Choosing and Caring For A Dog
Before you buy a family dog, be sure that you are choosing the appropriate dog breed for your home and lifestyle. There are a lot of different sorts of dog breeds, with each having its own strengths, weaknesses, and needs. Avoid getting overwhelmed by all the choices; I will help you consider some of the factors that should go into your selection. Think about the way you live your daily life: Are you active or sedentary? Do you spend a lot of time away from home? Do you work lots of long hours? What is the size of your home? Bigger dogs often don’t “fit” in an apartment or small house, or a place with a small yard.
The amount of time you have to spend with your pet is also important. Unlike cats who seem to not care much about their owners until they want something, a dog is very much like having a child. They should be nurtured and trained, given a balanced diet, groomed fairly often, as well as taken in for regular medical examinations. For grooming, I would suggest employing a dog grooming tool.
Grooming is very important for the comfort and health of your dog, in addition to your sanity! You will have to cope with the never-ending task of vacuuming dog hair off your floor and furniture if you don’t spend time grooming your dog. This runs specifically true of dogs with long hair. Also, when a dog goes outside, it will pick up all sorts of stuff (including fleas and ticks) that you will want to remove from its coat. If you don’t have a lot of time and patience for this kind of thing, you may be more content with a smaller short-hair dog.
You also have to look at that any dog that goes outside must have a dog license. Even the best intentioned puppy owners, ones that try their best to keep their pets leashed and under control can have times when their animal gets away from them. To find them and get them back into your loving arms, having dog tags or even a sub dermal implant is very important. A license is required by law, and has to be renewed consistently, to show that your pet is updated on their rabies shots.
Some people also talk to a local veterinarian to get suggestions about different dog breeds before deciding which pet to get. A vet can advise you what problems may be expected with each different breed, along with their different temperaments. You may contact a vet in your area and ask them about the different breeds you may be interested in.
The place you get your dog is just as important. Lots of people choose to seek a breeder, or go to a pet store, and while this is a good way to get a new puppy, there are also other options. Shelters are a wonderful spot to get your dog, because these animals through no fault of their own have come here and need a new home with loving owners.
For grooming, I recommend making use of a dog grooming tool.