choosing a dog - A guide to choosing the right breed for you
Use the list below to help you consider your choice of breed or type
of dog:
1. Strong-willed and ambitious or easy-going and indulgent 2. Friendly
with humans or reserved with strangers 3. Playful or disinterested
in toys 4. Friendly to other dogs or disinterested or incompatible
5. Affectionate or aloof
First, consider your available space. Do you live in an apartment? If so, you
will want to rule out large dogs. Look for dogs in the Toy group,
such as Yorkshire Terriers, or some of the smaller dogs in the Terrier
group, like the Miniature Schnauzer.
If you have children, you will want to consider the size of your
dog, as well. Very small dogs, such as Chihuahuas or Maltese, can
be very delicate and are often accidentally injured by young children.
A dog's size also affects the cost of maintaining him properly.
A big dog's food bill will be higher. If you need to board him,
that will cost more. He'll need a bigger crate, bigger bed, bigger
toys—all more expensive than smaller ones. He'll also need larger
doses of heartworm and flea preventative and other medications.
Be sure you can afford a big dog before you get one.
Once you decide which breed of dog you want, you will need to consider
the age of the dog. Many people opt to buy a cuddly little puppy
instead of an older dog. While puppies have not developed any bad
habits, it will be up to the new owner to be sure that the puppy
becomes housebroken and obedience trained. Older dogs are frequently
already housebroken and usually have some obedience training. They
are also more likely to be less hyper and less destructive. However,
they can have behavioral problems or health problems that prompted
the former owner to find them a new home. |