Find Your Perfect Dog

Find Your Perfect Dog

To find your perfect dog, you need to take a few backward steps and firmly assess whether your household is ready for a living creature to move in and all that it entails. Any new pet is a commitment, but the type of new pet does reflect the level of commitment required. Dogs really do come high on the list where time, energy and money are concerned.

When you have considered the responsibilities involved in owning a dog, it’s now time to find your perfect dog. As you already know, they come in all shapes and sizes, just like us humans and they all have their own character traits. The best place to start is with a paper and pen and jot down some notes. There are several different issues to consider when choosing a dog, so it’s sensible to consider them all, instead of returning home with a dog that just isn’t going to fit the bill.

Your Lifestyle

Initially, you will need to have a close look at your current lifestyle and consider what changes you will have to make to ensure that when you find your perfect dog, he or she is going to be able to get the care and attention they deserve.

Whilst it’s not impossible to own a dog if you work during the day, might you be able to come home at lunchtimes to walk your dog, or at least let them out in the garden and play with them? If there is no one at home at all for huge chunks of time on a regular basis, you might be better off with a cat. Loneliness and boredom are the starting point for many behaviour problems which can turn into real nightmare situations. Do you have the time and energy to commit to preventing these problems taking hold in the first place?

Consider the rest of the family; especially if you have children and other pets. What do you consider to be the ideal size for your perfect dog? How energetic would be ideal, and what about the age of your prospective new family member?

Never underestimate the level of commitment when owning a dog. Rest assured, you will be repaid many times over with unconditional love and loyalty, but you will have to pay upfront in time, effort and commitment.

Find Your Perfect Dog - Sizewise

You may have already set your heart on the size of dog that you want. You may be after a huge great hound to take bounding across the fields on a frosty morning, or a tiny little tea-cup terrier may be just the thing to curl up on your lap in the evenings. Either way, the size of your dog does have implications further than the dog itself.

A big dog will need more space, both in the house and out of it. A great big dog, hurtling round the garden during a funny five minutes is no joke if he’s scattering your tulips and garden furniture as he goes. That’s not even mentioning the physical damage he may do to himself, or the ornaments on the coffee table in the front room!

He will need a sizeable car to travel in; can you accommodate that? Where will he sleep? An Irish Wolfhound for example will need a single mattress of his own. Do you have room for that?

Have you seen the size of the poops that big dogs do? Do you want to lug that lot round when he does his business out on the street 3 miles from home?

Big dogs are lovely, but the cost implications are greater than with small dogs. They eat more, they cost more to treat at the vets and they make more mess after a muddy walk. Having said all that, there is also more of them to love!

Little dogs on the other hand are a bit more user friendly, but do have their own set of considerations to ponder. Small dogs, whilst cute and cuddly, can at the same time be vulnerable to injury from being inadvertently kicked, trodden on or shut in doors caught by the wind. Little dogs can become yappy dogs; could you cope with that? Little dogs can, due to their cuteness appeal, be allowed to get away with much more than a dog should be able to; will you be able and prepared to prevent and correct these things if they happen? Have a look at this.

The Physical Care Involved When You Find Your Perfect Dog.

The specifics of breed are a lot to do with what a dog looks like as well as his size and personal characteristics. However, sometimes, his appearance will dictate considerably the work involved in looking after him. All dogs will need basic grooming in order to keep their skins and coats healthy.

Not only this, but it also acts as an opportunity for the owner to observe any little changes in their dogs external appearance that may point towards a future problem. You may notice he has ear mites for example. Ear problems can occur in any type or breed of dog, but are often associated with floppy eared varieties such as spaniels, basset and blood hounds for example. It’s vital that thorough cleaning of their ears is carried out and regular checks made on their condition.

Other types of dogs, and I shall use the blood hound as an example again, do tend to make a bit of a mess when it comes to drooling. Owners of these types of slobbery dogs, and there are plenty besides the good old blood hound, very quickly learn that it’s a good idea to carry a slobber cloth with them wherever they go. You will also need to be quick off the mark when they’ve been drinking, and decide to shake their heads.

Another physical maintenance issue to consider in your quest to find your perfect dog, is that of the poop department. Some of the hairy varieties of dogs, do get in a bit of a mess when they poop. ‘Cling-ons’ are unpleasant to see, not nice for the dog to carry around and they are a breeding ground for disease if not cleaned away. Are you ready for a task like that on a several times a day basis?

When You Find Your Perfect Dog, He Needs Exercising!

It will come as no surprise that different breeds of dog have more energy than others. So this should be considered before you set off to bring one home. For example, if you’re after a companion to go jogging with you early each morning, a Bull Dog or Bassett Hound might struggle to keep up, but a border collie or Retriever would love it.

Every dog will need daily, routine exercise, regardless of their breed specific energy levels, so it’s vital that you build this requirement into your list of ‘must do’s’. A dog's physical activity can be split into different sessions and a play session and a walk is fine, as well as being extra stimulating for your dog.

Just like us, a dog is an individual and just because you picked a certain breed due to their generally low energy levels, you may just have picked the black sheep in the litter that is climbing the walls as soon as you leave for the office in the morning. This extra energy can and does result in all sorts of behaviour problems. When you decide to take on a dog, you are also opting to take on this possibility, and it will become your duty of care to cope with this issue should it arise. Have a look at this.

If you find your dog is trashing the garden, chewing up all the shoes, constantly barking at nothing and pulling down the curtains, you have a dog with too much time and too little to do. You will have to up the exercise and mental brain work to make him mentally tired enough to rest between times. It’s not impossible to sort out, but it is an fairly sizeable undertaking. Will you be able to handle it?
Have a look at this.

When You Find Your Perfect Dog, How Old Will It Be?

Puppies

Puppies require a huge amount of time and training, especially in the first 6 months of their lives. You will need to be ready to do a lot of cleaning up! You will also need to replace various shoes, cushions, TV remote controls, CD cases…… These issues can all be resolved with the proper training, but it will require effort and commitment from you and other members of the house to get good results. Are you all ready for that? Have a look at this.

Adult Dogs

Whilst you can never guarantee the level of training a dog has received as an adult if you take one on at this age, you will be able to have a fair idea of his energy levels and temperament. Generally, most adult dogs have had some form of training and socialization, and if you decide to get one from a reputable source or rescue home, you may have access to lots more information about the dog. With help, most adult dogs integrate into their new homes pretty well.

Old Dogs

My heart breaks when I see an older dog in a rescue home. I know that they will be overlooked so often for something more bouncy and fun and that they will probably end their days in the shelter. If you truly want a low energy dog, this could be a viable option. You will have to consider also that as dogs get older, their health can require more expense to keep it on the straight and narrow. Another downside of course is the simple fact that you will not have as many years together as you might with a younger animal. Many people can cope with this, knowing that giving a loving home to an older dog is one of the most compassionate things you can do as an animal lover. So don’t rule it out.

Don’t forget that whichever dog you get, and irrelevant of the age of them, they will all need some degree of training to ensure that everyone is happy and content. Secrets of Dog Training is a complete A-Z manual that covers all kinds of training and behaviour problems and is a vital toolkit for any responsible dog owner. You can read a review of it here. Or you can get a free report about some of the more traditional training issues and find out the holes in them, from here. You can also get a 6 day course of dog training information sent straight to your email inbox from here.

So, there you are; some of the basics you need to really come to grips with before you set off to find your perfect dog.