and heavy dog; and provide the physical activity they usually need.
If you choose a puppy don’t forget to consider how big it will be when fully grown.
STEP 3 – Where To Get Your Dog?
Once you have come up with a good idea of how your ideal dog should be, it’s time to determine where to get this dog from and why some places are better than orders.
* Your Local Dog Shelter
Choosing a dog from a dog shelter is a great option; in a shelter you can find a huge variety of great dogs, including pure breed dogs. Dogs from shelters are temperament tested, vaccinatinated, dewormed, spayed or neutered and their adoption fee is very reasonable.
And best of all… you would be saving two lives, the life of the dog you are taking home and the life of the dog that takes his place.
However, when choosing a dog in a shelter it’s important that you don’t become overwhelmed by the harsh conditions; stay focused on choosing a dog that matches your criteria, and don’t let sadness or pity influence your decision. Remember that if you want to save a life and give a dog a great living you must choose one that is appropriate, that will be the dog you can really help.
* Dog Rescue Organizations
These organizations are also a great option, you can find great dogs for adoption there too and if you are looking for a specific breed there are pure breed rescues for almost all breeds with plenty of dogs waiting to find a forever home.
A well thought out dog rescue will require at least an adoption application, an interview and a home check visit, plus a contract with a variety of conditions, but you must keep in mind that they do this because it’s needed to ensure their dogs go to good homes.
A reputable dog rescue will also vaccinate, spay or neuter, microchip and temperament test all their dogs.
To find a respectable dog rescue organization you can search online at petfinder.com, pets911.com or your local humane society.
* Dog Breeders
Dog breeders are the way to go if you are looking for a pure breed puppy, these puppies are bred for good temperament and other traits depending of the breed.
Find a local dog breeder so you can go visit their facility and meet the puppy’s parents, while there you must pay attention to the dogs living conditions, their temperament and health.
A reliable dog breeder is a licensed breeder; which tells you that they take their business seriously enough to be licensed and operate in compliance with their local animal welfare laws.
* Where NOT To Get Your Dog?
Pet Stores and Online Sales are not good places to find healthy dogs.
A respectable and responsible dog rescue organization or dog breeder would never sell their dogs in a pet store, ALL dogs sold at pet stores come from puppy mills or negligent breeders.
Puppy Mills and backyard breeders are inhumane breeders that use cruel breeding techniques, no veterinary care for the puppies or their mothers, no positive human interaction and keep their dogs in the most horrible and unsanitary conditions a dog could live in.
Puppy mill dogs usually have health problems and malformations due to inbreeding, unsanitary conditions and cramped wire cages; in addition they have behavioral problems due to cruel treatment and lack of socialization.
That is why we ask you to please stay away from pet stores and Internet dog sales, as those are the outlets these cruel and ruthless breeders use to sell their dogs.
The best way you can help end this sickening business and end the suffering of those dogs is to never support their business by buying dogs at pet stores, the Internet or allowing yourself to be scammed.
You must be on the lookout, because they will pose as rescue organizations, reputable breeders, or loving dog owner that had an “accidental” litter or “found” a litter of puppies, making you believe that you are rescuing a homeless puppy.
How Can You Tell?
A trustworthy dog breeder or rescue organization will…
– Provide a complete and informational service.
– Have many questions and requirements for you, to make sure they are giving their dog to responsible and knowledgeable owners, they never let their dogs go to any home too easily.
– Answers all your questions.
– Give you an opportunity to see their facility to see if all of their dogs are healthy, well cared for and have good temperaments.
– Have good references.
In conclusion… If they only ask you for money, they are likely to be puppy mills or backyard breeders posing as dog rescue organizations or responsible dog breeders to sale their dogs.
STEP 4 – Dog Searching Day
Before you move forward and actually bring a dog home, there is something you must know…
Owning a Good Dog is not a matter of luck. It’s crucial that you commit to ensure your dog is healthy, friendly, well behaved and happy.
You must pledge to do whatever it takes to make sure your dog lives a quality life and never give up on him as challenges come along. Dogs are not disposable.
When you bring a dog into your home, your dog’s life is in your hands and you become responsible for his well being, physically and mentally; and also for the safety of everyone around him.
Now ask yourself… Are you ready to take on this commitment?
Well… Let’s Find Your Dog!!
Based on your previous research, by now you should have a very good idea of what you are looking for in a dog and where to get it.
But that’s not all you need to know…Now that you are ready to go out there searching for your dream dog, there are some important aspects you must consider to efficiently be able to recognize the behaviors that fit your criteria and spot the dog that’s right for you.
In this step you must be very careful and strong, all your research can go out the window if you let your emotions take over. It’s important that you remain focused and don’t get distracted by other cute or needy dogs you might see, just keep in mind the importance of choosing the right dog and the consequences of making a bad decision.
Your goal is to choose a dog with a balanced behavior; Calm, respectful and curious. It’s not about choosing the cutest dog.
Remember… Dogs that show fear, insecurity, hyperactivity or overexcitement are best for experienced owners that know how to correct those issues and prevent them from escalating into problems like aggression.
* Meeting And Evaluating Your Candidates
Whether you are choosing a dog from a shelter or choosing a puppy from a litter, you should follow the same guidelines.
You must introduce yourself to the dogs in a way that they can understand as trustworthy and respectful. Only that way dogs feel comfortable enough to show you their true colors.
The best way to accomplish that is to stand still and relax, before you have any kind of interaction with the dog, including eye contact. Just allow the dog to sniff you, after the dog is done you can touch or talk to the dog, making an effort not to share too much excitement or love, Just stay calm and allow the dog to be around you. If your kids are present, instruct them to do the same.
If the dogs are in kennels, avoid any interaction with the dogs until they can be taken out.
First, narrow down those dogs that you consider as good candidates according to your criteria. Start by looking for the right size, and other physical requirements you might have.
Once you get a chance to meet those good candidates outside a kennel you can start focusing on behavior, since true dog behavior only shows out of the kennel.
You must remain focused on your goal. So once the introductions are done, it’s time to look for the clues that will tell you about the dog’s temperament and energy level.
You should be able to identify these 3 most typical dog behavior types
* The “Pick Me!!” Dog
This is the dog that seems to be begging you to take him home, pushing everyone out of the way and jumping on you like you where made for each other, full of energy and extremely happy to see you.
Should you choose this dog?
I would recommend you to skip on that dog if you are NOT an experienced owner with lots of energy to burn and a strong personality.
Here is why…
– Begging, pushing and jumping on people or other dogs are clues of disrespect and dominant behavior. Therefore you must know how to control those behaviors before they become a bigger problem, generally aggression. A dominant dog needs an owner with a strong personality and good leadership skills.
– Hyper and overexcited behaviors are clues of high levels of energy, which require lots of physical exercise and training to keep your dog under control.
– Please don’t misinterpret the dog’s behavior, the dog is not begging you to take him home, he is just claiming you. See it as a red flag!
* The “Cool” Dog
This dog will come around you, sniff you and show just the right amount of happiness and excitement. This kind of dog is easier to deal with, playful and respectful, not pushy or overwhelming. This dog has a relaxed body language, like everything is just fine.
Should you choose this dog?
Yes, this is The Dog You Want To Pick, especially if you are an inexperienced owner.
Here is why…
– Dogs that show this kind of behavior tend to be even-tempered, respectful, submissive and easier to handle and train.
– But don’t get it wrong, any “cool” dog can become “not cool” if you don’t provide the leadership and exercise the dog needs to stay balanced.
* The “Shy” Dog
This is the dog that shows no interest on coming close to you, even if you call him or try to approach him. His body language is tense with low ears, low tail or tail between the legs.
Should you choose this dog?
This is another case that needs a more experienced owner, one that knows how to properly deal with issues like insecurity and fear. In this case love and comfort are not the solution.
Here is why…
– That lack of curiosity is a sign of insecurity or fear, which are behaviors that need to be corrected immediately and properly, since they can easily turn into aggression or other behavioral problems.
– If you feel compelled to adopt dog with issues like these it’s essential that you get professional advice immediately to help your dog overcome his problems; remember love and comfort are not the way to help dogs conquer their fears.
A Few More Tips:
– Take the dog for a short walk if possible; evaluate his energy level and how comfortable it makes you feel. If a dog feels like too much to handle, it probably is.
Pay attention of how the dog reacts to the outside world, cars, people, and other dogs. Avoid choosing a dog that shows signs of fear or aggression like barking or growling, unless you are skilled and committed enough to work on correcting those behaviors.
– If you are adopting a dog from a dog shelter or dog rescue, find out as much as possible about the dogs behavior, why and how the dog became homeless and also about health issues the dog might have.
– If you already have a dog at home, bring him or her to meet the candidates before making a decision. Remember, the dogs should have similar energy levels and get along well, with no displays of dominance or disrespect.
When it comes to choosing a dog that is right for your other dog(s), you should choose a dog that can mingle with your dog in a calm, respectful, submissive and playful manner.
– The day you go out to get your new dog, making a good choice is essential; but that’s easier said than done, there is a lot to consider and evaluate. If you are not confident about your skills to efficiently evaluate a dog’s temperament and energy levels it’s always a smart decision to ask for professional advice. Hire someone to go with you and guide you through the process of choosing a dog that is right for you.
– If you don’t find a dog that feels right in your first outing, come back some other day or go look somewhere else, but don’t rush into decisions, wait until you find the right one.
Now you have chosen your dog…
Now is your change to start living up to your commitment, but don’t panic, if you did a good job choosing a dog, you are in for a real treat… Owning a dog that’s perfect for you.
If you start building a relationship based on trust, respect and love with your new dog from your first day together, your dog will reward you beyond your expectations.
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