Finding the right dog

There are many things to think of when you are trying to find the right dog for you.  The problem some people come across is not thinking enough when they are choosing one.  They just choose the dog that they "think" will be the best for them and their family.  But there are some problems with that, that we will talk about now.

One of the most important questions you need to ask yourself is.  Are you prepared for a responsibility for the next 10 to 20 years?  A lot of people don't think this is a very important thing.  It is very important because you will have to have a financial, emotional, and environmental responsibility for your dog. 

Dogs get big when they grow up, and with this growing you will have to buy your dog more, and more food as he/she grows.  This can become a substantial amount of money once the dog is fully grown.  You can expect to spend between 15 and 25 dollars a week on just dog food alone.  This of course depends on what size dog you get, obviously that doesn't mean you have to spend as much on dog food if you get a Pug compared to a Great Dane.  But either way it will still be a financial responsibility for years to come.  There are other things to think about besides food when it comes to money.  You also have to make sure that your dog is current with their shots, and you will have to spend money on shampoo for dogs, and other health care products.  Shots are very important because it will guard against a lot of harmful diseases and other things that may harm your dog, and cost more money to fix down the road.  Things like heart worms, parvo, rabies, and other things that can be prevented with shots.

Another huge responsibility is emotional, when your dog is a puppy it will need a lot more emotional contact then when he is adult.  You have to show your puppy who is boss, get your puppy as used to people as you can.  That way he will be used to people if and when people come over or there are additions to your family.  As an adult it's not as important but dogs still need human contact.  Just be ready to spend a lot of time with your puppy when he is young and after he grows up.  You have to spend alot of time playing with your puppy, whether its fetch, or just wrestling.  Any human contact with dogs is good human contact.

The last and probably most under looked responsibility would be the dogs future environment within your home.  There are many things to take into consideration when choosing a dog.  What type of place to do you live in?  If you live in a apartment or a small house with no yard, I wouldn't recommend you getting a large sized dog that needs the outdoors.  Large dogs and dogs with high energy are not a good idea, they easily get bored and get too much energy built up in them and will start acting out negatively.  This means they will start chewing on things in your house.  Things like carpet, couches, chairs, door frames, doors, or anything else they can get their mouths on.  If you are living in a small area it is a good idea to get a dog from the toy, or small dog breed.  Something like a Pug, Chiwawa, Pomeranian, etc.  These dogs don't need the outside as much as other dogs because they are much smaller and not as energetic.  Another question that not many people think of is if you are planning on moving while you still have the dog, what kind of space will you be moving into.  Will it be large enough to accommodate a dog that we already have and won't wanna get rid of. 

There are many things to think about when you are choosing a dog, one good thing is this.  There are many sites on the Internet that have questionnaires and quizzes that you can take to determine what would be a good dog for you.  They ask questions like, how often are you willing to exercise your dog?  What kind of home protection would you like with your dog?  What's the youngest age of child living in your house? So on and so forth.  These sites with generally pair you with a dog that you will like, or even one that you already had your eye on.  Either way it is best if you really think about what kind of dog will be best for you.

If you have any questions or comments about finding the right dog, please contact us, we would like to hear from you.  Good luck and we hope you enjoy your new pet for many years to come.