Choosing the right dog

Caroline Jenkins MIACE
Canine Behaviour and Training

Choosing the right dog for you and your family is absolutely crucial, if you get this wrong you will set yourself up for some hard work later on, whether you are considering getting your first dog or getting a friend for your existing dog make sure you get it right first time.

The first thing to consider is why you would like to get a dog – this seems obvious but if you get a dog for the wrong reasons you are very likely to have problems. Many dogs are bought because of pressure from other family members – usually the kids, this is not a good reason to get a dog. Dogs need a lot of work, and despite well intended promises it is often the case that in the end, all the work falls to one member of the family, think about where your kids will be after 1, 5 and 10 years, maybe they will be starting school, becoming teenagers or even going to college, with all the normal distractions kids face – homework, boyfriends/girlfriends etc are they still likely to show proper interest in the dog?

Another bad reason to get a dog is to fill a void, maybe you are grieving over a close family member or your last dog, or maybe the dog is in lieu of a baby. If you are grieving, allow yourself to grieve properly, often if a dog is gotton too quickly they fail to measure up to expectation but most importantly dogs need stability in order to settle properly into a home. If you think you maybe getting a dog to fill a baby sized whole in your life, consider the dog, there is a good chance that the baby will come at some point, what will that mean to the dog? Dogs love routine and if you get a dog before you have a family they will get used to one routine and then when the baby comes they will have to adjust to another – I think it is always better to have family first and then your new routine is already established before the dog comes along.

Getting a new dog to solve a problem with an existing dog is rarely a good idea, more often than not your new dog will copy your existing dog and so you could end up with two badly behaved dogs, having said that a new dog can be great company and a regular playmate for your existing dog, but don’t expect any problems to suddenly go away.

If you are sure that getting a dog is right for you, the decision now comes as to rescue or puppy? There are advantages to each.

Many people expect rescue dogs to come with loads of problems, but dogs end up in rescue centres for many reasons and more often it is because the family has changed, maybe the dogs family has split up, or a new baby has arrived and there is no time for the dog or maybe the dogs owner has become too sick to care for a dog. Whilst all dogs will need time to adjust into a new home, many rescue dogs settle very quickly and require very little training. The advantage of a rescue dog is that you know exactly what you are getting straight away, you can spend time with him and get to know him and prepare yourself for any training he may need before you decide to give him a home, you will also get a good idea as to how much exercise the dog will need and must consider whether you will realistically be able to provide it – an under exercised dog is rarely a good dog. Rescue dogs are also considerably cheaper than pedigree pups, often only around £50-100 and in most cases this dog will already be vaccinated, neutered, wormed and de-flea’d, compare this to a pedigree dog that could cost anywhere between £300-3000 depending on the breed. If you already have a dog you must make sure they get on well before you commit yourself, plus consider any other household pets and take advice from the rescue centre, a rescue dog may not be the best choice when there are very young kids at home.

Puppies are lots of fun but they need a lot of work; they will need to be housetrained, socialised and properly trained – and this does not just mean a training class once a week, they need to be taught manners and house rules which is ongoing throughout the day, every day. Due to the amount of work puppies need they do not always do well when left alone for long periods – generally they can cope well alone for up to four hours a day. The advantage to getting a pup is that you know the dogs history and you have the opportunity to start training from scratch and mould him into the dog you want, you also have a much higher chance of him settling in with all your existing pets. If you are choosing a puppy, choose a breeder that has a similar home to you, ie if you have kids then find a breeder that also has kids, that way the pup will already be used to them, and if you want your pup to live in the house with you then choose a breeder that has the pups in the house also, again this pup will already be used to normal household noises such as the hoover before you even get him home!

If choosing a puppy, you must also consider what breed will suit you, this is not an exact science but if you research breeds carefully you will give yourself the best chance of success. Consider how much exercise you can realistically give a dog, if you get a high energy dog but can only guarantee a short walk after work then disaster looms, however, if you are a regular walker already make sure the dog you choose is going to be able to keep up! Also consider how much time you have to train your dog, some dogs are more easily trained than others but no dog will train himself, consider as well what the dog was originally bred for, for example a dog bred to work all day will need a lot of mental and physical stimulation. A working collie will be easily trained but will need something to occupy himself a lot of the time, on the other hand, a Pug may never win any obedience awards at crufts but will be much happier lazing around the house between walks. A Bernese Mountain Dog was originally bred to pull carts, so this dog is going to need some extra lead work, without it don’t be surprised when you get dragged down the road, and a Husky was also bred to pull but this dog also has a huge amount of stamina so this dog will need plenty of mental and physical stimulation too.

Many breeds are described as stubborn – don’t underestimate a stubborn dog, unless you too are stubborn these breeds are best avoided. For the best chance of success choose a dog that will fit in exactly with your existing lifestyle, consider a breeds specific needs and your own before making your final choice – if you can’t properly fulfil your dogs needs you will be in trouble.

Finally, consider the size and look of the dog too, but don’t believe that a bigger dog will automatically need more work or exercise, this is rarely the case and most of the large breed dogs make great family pets, the way a dog looks should always be your last consideration; narrow the breeds down to a list of dogs that will suit you and your family first and only then pick the one that you like the look of.

Once you have chosen your ideal breed the next step is to get in touch with people and breeders that have that breed of dog, talk to them and arrange to meet their dogs, meet as many different dogs as possible and take advice from the people that own them, be sure you like all aspects of the breed, good and bad, before you commit to a puppy.

The hard work is not over yet though, you still have to pick the right puppy from a litter, this is not easy as many people will tell you. First of all you should meet at least the mother, your puppy will inherit many of his mothers traits so make sure you like her before you think about the pups. The pups will, of course, be absolutely gorgeous but try to look past that at the moment, you should watch how the puppies interact with each other and try to relate that behaviour to an adult dog, for example, the quiet one sitting at the back on his own may look sad and cute now but he will grow up to be a nervous adult – this dog needs an experienced handler otherwise he will become a nervous wreck as an adult. Also, look out for the bossy pup that barks a lot or jumps all over the other pups – again this pup needs an experienced handler to keep his bossyness in check. Look for the pup that is following the others around and trying to copy them – this pup will be much easier to train and will fit into most homes well.

The pups should be in good health too, check for discharge around the eyes and lift the pups – they should be heavier than they look, this will also give you another insight into the pups temperament; you want the pup that sits quietly and enjoys being handled – the wriggler may be trouble later on if you don’t know what you are doing.

If all is well, tell the breeder which pup you want and leave a deposit if requested. It is a good idea to leave the puppy with the breeder at this point and go back to collect it later, even if only over night, this will give you time to think over your decision and change your mind if necessary, plus it will also give you a chance to shop for all the things you will need and prepare the family for the new arrival.

If all is not well; don’t be afraid to say no, there could be many reasons as to why these pups may not be right for you, maybe the mother has put you off, or the pups don’t seem healthy, maybe the environment the pups are in has put you off or maybe the one you want has already been booked or maybe you just have a bad feeling – in all these cases you should say no and walk away no matter how hard it is. Keep looking there will be other pups that will be just perfect for you.

Don’t despair if you already did all this and still ended up with problems, keep reading over the following months and hopefully we will get to your problem, if not consider some 1-2-1 help.