Considering getting a dog?

 There are a number of factors to consider when getting a dog:

• Will you want a puppy or an adult dog?
• Will it be a pure breed or a mixed breed?
• Will it be a male or female dog?
• Will you buy from a breeder or adopt from a shelter?
• What preparations need to be made for its arrival?

Before you even begin to seek answers to these questions, it is important that you reflect if now is indeed the right time to even get a dog.

Quick Links to Page Contents:

• Space Requirements for a Dog
• Time Requirements for a Dog
• Cost of Housing a Dog
• Getting a Puppy vs an Adult Dog
• Getting a Pure Breed vs a Mixed Breed
• Getting a Male vs a Female Dog
• Buying from a Breeder vs Adopting a Dog
• How to Select a Dog
• Preparations for your Dog’s Arrival

Is now the time to get a dog?

Welcoming a new furry family member into your life brings with it both a sense of excitement and reward. There is nothing quite like building a bond with a dog, whose devotion, love, and loyalty has aptly bestowed upon it the title of man’s best friend.

But is now the best time for both you and that prospective pet? What aspects of your home environment and your lifestyle should you reflect upon before taking this life-changing step?

Keep in mind that many breeds of dogs can live up to 16 years of age, so in as much as it is possible you need to take into consideration your long-term plans and prospects as they pertain to these important points!

What space do you have to offer a dog?

There is an old adage that says: One’s home is one’s castle. But what type of sanctuary will you offer to your pet?

Do you own the property or is it rented accommodation? If the latter, do you have permission from the property owner? And should you move on, what prospect is there that you will easily find another suitable accommodation that will allow for your animal?

Does the property have a garden? Many people now live in flats or only have access to communal gardens, and while it is still possible in such circumstances to enjoy the company of a canine, it is far from ideal. This shouldn’t rule out getting a dog, but it might mean reconsidering the type of dog you get. Smaller breeds and older dogs would be better suited to such environments, though with the latter please remember that with age can come arthritis and other mobility issues, which can result in difficulty climbing stairs.

A secure boundary is also vital, especially if you live near a busy street or where there are other pets in the neighborhood. Remember: A principle part of pet ownership is keeping your pet safe.

Most dogs shed their fur, and even with constant grooming it will be difficult to maintain a fur-free environment. Over time their claws can cause scratch marks on wooden floors. And as for that immaculate lawn, well, even if you train your pooch to prevent it from digging, its toileting will very soon result in dead patches on the grass. Is this wear-and-tear something that you’re willing to accommodate or maintain?

Who will your dog be sharing its environment with? Do you have children or other pets? Your desire for a dog will need to be balanced with their needs and requirements, especially if you live with someone that suffers from allergies.

What time do you have to offer a dog?

A dog’s devotion works both ways – you need to be as devoted to it as it is to you. And that means taking time out to interact with your dog. Dog walks are essential, along with time for play and for training.

Certain breeds demand greater mental stimulation, while others expend their energy through agility and exercise. But most of all, dogs crave attention. Being left home alone for hours on end is conducive to neither the dog nor the property that it is left behind in.

As with any good parent, it will become your responsibility to socialise your dog.  Socialisation doesn’t only mean attending a few puppy classes.  In order to truly fit into human society, the dog will need positive interactions with men, women, and especially children.  Even if you have no children at home, invariably your dog will meet a number of them during walks in the park, and it is up to you to ensure that it is prepared for such encounters.

You will need to take the time to read up about the breed (or the combined traits that it will have inherited were it a mixed breed). Providing a safe and stable home, giving it ample opportunity to explore its world – meeting both people and other dogs in a positive and enriching environment – and to maximise its potential, is the obligation of each and every dog owner.

What costs are you willing to undertake for the dog?

Few dogs, if any, come for free. But whatever the initial outlay, it will be nothing compared to the ongoing costs of maintaining that dog over the course of its life.

Even before your furry family member arrives at your front door, you will have needed to acquire a number of pet-friendly items: At least one dog bed, a collar and harness, leads, bowls for food and water.

Those are potentially one-off costs, but then there’s the ongoing expenditure – for food, toys, training classes, pet insurance, grooming, and veterinary care. With the latter there are also one-off costs, such as neutering your dog, but there are also ongoing costs, such as annual boosters, veterinary check-ups, and other medical bills as your dog grows with age.

Invariably you will need someone to take care of your dog, even if only when you are away on holiday. Work commitments could make this more of a regular necessity. The cost of having your dog cared for while you are away for extended periods, or even paying for daily walks while you are at work, can quickly mount up.

As stated at the outset, you should not be thinking only immediate term but also forecasting into the future. Your dog will be a member of your family, not one to be cast aside when your circumstances change. Consider the implications of your decision and what sacrifices you’d be willing to make to accommodate this animal in your life. Dogs aren’t simply for Christmas, and they should last well beyond Easter, too!

Remember: Dogs are for life.

And with that in mind, pay some small thought to whom might look after your pet should they happen to outlive you!

So, now, which dog?

Having given it due consideration and balanced your heart with your head, you’ve now decided to move forward to getting a dog.

Congratulations!

By having gone through that process, you’ve already shown yourself to be ready to be a caring and responsibly owner.

But now the question remains: What type of dog would best suit you?

Acquiring a Puppy or an Adult Dog:

There is no right or wrong answer to this question, only the amount of time you are prepared to put into the upbringing of your new furry friend.

Puppies can be enormous fun, but they also require constant attention. You will need to raise it, train it, and socialise it. And with regard to the latter, think not only social but also environmental! Be it getting used to a car, travelling on a train, navigating busy streets on a lead, or getting used to being approached and petted by strangers – all these things will be outside the norm for any young dog. They will all require careful tutelage, patience, and understanding.

House-training will also be a necessity. Dogs are generally clean animals, but understanding the distinction between what is considered ‘inside’ as opposed to ‘outside’ is not something that occurs naturally to them. This especially will require a soft touch and consistency. The question you will need to ask yourself is whether you have both the time and temperament to navigate this necessary step in your dog’s development.

Finally, it is important to note that all puppies grow into adult dogs. They all begin small, but very soon they will grow into adulthood. Please factor in the ultimate size and nature of the adult dog when acquiring a puppy.

Depending on where you acquire an adult dog, it may or may not need similar training as a puppy. Find out as much as you can about that dog’s upbringing, its home environment, and socialisation. A dog that has been living on the streets will have had a different life experience and level of human interaction than a dog that has been rescued from a home environment. All dogs deserve second chances, but each will require a different level of understanding. Like people, dogs are individuals, too!

Acquiring a Pure Breed or a Mixed Breed:

Most pet websites that you visit will pose you with a set of fixed questions that will ultimately derive an answer as to what breed of dog would best suit your circumstances.  Not here.

We strongly recommend you acquire a mixed breed, based on the traits of those that the individual dog would have inherited from its parents’ independent lineages, and the reason is very clear: Pure-bred dogs have become more and more inbred to establish a preferred ‘look’, and with this inbreeding has come a greater propensity for hereditary issues and deformities. While this is not universal, should you wish to invest in a pure breed, we would strongly urge that you quiz the breeder as to the parents’ medical history and investigate the genetic predisposition toward particular ailments within that particular breed that you are interested in.

The best outcome is if you select a dog not based on looks, but on the purpose that the breed was designed for, and preferably one that includes a bit of an amalgamation from different breed lines to mitigate chances of hereditary issues. Choosing a dog purely for its looks would be akin to choosing your life partner for the same reason, which may account for why certain marriages are doomed to fail!

Dog breeds vary not only in looks but also in temperament. After all, they were designed for a purpose – be it guarding, herding or hunting. More recently they have been bred solely for their looks, as opposed to their fitness or function in society. Nonetheless, their underlying purpose remains, and it is that which will ultimately dictate their temperament.

Now that you have considered the temperament and behaviour of the dog, other factors that will come in to play – borne out of the purpose for which they were bred – will be considerations as to the amount of exercise they will require, as well as their training and play requirements. A dog with a working lineage would no doubt require more exercise than a companion dog, for instance. A sight hound would respond better to training that incorporated visual cues, whereas a scent hound would be better placed with a smell-based signal training. And a retriever would be more likely to return a tennis ball to you than a hunting dog that was bred to seize and hold onto its prey.

Finally, consider the matter of shedding. All dogs shed their fur, but some do it consistently throughout the year, whereas others shed only in the spring and summer months. It tends to be the case that the short-hair dogs shed throughout the year while those with thicker, heavier coats tend to shed bi-annually. There are even some recent mixed breeds that have been bred for non-shedding coats. However, selecting such a breed does not necessarily provide a foolproof solution, as it is impossible to predict which of the genetic lines will have been favoured in the individual dog.

At the end of the day, all dogs will require some form of grooming.  Short-haired dogs are generally easier to self-maintain, whereas certain long-haired breeds will most likely require some form of regular parlour treatment to keep them clean and well-kept.  Grooming is an important component of keeping your dog healthy and disease-free, and should not be taken lightly.

Acquiring a male or female dog:

This is one area that will certainly come down to personal preference. When it comes to responsible pet ownership, bitches will need to be spayed and males castrated. The latter tends to be more straightforward and slightly less costly.

Having said that, males do tend to be more territorial, marking their territory and potentially showing slightly more aggression. Neutering your dog should significantly reduce both these tendencies, but may not do away with them altogether.

It has been suggested that female dogs tend to be calmer with children, but more often than not this is down to our own gender biases and stereotypical beliefs regarding the nurturing role of women in human society. With proper socialisation and accounting for a dog’s personal history, the notion that a female dog is more predisposed to being better with children can easily be discounted. The crucial point is that every dog needs to be provided with as broad an understanding of what a ‘human’ is early in its life. For more information on socialising your dog with children (and just as crucially socialising children to your dog!), please refer to that section on our ‘Dog Friendly Advice’ page. And feel free to read further on the importance of the socialisation period for your dog by visiting our page on ‘Dog Behaviour’.

What is true, however, is that male dogs tend to show more signs of wanderlust and be less quick on the recall than bitches, but again this can easily be overcome by training and equally be dependent on the rapport the individual dog has with its owner.

Buying from a breeder or adopting from a shelter:

Our advice is to always rehome a dog from a shelter. There are so many dogs in need, what the world doesn’t require are more dogs bred for profit or due to irresponsible pet ownership. Dog shelters contain both mixed breeds and pure breeds. You will find puppies in shelters, too. There are even breed-specific rescue groups should you have your heart set on a type of dog, even knowing the potential hereditary risks that entails.

So consider local shelters and rescue groups, as well as overseas shelters, before expanding your search to include professional or amateur breeders.

There are, however, a few caveats.

Dogs that have arrived at a shelter often come with very little history, but try to find out as much as you can. Enquire as to its physical condition as well as its behaviour. Just remember: Those who work in shelters are not professional animal behaviourists and they may not have a full-time veterinarian with all the necessary tools on-site to provide a proper clinical assessment. Underlying issues may remain hidden, as they may require expensive equipment, such as X-Ray machines and ultrasound, to be properly diagnosed.

Follow the steps outlined below as if you were meeting with a breeder. If you are rehoming a dog from abroad and cannot see the dog in person, then utilise any photos or videos of the dog that the shelter can provide. These days, with smart phone technology, it should not be too difficult for a shelter to send video footage upon request.

But try to be realistic: You cannot expect a dog that may have been abandoned or come from the streets not to have a few scars – be they mental or physical. It is only so that you know what to expect, to understand what tools might be required to help that dog become a fully integrated member of your family, and to judge what your limits might be in terms of what you would be able to provide for that dog.

Whatever route you take, under no circumstances acquire a dog from a pet store or a puppy farm. Most likely these animals will have been kept in crates or kennels for an extended period, with little chance for human or canine socialisation. Dogs that have been confined for extended periods can develop behavioural problems linked to a condition known as kennelosis, or crate state, which can lead to fear and aggression. Equally, puppies will have probably been separated from their mother and littermates too young, which can also lead to behavioural and socialisation issues.

It is now illegal in many countries for puppies to be bred intensively in so-called puppy farms or sold under such conditions. If you do come across such practice in your search, review the local laws and report it to the authorities. You will be doing the dogs that are suffering there a massive favour.