Children often ask their parents to get a dog, but this important decision must be made in a family council, carefully discussed. If, in principle, you are not against a pet, but do not know at all what kind of dog to get, which of the four-legged friends is more suitable for your lifestyle, you should take a break and study the issue in more detail.
How to choose a puppy
First of all, you need to refrain from buying a puppy spontaneously. Yes, in this way you can find your friend, but too often a pet brought up under the influence of a fleeting desire does not fit into the framework of family orders, does not correspond to the rhythm of people's life and it is corny that it is not to the court.
The fact is that your desire to have a dog needs to be as specific as possible. Gather your family for a council, grab a piece of paper, and start filling out two columns. In the first of them, enter the desired characteristics of your pet, in the second those that one of you (even just one family member) categorically does not accept, does not want to see and will not accept under any pretext.
Moreover, you need to introduce as objective and characteristic features as possible, no matter how ridiculous they seem to you. So, for example, if one of you categorically dislikes the prospect of seeing puddles from a puppy at home, you should write down this fact and make a significant conclusion that you need to look for a grown-up dog: older than 5-6 months or an adult pet in general. Because any puppy up to six months can do his own business in the house, and this is considered the norm. Moreover, the baby will need increased attention and care. You need to feed a puppy of 2-3 months old 5-6 times a day, which is a problem for a family with a normal working schedule. As a rule, new owners take a vacation for 1 month of the puppy's life in the house.
What traits of a dog might be important
In the same way, you describe the preferred (and unacceptable) not only behavioral characteristics, but also the exterior: ears, tail, dog size, color, coat. Whether you want abundant coat like a Rough Collie, or prefer minimal hair like a boxer, are you looking for a pet with drooping ears like a spaniel, or you want erect ears. Perhaps you are considering dogs no higher than 30 centimeters at the withers, or, conversely, you will be looking for someone not lower than 50 cm.
Be sure to clarify if you prefer a hunting dog, perhaps as a child you had just one, and fond memories influence your choice of which dog to get. However, keep in mind that working dogs require increased workload, ideally close to their functions on the hunt. Also, if you indicate the item "service dog", keep in mind that you cannot avoid a compulsory training course with a pet, really assess your strengths and capabilities.
Avoid stereotypes
Each of the points will narrow down the list of possible breeds for your family. This way you can detail the pet you want as much as possible. And even if you yourself cannot name a single breed according to the list you have created, any dog handler or breeder will help you navigate.
When working on a virtual portrait of a future friend, try to avoid stereotypes, for example, the following:
- small dogs are better for children (in fact, a lot of small dogs are afraid of children);
- from woolen dogs there is a lot of wool on the floors (just from short-haired dogs there is more of it, paradoxically);
- small dogs do not need to be brought up and trained (education is necessary and it is more difficult than for dogs of medium and large breeds);
- large and shaggy dogs are suitable only in a kennel in the yard (it is true in part, many not very tall dogs can fully live only in the yard (huskies, huskies), at the same time, dogs larger than them (collies) would prefer to communicate more with the owner, living with him in the house).
However, if you don't need all these wisdom, you can really take a pet from the street, making any outbred Sharik happy who will run after you. It is only advisable not to catch the dog from the pack, since such dogs are mostly feral and no longer perceive a person as an older friend and owner.
How to choose a puppy breeder
After you have decided on the breed, sex and color of the dog, find the nearest kennel club to your home and find out how things are with this breed in your region, you may have to wait for the litter or even go to another city for the puppy. Do not deviate from your dreams, if the nearest kennel is 1000 miles away, it is better to spend even a week on the road to pick up the puppy than to live with a feeling of dissatisfaction for the next 15 years.
If your plans for a pet extend beyond your beloved sofa friend, you dream of conquering exhibition Olympics, participating in breeding, improving the breed, you need to approach the question of which dog to get more carefully. You will need to read the standards of the proposed breeds, get acquainted not only with the breeder of your puppy, but also with other breed breeders, and visit several large exhibitions in advance. Find out the characteristics of the breed, the preferences of the judges and many, many more nuances.
