Picking out the Right dog for you.

Picking a dog is a wonderful and exciting thing in one’s life, and after years of training dogs and matching dogs with the right person here are a few things that I have seen that people need to consider.

First off is you need to take a very hard look at your own lifestyle and habits, as this is a big one! Breeds of dogs not suited to you or your lifestyle can be a recipe for disaster for the very reason that the dog is bred to behave in a certain way and will struggle to change what genetics they have. If you have a busy job, are not very active on a daily basis, or live in an apartment, these are things to consider when getting a particular breed or mix. Especially if the breeds of dogs you are interested in are higher energy. Now when doing your research on breeds that say they need a lot of exercise, working job of some sort, high aggression or protection, then don’t take these breed descriptions lightly. Most of the problems I see when people come to me is because they didn’t match the right dog breed or mix for their lifestyle. For example, getting a Belgian Malinois just because they are a breed you think is cool because you saw them in the movies or the military will not do the dog any favors!

Many people pick out dog breeds like they pick out clothes and it makes zero sense to dog trainers, we look at not only what breed suits our needs but are even very discerning on individual dogs. Just because it’s the breed I want doesn’t mean I am gonna suit that particular dog. I know what dogs I like; breed, style of work, temperament, and even specific working traits that I am 100% fussy about. Not to mention I want to know the heath and DNA testing done on the dog before I get it, so I have several things that go into my own personal criteria.

People should look at getting a dog like buying a car, they shop around and look at what car fits their specific needs. For example don’t buy a sports car if you have 4 kids and will only have the one vehicle! That is just common sense to buy a car that will safely fit 5-6 people, well it is the same when looking for a dog.

Knowing exactly what that dog is bred to do will give you an idea on how they might act, like herding dogs will herd, hunting dogs will retrieve, terriers will hunt, protection dogs have aggression, etc. These traits are genetically built in and designed to be used for a purpose and it is a constant in their lives. I especially see people getting working breeds but never work them yet expect a high energy working dog to sit on the couch all day. It doesn’t work like that! There are always exceptions to the rule but on average genetics are very strong, so training can only help. These dogs have needs and it is up to you to meet those needs every day of your dogs life, so really ask yourself if you’re up to the task. Most the time if only looking for a pet dog there are breeds out there that are bred specifically for that, and they do it very well too. They don’t have tons of energy or a need for a high energy job, so make for the ideal pet.

Next off is if you are going to be getting a rescue or find a breeder, now both have pluses and minuses and it comes down to personal preference. Now some words of wisdom for either one you choose would be to really be overly cautious on where you get your dog from, and really research them, especially breeders! Talk to a few breeders and ask around. Go to some local dog events and ask the dog handlers to get an opinion, as a good breeder is well known in the dog world and so is a bad one! Some questions for you to ask would be, do they compete with their dogs in any events? Do they have have health testing done on the parents? (Look up what health testing is recommended for that breed so you know what to look for). Are they registered dogs? do they have a take back policy?

If you are getting a pure bred dog I recommend getting one from a well respected breeder who spends the time and money breeding quality health tested dogs, who breed for good temperaments. A good breeder should really know their breed of dog and be extremely passionate about the overall goals in their breeding program.

There are a lot of breeders who don’t care about any of that and only care about the sale, not to mention a lot of scammers with really nice looking web sites. Some people have said to me that none of that matters for a pet, and I totally disagree! You will have this dog for its whole life and are responsible for the vet bills on an unhealthy dog and not to mention a bad temperament, so I feel it is extremely important in the long run. Getting a dog that is aggressive can be a huge liability and stress in your life, so trust me on this one when I say its not a good situation for the average pet owner.

Now if you are more interested in a rescue dog there is still some important criteria to consider, such as if it is a private rescue or a county run one. You might be wondering what the difference is and it’s that some private rescues are better than others. I have known some rockstar rescues that do right by the dogs, but are also extremely upfront about what they are offering to the public. Those are the types of rescues I would 100% contact when looking for a dog!

When you have found a reputable rescue that you wish to work with, now comes the hard task of picking a specific dog. This is tricky because you are maybe looking at dogs with no history to them or have only been in rescue a short time and just a general over all opinion on what they are like is given. This can be difficult for the average pet owner to discern, but this bring me to my next point.

Have you ever considered contacting a dog trainer in your area to help you find the right dog for you? Well I recommend it as they are trained to assess dog behavior relatively quickly, and many are great at matching up dogs with people. I bet you if you found a good trainer and sent them your request, many would love to help you out for a good rate. Many would even meet you at the rescue to test out a few dogs with you, and I know this because I have done it! I truly wish more people thought to involve a trainer beforehand to insure the correct dog matches the right person, instead of getting the wrong dog and asking for help fixing problems after the fact. Plus trainers get contacted often with dogs that need homes, or even have foster dogs themselves that are looking for the right home. Many trainers will put some training on those foster dogs so they have a better chance for success. Ask a trainer and they might have the perfect dog sitting in their very home or know of one that would be perfect for you!

When picking from a shelter for a nice and easy pet I am going to ask a lot of questions to the staff, and hopefully they have an idea. Some traits that I look for when evaluating a rescue dog are are they ball crazy, good with other dogs, over all friendly, are they high energy when I visit, are they food aggressive? I love a ball driven dog, as it makes training much easier so I would bring a ball or toy with me to evaluate dogs. I know that many dogs shut down when in the shelter so sometimes this can be really hard to guess if they will come out of that or not, but the ones that are friendly to strangers coming to see them will most likely stay that way. Dogs that have been in a foster family can be easier for people to figure out if it is a fit or not, as they are now in a home where the foster can better assess the dogs true behavior and needs. I wish more people would consider fostering a few shelter dogs before they adopt, and then they can really get to know the dog and maybe become what is called a “foster failure”, that is where you end up adopting your foster dog instead of re-homing. It's a win win if that is the case! However sometimes you will find the foster dog will not suit you, but know you can help that dog in finding a home as he has a better chance of being adopted out if it is in foster than if the dog was at the shelter.

All things considered there are a lot of great dogs out in the world right now, and hopefully I have given you some things to really consider before you make the dive into dog ownership. Plus you never know, the right dog might end up finding you instead, as I have known many people to find a stray or dumped dog, or a family member moved away etc. that it kinda ended up at your place and is the best dog ever! Whatever dog you decide to get deserves your time and training for it to have the best life with you, and I would hope you would consider us at One of a Kind K9 to help you on your journey.