Adding a New Dog To Your Family

Should I  choose an adult dog?

•  With an adult dog, you can clearly see the size and coat length, and the personality is mostly formed, so it is more clear what kind of pet you will be living with long term.
• Most adult dogs are housebroken, past the puppy teething/destruction phase, and often know basic obedience commands.
• Many young adults still have plenty of puppy pep and energy, without having to deal with the challenging adolescent puppy phase.
• Middle aged  and senior pets are often calm, loving, low key additions to your household, and are grateful for a soft bed and a sunbeam to nap in.

Should I choose a puppy?

• Puppies have the advantage of being irresistably cute, with their wagging tails and wild licking tongues.
• Although their inherent personality is inborn, you can more effectively shape the behavior of puppies as compared to older dogs.
•  They have to be housebroken, and taught basic manners and social skills. All puppies bite, chew up objects, have accidents in the house, and jump up on people, until they are taught better.
• It takes approximately 2 years for puppies to mature into calmer, more well behaved adult dogs.  Small children in particular are often targets of puppy exuberance and biting/scratching.
• With a mixed breed or cross breed puppy, adult size and coat length are often only guesses, and can vary widely from original estimates.

What breed or mix of breeds?

•  Humans domesticated wolves and selectively bred them into a wide variety of breeds, from 2 pound Chihuahuas to 200 pound Mastiffs.
• Their coats vary from almost non-existent to very thick, from very short to extremely long, from curly to straight, and from cottony soft to very wiry.
• No dog is truly “hypoallergenic”, and all dogs shed to some extent. Poodles, poodle mixes, and many terriers shed minimally, while our double coated arctic breeds shed profusely in the fall and spring.  Any dog that does not shed much will require daily brushing and monthly grooming to avoid extreme matting.
•  All dogs are individuals, and there are certainly outliers, but breeds were developed over hundreds to thousands of generations for different uses, and those behavioral tendencies are fairly predictable.
  • Herding dogs were selectively bred for their ability to herd livestock by circling, barking, and nipping at their heels, and so dogs of these breeds tend to be very energetic, lively, and excited by movement.  They are best suited for very active households, without young children.
  • Hounds were selectively bred to have an amazing sense of smell, and tend to focus strongly on following tracks on the ground.  Many of them are very mellow, but their nose often leads them to raiding pantries and trash cans.
  • Protection dogs and livestock guardian dogs were bred to guard the family, and tend to be very loving and loyal towards members of their family, but suspicious of strangers.
  • Retrievers were bred to be friendly and outgoing so they can hunt with a variety of different people, and they tend to enjoy “retrieving” (and eating) a variety of objects, such as shoes, socks, and wallets. They require a lot of exercise when young.
  • Terriers were bred to dig holes to drive out vermin, and they tend to enjoy chasing squirrels and digging in flower beds looking for voles. They often have delightfully spunky personalities, and a lot of energy for their size.
  • Sporting breeds, such as poodles and doodles, tend to be very intelligent, high energy dogs that require a commitment to plenty of exercise and mental stimulation.