Sixty percent of American homes include at least one dog. Owning a dog is a great experience, but there's a lot of responsibility that goes along with ownership! In order to ensure that your dog is as happy and healthy as he/she can be, you should follow a few rules of thumb.
Before you even get a dog you should think and consider breed choice carefully. Study the breed (or mix of breeds) that you are interested in, and learn what that dog(s) has been bred to do. shiba inu puppy for sale uk Consider the dog's natural abilities/temperament and try to match them best to your home environment.
For instance, if you live in a small apartment then a large, active dog such as a Labrador retriever wouldn't be such a good idea; unless you bike, run, roller blade or do another activity that you could share with your canine friend in order to burn off all of it's natural energy. Alternatively, if you seek a dog that will do all those activities with you, then a lazy, physically challenged breed may not be the right choice for you.
In order for a dog to be happy-truly happy-you need to honor the traits that have been bred into him. For instance, a working dog needs a job, much as it needs food and water. A herding dog needs room to run, preferably with something to round up. A toy dog needs lots of attention and gentle affection. If these basic needs are not met, a dog develops behavioral issues such as anxiety, chewing, digging, barking excessively, biting, and more.
If your home environment can't honor the traits of your favorite breed, you need to choose another type of dog. To do anything less would subject the dog to a life that does not challenge, honor, or accommodate the traits that have been genetically programmed into him/her-and that doesn't sound fair, does it?
To bring a dog into a home that does not honor it's genetically programmed traits would be similar to preventing a very athletic child from ever participating in sports, or even going outside to run and play. You wouldn't be able to change who the child is, simply by providing a non-athletic, video-game-playing home. No matter what, the child is, and always will be, athletic. It's what he has been genetically programmed to be, and nothing can change that. Preventing such a child from playing sports and honoring their traits would be totally unfair, and would make the child miserable.
The same holds true with a dog---if you can't supply it with the type of environment or intellectual stimulation the particular breed requires, then that would be totally unfair to the dog, and you would do best to choose a different breed that realistically fits into your lifestyle.
Ho, Ho, OH NO!
Never get a dog during the holidays, as a gift for someone, or on a whim. Bringing a dog into a home during the holidays (typically the busiest and most stressful time of year) isn't fair to the dog. Pick a time well after the holidays when the home is quiet and well prepared for a new dog's arrival. If you want to get a dog as a gift, present the person with a card to surprise them, then take them to the shelter or breeder to let them pick out the dog that is just right for them.
A dog is living being with independent thoughts, feelings, and needs. Owning a dog is a huge responsibility that can last up to fifteen years or more. Having a dog means much more than supplying it with food and water. Careful planning and preparation are a must before bringing a dog, or any other living creature into a home.
How Much Is That Doggie In the Window....
How many times have the waggily tails and adorable antics of pet shop puppies enchanted us? Cute as they are, one should never, ever buy a puppy from a pet store...ever.
Pet shop puppies and other puppy stores that sell either purebred or "designer dogs" (mixed breeds); all have one thing in common-they all get their puppies from puppy mills.
Puppy mills are horrible, mass dog-breeding operations that are notorious for over breeding, inbreeding, and horrific cases of abuse and inhumane treatment-all in the name of making money. These operations prey on consumers who only see adorable puppies in appealing storefronts and on fancy websites.
What they don't see is where the puppies came from. Puppy mill operations are virtual torture chambers with too many dogs stuffed in too small cages, living in filth and squalor conditions with no medical or preventive care.
Life is particularly cruel for "breeding stock" dogs that usually spend their entire lives in cages, never feeling the sensation of the ground under their feet. They are continually bred for years with no human companionship and no hope of ever becoming a part of a family. Once they are no longer able to produce puppies, they are usually killed.
The purchase of these puppies perpetuates the industry, and the need for more breeder stock dogs to live and die in horrible conditions. This irresponsible and over-breeding practice results in hundreds of thousands of puppies with major health and/or behavioral problems.
So where do you get a dog? There are many, wonderful, purebred and mixed breed dogs in shelters/rescues around the country in need of homes. (Be sure the shelter/rescue you deal with has exemplary veterinary and business references). The American Kennel Club is a great resource to find reputable breeders of pure breed puppies, and occasionally these breeders may also have young dogs for sale. Again, check references, and always take a reputable behaviorist/trainer with you on your dog search to ensure the dog you choose is emotionally balanced, healthy, and the right breed type for your family.
Kimberly Carnevale is a professional dog handler/trainer, an author and award-winning motivational speaker. Her motivational/educational program, Canine Ability, Ltd. (Living The Dream) bridges the gap in communication to bring out the Ability of every dog; and helps humans to believe in the beauty of their dreams.
The Canine Ability, Ltd. program offers educational seminars and character-building programs featuring dog bite prevention, effective canine communication and responsible pet ownership. Kimberly, a professional dog trainer/handler of 20+ years and dubbed, "the East Coast Dog Whisperer" by her clients, offers in home behavioral modification and specializes in "red zone" cases.