PRE DOG

Dogged by indecision? So, are you considering getting a dog for yourself or your family for the first time? Perhaps you've never owned a pet. Perhaps you (like I) have only dealt with cats. Perhaps you've grown up with dogs, but never engaged in the active decision of acquiring a canine pet, and need to know if it's the right time, place, and how you should go about it. Not least, what sort of dog should you get? Am I barking up the right tree? Before you decide to get a dog, it's very important for both you and Pooch that you consider certain factors. Of paramount importance is the type of dog you decide to get: not just the breed, if you go for purebred, or an awareness of the mix of the dog (if adopted from the shelter), size of dog, age of dog (puppy or full grown). The type of dog will determine the suitability of your residence as it fits the dog, the overall expense (e.g. certain dogs need to be groomed more than others or may be prone to allergies etc.), exercise and the match with other animals or children in the home. Daily schedule: Are you the only one at home, or can the responsibilities of walking the dog or letting the dog out be spread amongst more than 1 person? Dogs, whatever the size and age, cannot and should not be left alone for more than 4-6 hours at a time. Even in the early stages as you are training the dog and using crate-training as a potty-training method, the pup may not be left for longer than about 4 hours. Possible solutions: If the dog is a family pet, he or she can provide a wonderful diversion for the children, and help instil in the children or teenager a sense of responsibility in taking care of the dog's walking needs. Just be careful that the child is old enough, and that the dog does not exceed the size of the child! This could be a potentially dangerous situation if the dog ends up walking the child, and is not sufficiently trained so as not to give chase to other dogs or small critters! The safety of the neighborhood is also a factor, of course. Dogs may be trained to use a doggy door (http://www.petdoors.com or http://www.dogdoors.com  are just 2 possibilities) so they may have the freedom of exiting to relieve themselves. However, the door should lead into a fenced yard or similar safe area. Alternatively, there are many petwalking services, especially common in highly urban areas. Check your local phone book, ask at your vet, or, better still, try to get a personal referral. The would-be dogwalker and pooch should of course meet in your presence. Sometimes, a neighborhood teenager might like a small dogwalking job several afternoons a week. Even a dogwalker 2-3 times during the work week can provide a lot of relief from the schedule. Certain places now do doggy day-care. If you can afford this and have checked out the place, and your animal is socialized and enjoys play-time, it could be a good alternative for a day or two a week, to alleviate the scheduling issues. Check your local phone book, and again, nothing beats personal referrals and a hands-on approach to checking out your doggy?s home away from home! Type of residence: Do you live in an apartment or house? In an urban area (high traffic), in suburbia or in the country (predators for small dogs)? Are you able to provide a fenced in area for your dog to run free? Or, even if you are in an apartment, are you and members of your family/extended friend network able to walk the dog 2-3 times a day? Remember, larger dogs need space to run around. Conversely, certain dog breeds only need moderate exercise requirements. Expense: Having a pet DOES cost money. Here are the categories of expenses: Food /Treats Vaccinations/vet care (depends on your vet, and the age of your dog). Pet insurance is an option for younger pets, as an investment for the future. Grooming (may be done by yourself, but could be a big mess, especially if you live in northern climes) -- if you don't want to factor in at least $250-$400 of grooming a year, then a short-haired dog is a good choice! Occasional expenses like pet beds, pet gates, etc. (see preparing for your dog). Other animals in the home: It is NOT TRUE that cats may never get along with dogs (the most common scenario). A lot depends on how the animals are introduced to each other, who was there first, AND, not least, the type of dog you choose. For example, certain terriers LIKE chasing small animals around. This is a characteristic of the breed, and there is nothing that can be done about it! Thus, even if you really are hankering for a terrier, but you don't want kitty to be a very unhappy puffed-up spitting ball, not to mention your valuing your furniture and curtains too much to have them be scurried up by your feline bolt of lightning, CHOOSE ANOTHER BREED. Even within breeds, certain pooches are gentler, others more aggressive. A lot depends on the packing order of the litter, something you can find out if you have enough experience and are gifted in observation, or something you can find out from the breeder. In general, whichever creature was there first always feels territorial, and so the animals should be introduced gradually to each other. Your local animal shelter usually has a printout on suggestions to introduce your pets to each other. For more information, check: http://www.homevet.com/petcare/petmeet.html Dogs and children: Certain dog breeds are known to be gentle and good with children (e.g. labradors and certain smaller breeds). A cursory look at any of the online adoption agencies (e.g. http://www.smallpaws.com) will tell you that certain dogs are not recommended in households with small children. This just means that they may be overly hyper, or not as gentle as some, or, in the case of adopting a dog, the particular pooch may have had a less than positive experience in an unsuitable home. Or it could be possible that the age-group and activity level of the child is not compatible with the dog?s. The factors above are for consideration so that both you and your pooch will be a match made in heaven, and that you can pride your pooch on being healthy and happy, and yourself for being a responsible and aware pooch pal!