So you think you want a dog...

[Renee]

There are many things to consider before you make the decision to get a dog here are a few of them:

Do you have the time for a dog
Will your dog live inside the house
Are you getting one only because the kids want one
Who is going to care for the dog
Who is going to train the dog
How will you housebreak the dog
How to decide which breed of dog is for you
Do you want a puppy
Do you want an adult dog
Do you want to buy a purebred dog
Do you want to rescue a dog
Do you understand some breeds require professional grooming regularly
Are you prepared for unexpected veterinary bills
Why you shouldn’t buy a puppy at a pet store on impulse
How to identify and find a professional breeder as opposed to a backyard breeder
How much time does it take to care for a dog properly
Why your dog should spayed or neutered
Why taking your dog to the dog park does not exercise your dog properly


The thing you have to consider when getting a dog is how much time will the dog spend alone and what the dog is expected to do during that time. The dog should be walked every day properly. Your dog should have at least a half hour walk each day. The dog should live in your house and not outside because dogs are pack animals and to isolate them outside alone is cruel. The surefire way to have your backyard destroyed and to have a dog that is wild and uncontrollable is to leave them in a yard alone. Dogs become bored and destructive because there is nothing else to do. In my opinion if you want to get a dog to live outside you shouldn’t get a dog. The dog that lives outside offers you nothing in a relationship with the dog and the only thing you gain is to have an animal perhaps to bark when someone comes in your yard.

In respect to getting a dog because the kids want one a lot of things should be considered. First of all, how old are your kids and what are you expecting from the kids on the care of the dog. Many people think that they should get a dog and have the kids learn responsibility by caring for the dog. Most of the time this does not work out the way that the parents would hope. Kids become bored with the dog pretty quickly and it is like a toy that has lost its interest. As the adult you should make the decision to get the dog as a family and perhaps share the responsibilities.

The responsibilities consist of who will train the dog including housebreaking teaching it to walk properly on a leash, good manners of not jumping on people and not begging for food.

The easiest way to housebreak a dog or a puppy is to confine the dog in a crate any time you are unable to watch the dog. Whether it is at night when you are sleeping or you are home and too busy to watch the dog then it should be confined. Dogs by nature do not want to soil an area in which they must lay in. So by putting the dog in a crate where it can comfortably stand, turn around, and lay down is the best way to housebreak. When you have time to watch the dog and you are ready to take it out of it’s crate you must take the dog outside immediately and go out with it to the area you want it to relieve itself. If you can keep the dog moving around in the yard in order to encourage it to smell the ground you will have better luck having it find an area to relieve itself. After the dog has gone give it much praise and perhaps even a treat to communicate to it that it has accomplished what you were looking for. If it does not relieve itself you can either put it back in the crate or you can keep a very close eye on it. When a dog is going to relieve itself in the house or in the yard you are going to see them sniffing around to look for an area to go. If you see that then hurry the dog outside, go out with it again and wait for success. Never let your dog roam around the house without watching it or it will go to some far away place like a back bedroom or behind a big chair and use it as a toilet. You must think of the dog as a small toddler that you never take your eyes off of. Your dog should sleep in a crate preferably next to your bed and first thing in the morning when you let the dog out you must take it directly outside without any hesitation. If you have a small pup under 5 or 6 months of age you should expect your pup to cry during the night to go out and relieve itself until it is old enough to hold it longer. After taking your pup out in the night don’t make a big exciting deal about it just stay quiet and calm and when the pup has gone to the bathroom very quietly put it back in it’s crate and go back to sleep. If your pup cries in it’s crate verbally scold the pup to be quiet but do not take it out and do not coo and sweet talk it. You are only encouraging it to cry more. Make it clear with your voice that it’s noise is unacceptable. Very quickly your dog will learn to stay quiet in it’s den.

[jgrow]

Dear Renee,

Which is better to obtain an adult dog...a shelter, an ad in the paper or a rescue.

Judy in California

[Renee]

Dear Judy in California,

The answer to your question is that all of them can be good places to find your next dog. It would always be helpful to take someone with you who can help evaluate the dog. If you don't have that kind of knowledgable help then you might try taking the dog to an experienced groomer to have the dog groomed and help you determine behavior issues that they might see. You need to know that you probably won't see the complete personality of your dog that you adopt for at least a week or 2.