Archive for the ‘Dog Tips’ Category

Before you bring a dog home, you have to consider all the other members of your household. If you have children it will be an extra challenge. Households with children must take extra care before making the decision to purchase a dog—and in deciding which breed is appropriate. A rambunctious puppy may be overwhelming to a toddler. A miniature breed may be treated like a stuffed toy rather than a living creature. It may seem fun to the child to dress up their new canine companion in doll clothes and wheel him around in a stroller but it’s not good for the dog. Training may be more difficult since you’ll have to train both the child and the dog.

Similarly, if you have other dogs in the house, or cats, you have to decide whether your current pets will accept a new member of the pack. Some breeds have instincts as predators that make conflict with a cat highly probable. If you adopt an adult dog, you have to find out whether that dog is friendly with other dogs—before you bring him home.

If you take your dog to the dog park, observe the breeds he typically plays with and those that he might have conflict with. This can be a clue to guide you in selecting your new dog. You may be in for a surprise as well. Your cocker spaniel may prefer to run with the bigger hunting dogs instead of dogs his own size.
Consider your neighbors as well. Some breeds of dogs are relatively calm, quiet, and easygoing. Others are energetic “barkers” who sound an alarm whenever a noise or passerby disturbs them. Training is important to help your dog to be a good neighbor, but you also have to objectively look at where you live and whether a given breed will be a nuisance to the people nearby.

All family members need to agree on the decision to add a dog to the household, and each member should have input into the type of dog you eventually select. Your children may have met and interacted with their friends’ dogs and be able to provide valuable input.

If you’ve never had a dog before, or at least not since you were a child, try taking care of a friend or neighbor’s dog and reacquaint yourself with the responsibility and care required.

And it may well be that when all factors are considered, it may not be the right time to add a dog to your family. Maybe a pet that requires less care, attention, and supervision might be more appropriate.

Dogs bring so much to our lives—fun, friendship, and sometimes pure joy. But the wonderful benefits of dog ownership are not without tradeoffs. Having a dog requires a commitment on the owner’s part, particularly a commitment of time, but also commitments of care and companionship. Dogs are not passive pets like tropical fish. They are active members of the family. Some lifestyles are not ideal situations for dog ownership.

Before making the decision to add a dog to your family, here are some factors to consider.

Your Work Schedule. If you are gone for twelve hours or more each day during the work week, and your dog will be all alone during that time, there’s a good chance the dog will get bored, restless, and generally unhappy, which can lead to destructive behavior. Consider whether it is fair to leave your friend alone for that much time. Dogs are pack animals—and you and your family are their pack.

Your Location. It’s certainly possible to have a dog, and take good care of him, no matter whether you live in a cramped urban apartment or have a rural location with a huge area for him to romp. The urban dog owner just faces a few more inconveniences. It may be raining outside, late at night, and you still have to take the dog outside to do his “business.” You can’t just open the back door. In a crowded urban setting, training and socialization of your dog become all the more important, because he will frequently be confronted by strangers. For example, some dog owners have trouble breaking their dog of the barking habit when people walk by on the sidewalk or hallway.

Dogs Cost Money. Purebred dogs can be an expensive purchase, $500-$1000 or more. But even a puppy that is rescued from an animal shelter will require veterinary care throughout his life, starting with puppy vaccinations. Older dogs can have a variety of ailments that require surgery or other expensive forms of treatment. There are many other expenses as well—food, boarding costs when you go out of town, annual licensing. Being aware of the full cost of dog ownership can help make sure it doesn’t put a strain on your family budget.

A 15 Year Commitment. Thanks to better nutrition and advancements in vet care, dogs now routinely have life spans of 12-15 years—or more. Consider whether you and your family can honestly say you want to be responsible for a pet that long. It’s not fair to bring a puppy home, have him bond with your family members, then have to give him up for adoption two years later.

Dogs require a financial commitment. The total annual cost of owning a dog surprises many people—it’s best to be prepared and budget accordingly. Good quality dog food is not cheap. Municipalities require that dogs be licensed. Then there’s the cost of dog toys, dog beds, leashes, collars, treats, grooming—it all adds up.

Health care for your dog can be expensive. At a minimum, your pet will need annual wellness exams and vaccinations. But emergency injuries or illness happen as well. Dogs sometimes need expensive surgery. They ingest things that are harmful to them, including plants in your yard. As dogs get older, just like people their medical expenses rise.

One option to consider is pet health insurance. Several organizations offer this, including the American Kennel Club with its AKC Pet Healthcare Plan. By paying monthly or quarterly premiums you can spread the cost of routine medical care over the year, and you will be protected from being hit with a huge medical bill if your dog requires an operation or other treatment. Dogs even require dental care, including teeth cleaning and, on occasion root canals.

Are you willing to spend the money to properly care for your dog? It’s not fair to the dog if at this particular stage of your life you can’t afford to take good care of him. And it’s not fair to you to have to worry about such things as whether you can afford the dog’s annual vaccinations.

Do you know what it costs annually to keep a dog healthy and happy? If not, you should do some research and calculate an annual budget for all the necessities, and allow for the unexpected medical care that might be needed. It’s a $500 a year cost at least, and can easily run $1,000 or more. It’s best to be prepared for these maintenance expenses instead of letting them be an unpleasant surprise.

There may be other expenses as well. If your property is not fenced, you may have to build a fenced area if you have an active dog or one that tends to leave the yard when he gets a chance. Without some kind of fenced area on your property, you may quickly tire of having to take him out on a leash multiple times a day, especially in bad weather.

Do you travel frequently? Then you either need to factor in the cost of taking your dog to a boarding kennel while you are away—and many of these cost $50 a day or more for care—or hiring a dog sitter to come to your home and take care of your dog.