Choosing a Dog

One of the most common questions I'm asked is how to choose a healthy puppy. I've always responded by giving people the same list of things to look for. My book even talks about signs of bad health in puppy, discharge from the eyes, dry, matted fur, irregular breathing, and so on. Despite this, the same people would come and talk to me a month later, after they'd gotten their puppy, telling me about the puppy's health problems.

What went wrong? I'd gone to a lot of trouble to help them in choosing a healthy puppy, but they'd still ended up with a little puppy with health issues.

They fell in love. That's what went wrong.

Ever wondered what breeds are in your dog?

You can use dog DNA testing to:

• verify the breed of dog for purebreds
• identify the breeds in your mixed breed dog
• identify the breeds of the father and mother of a litter

Tests cost around $75, and take a few weeks for the lab to process the results. Cheaper tests may not test for as many American Kennel Club (AKC) breeds than more expensive tests do.

Is Dog DNA Testing Accurate?
Dog DNA testing is accurate, but there are a few limitations:

What’s the most important dog grooming tip?
1. Start grooming your puppy NOW! You will save yourself a world of struggling to get your dog to sit still if you teach your puppy now, that grooming is a fun, loving, relaxing experience.

2. Don’t bathe your dog too often. Only once every month or two is necessary. Over washing can lead to dry, irritated skin and strip essential oils from your dog’s skin.

3. Brush your dog daily when shedding to remove the dead hair. You only need to brush your dog once a week when not shedding. This is a great dog grooming tip for both long and short hair dogs.

4. Clip your dog’s claws about every two weeks. Be very careful not to clip the pink part of the claw – this is extremely painful for a dog.

Ahhh... the old controversy - which is better? A boy or a girl dog?

Many first-time dog owners want a female dog, because they think they’re less trouble. Others like a male dog because there's no danger of being stuck with puppies.

An individual dog can always be much different than generalizations suggest. I’ve seen many male dogs that were completely docile sweethearts, and females that were aggressive and wanted to wander. Overall, deciding to get a female or male dog is just preference.

If you plan to spay or neuter your dog, then it probably won't make a big difference if you get a male or female dog.

Male Dog Behaviors

Many senior dogs end up for adoption each year through no fault of their own. The owner may have died, someone in the family developed allergies, or the family moved.

There are even cases where the family simply decided they couldn't bear to see their dog get older and pass away. A large breed dog is considered senior at about seven years of age, and a small breed is considered senior at about twelve years of age.

A senior dog rescue can be an especially good choice for someone who wants a dog that is less active and energetic. Many senior dogs have mellowed a lot by the time they reach their senior years, and really want nothing more than a little food, short walks, and love and affection thrown in for good measure. A senior dog adoption can get you unconditional love and a friend for life.

Advantages of a Senior Dog Rescue

There some great advantages to senior dog adoption or rescue:

There's no denying that puppies are absolutely adorable. They nuzzle into your neck, give warm kisses, gaze at you with soft, trusting eyes, and have sweet puppy breath. For many people, these benefits are well worth all the trouble that a puppy can cause.

When deciding to get a puppy or adult dog, it's wise to consider that puppies are trouble in a cute little package. Puppies are definitely great at trouble . They chew shoes, soil carpets, ruin furniture, cry all night, bite toes, pull down drapes, chase the cat, bark at nothing, refuse to go outside to pee until 3:00 am, and generally disrupt everyone and everything around them.

Many people want to get a puppy because they can train and socialize it exactly the way they want. This is actually a pretty good reason to get a puppy, as long as you're willing and able to undertake the huge responsibility of training and socializing, and aware of the uncertainties that come with getting a puppy.

Thinking about a long-haired dog? There's a lot of grooming. But, surprisingly, some short haired dog breeds can shed a lot as well!

For the most part, getting a long haired or short haired dog is simply a matter of personal experience. Some people just love the look of luxurious long fur on a dog, and other people see it only as a bother.

Long-haired dogs usually require more grooming time to keep their fur free from mats and looking good. So, if you get a long-haired dog breed, you may end up spending more time at the groomers, or brushing your long-haired dogs fur yourself. Just be aware that short-haired dog breeds don't necessarily shed less than long-haired dogs.

Some owners of short-haired dog breeds, like Labrador Retrievers and Boxers, say that their short hair is much harder to clean up, as it weaves its way into furniture and clothing fibers.

Are you considering a non-shedding dog to help alleviate allergies or asthma?

Here's something you might not have heard before: it's not dog hair that triggers problems in humans. So, the best dogs for allergies aren't necessarily non-shedding dogs.

Proteins in dog skin, saliva, dander, and even dog urine are what trigger allergies and allergic reactions. Dog fur can also collect allergens like dust, mold, and pollen. All of this means there are no real hypoallergenic dogs.

Getting a non-shedding dog will do little to reduce asthmatic or allergic reactions, since all dogs have the proteins that cause problems. Unfortunately, truly hypoallergenic dogs simply do not exist, despite what some unethical breeders may say.

Are you really, truly willing (and able) to assume all of the responsibilities of having a dog?

This quiz for choosing a dog should help you determine if you're really capable and willing to bring a dog into your life. If you can honestly answer yes to most of these questions, congratulations! You're ready to consider choosing a breed.