Choosing a Dog: Find
Your Perfect Dog
By Sherry Woodard, Best Friends Animal Behavior Consultant
This resource offers information on how to choose a dog for you, your family and lifestyle. Should you get a puppy or adult, purebred or hybrid and where can you adopt?
Part 1: How to Choose the Right Dog
If you’re thinking about getting a dog and you’ve never had one, please do some research first on how to choose a dog. Learn about what’s involved in having a dog: basic dog care, medical needs, training and behavior. In particular, ask yourself the following:
Do I have the time to give a dog the love and attention she deserves?
Can I offer her daily exercise and interaction with people and other dog friends?
Can I afford the costs of having a dog (food, routine vet care, and possible additional medical costs, such as medication)?
Are my emotional expectations realistic? (A dog is not a furry little person.)
Will she be living in the house as a valued family member? (Dogs are pack animals and don’t do well living alone or outside alone.)
Should I get a puppy?
One of the first questions that people ask themselves is whether to get a puppy. Lots of people don’t realize that puppies need almost constant attention. Do you have the time or the inclination to raise a puppy? If you’re gone for long periods of time, are you willing to pay for daycare or a sitter? Do you have the time to properly train your puppy? All puppies and dogs need to learn how to be well- behaved family members. To grow into emotionally balanced and safe dogs, puppies must also be socialized. They must be trained to act appropriately in different settings: around children and other animals, on busy city streets, in parks, around people who are strangers. Other considerations when getting a puppy: Think about how big he’ll be and how active he’ll be when he grows up. If you live in an apartment in a city, a large dog may not be the best choice. If you’re a couch potato, you may want an older or more sedentary dog.
Should I get a purebred dog?
The next question people usually ask is whether they should get a purebred dog. If you decide that you want a purebred, please investigate the different breeds carefully before choosing a dog. Dog breeds vary quite a bit in their temperament, the amount of exercise they require, and the amount of care (e.g., grooming) they might need. Almost every dog breed was created for a specific purpose: hunting, herding, and guarding are examples. Knowing the characteristics of the breed can help you decide whether a dog of a particular breed will fit into your family’s lifestyle. Your plain old mutt is actually a much more adaptable dog for the way that most people live today, since most people don’t need a dog who excels at hunting or herding! Also, mutts are often healthier animals, because of “vigor” many purebred dogs have breed-specific health problems. For example, Labradors often suffer from hip and elbow dysplasia, and Chihuahuas can have heart problems and hypoglycemia.
Where can I adopt a dog?
There are many wonderful dogs (including purebreds) at your local shelter and rescue groups. Statistics show that 25 percent of dogs in shelters are purebred animals. When you choose one of these dogs, you often get the added bonus of knowing that you have saved a life. Petfinder.com is a good place to start looking for a dog to adopt. Getting a dog from a breed rescue group is another option to consider if you have decided upon a particular breed. These groups rescue purebred dogs that have been given up, for one reason or another, and find new homes for them. Some breeders also do rescue for their breed. To find a rescue group for the breed you’re interested in, do a search on the Internet (for example, search for “dachshund rescue”). We don’t recommend that you buy an animal from a pet store. Most pet stores buy from puppy mills and “backyard breeders”: people who are just in it for the money and often don’t care about the health or well-being of the dogs. As an organization committed to reaching a day when every pet will have a loving home, it goes without saying that Best Friends encourages everyone who is looking to bring a pet into the family to choose adoption over purchase. Although we recognize that there are caring and reputable private breeders who breed responsibly and ethically, it’s difficult for us to endorse any kind of breeding while so many animals are dying in shelters. If you feel that you are ready for a lifetime commitment to a dog, do your homework and ask lots of questions. If you ever have problems with your dog’s health, training or behavior, get professional help from a veterinarian, trainer or behaviorist.