5 Tips For Buying a Dog the Intelligent Way
Buying a dog, whether that dog is a puppy or an adult can seem overwhelming.
Beyond the actual purchase of the dog you have vet care, food, housing, training and hundreds of things to consider.
Here are 5 tips you can follow to make purchasing a dog less stressful and ensure you get a dog that fits your needs and lifestyle.
Tip #1: Why do you want a dog? Go beyond, "well I want a dog because I've always wanted one and couldn't have one.
" You need to dig deeper.
What purpose will the dog serve? Pet? Service dog? Working dog? If it is a pet you want I would suggest buying a dog from a shelter.
There are thousands of dogs in shelters right now that would love to come home with you and would make a perfect fit for your household.
But I want a puppy.
There are puppies in shelters.
But I want a purebred dog with papers.
Papers don't mean much if you are looking for a pet.
They are good for warming the house in the fire place though.
Define the role the dog will play in your life and pick a dog that best fits that role.
If you are looking for an outgoing, highly energetic, loyal, smart dog, I would suggest breeds like the Border Collie or the American Pit Bull Terrier.
Both are highly intelligent, loyal, and come packed with energy.
If you want a slower dog, choose a breed like the Bassett Hound or English Mastiff.
Which leads me to tip number two.
Tip #2: What size of dog do you want? Larger dogs come with larger investments.
More foods, more health issues, etc...
Smaller dogs come with longer lifespans so the vet bills and food bills add up over 12-15 years.
Most dog owners choose somewhere in the middle and pick a medium sized dog breed.
Tip #3: Puppy, Adolescent or Adult? I always recommend first time dog owners purchase adolescents or adults.
My main reason is, you know what you are getting and you avoid the times where the dog is peeing and pooing all over the house.
This alone is worth the price of an adult dog.
Breeding, especially here in the United States is not regulated like it should be (that is my opinion of course).
Show dogs are bred more for appearance than function, this is normal these days, yes, some show dogs still can perform the jobs they were bred to do but the reality of it is, they breed for looks rather than function.
Working dogs have their problems as well but you are more likely going to get a dog that does the job it was supposed to do when you buy a dog from a working dog breeder or training center.
Puppies come with a lot of work.
While this is true of all dogs you purchase, you have more work with puppies because you are caring for them from the day they arrive at your home until death.
Tip #4: Buying from a shelter, training center, or breeder? I suggest getting a dog from a training center or shelter and going with a well qualified breeder if you are looking for a working dog.
Let me repeat that, I suggest only buying from a breeder if you are looking for a working dog.
You may be wondering what I mean by training center.
There are dog trainers out there who purchase dogs, train them, and resell them.
These trainers find dogs that are trainable, need homes, and then rehome them.
Shelters are a great place to buy a dog from.
Especially pet quality dogs.
I haven't even mentioned rescues.
This article is not long enough for me to explain everything about shelters and rescues but suffice to say both are outstanding sources for quality dogs and should be investigated.
Tip #5: Price.
Dogs can range from $60,000 to $600.
Yes, I said $60,000.
Obviously not everyone is going to run out and purchase a dog for that price, the point is, dogs can cost you some serious money so be careful when handing over your money.
Shelters, while affordable you need to ask to spend time with the dog on several occasions before making a final decision.
Even if you fall in love with the dog, think it over before getting the dog.
Training Centers, ask to see the dogs training.
What can the dog perform? Can it do what they said it can do? Will it be a good fit for your home? Breeders, Personally I would never buy a dog from a breeder site unseen.
I did this once about 10 years ago and lucked out.
Got a great dog.
However, I have seen hundreds that turned out to be sickly, poorly bred, and had extensive behavior problems.
Go to the breeders.
Look at the mother and grandmother before checking out the litter.
Get health checks, health records, and more importantly genetic testing.
If you are buying a working breed like German Shepherds make sure the parents are OFA rated.
This tells you if they have hip problems or are likely to develop them.
If they have no OFA rating or if the breeder says, "We've been breeding for years, we know they don't have problems" look for another breeder.
Serious breeders get these tests done on their breeding pair and they make sure to tell you about the ratings in advance.
Look for someone like that.
Finally, whatever you decide, take your time to think it over.
Dogs are not toys.
They are not things you purchase for kids and they are not things you purchase without thought.
You are committing to a life long care contract when you purchase a dog.
Hold up your end of the bargain by making a wise, well thought out decision.
Beyond the actual purchase of the dog you have vet care, food, housing, training and hundreds of things to consider.
Here are 5 tips you can follow to make purchasing a dog less stressful and ensure you get a dog that fits your needs and lifestyle.
Tip #1: Why do you want a dog? Go beyond, "well I want a dog because I've always wanted one and couldn't have one.
" You need to dig deeper.
What purpose will the dog serve? Pet? Service dog? Working dog? If it is a pet you want I would suggest buying a dog from a shelter.
There are thousands of dogs in shelters right now that would love to come home with you and would make a perfect fit for your household.
But I want a puppy.
There are puppies in shelters.
But I want a purebred dog with papers.
Papers don't mean much if you are looking for a pet.
They are good for warming the house in the fire place though.
Define the role the dog will play in your life and pick a dog that best fits that role.
If you are looking for an outgoing, highly energetic, loyal, smart dog, I would suggest breeds like the Border Collie or the American Pit Bull Terrier.
Both are highly intelligent, loyal, and come packed with energy.
If you want a slower dog, choose a breed like the Bassett Hound or English Mastiff.
Which leads me to tip number two.
Tip #2: What size of dog do you want? Larger dogs come with larger investments.
More foods, more health issues, etc...
Smaller dogs come with longer lifespans so the vet bills and food bills add up over 12-15 years.
Most dog owners choose somewhere in the middle and pick a medium sized dog breed.
Tip #3: Puppy, Adolescent or Adult? I always recommend first time dog owners purchase adolescents or adults.
My main reason is, you know what you are getting and you avoid the times where the dog is peeing and pooing all over the house.
This alone is worth the price of an adult dog.
Breeding, especially here in the United States is not regulated like it should be (that is my opinion of course).
Show dogs are bred more for appearance than function, this is normal these days, yes, some show dogs still can perform the jobs they were bred to do but the reality of it is, they breed for looks rather than function.
Working dogs have their problems as well but you are more likely going to get a dog that does the job it was supposed to do when you buy a dog from a working dog breeder or training center.
Puppies come with a lot of work.
While this is true of all dogs you purchase, you have more work with puppies because you are caring for them from the day they arrive at your home until death.
Tip #4: Buying from a shelter, training center, or breeder? I suggest getting a dog from a training center or shelter and going with a well qualified breeder if you are looking for a working dog.
Let me repeat that, I suggest only buying from a breeder if you are looking for a working dog.
You may be wondering what I mean by training center.
There are dog trainers out there who purchase dogs, train them, and resell them.
These trainers find dogs that are trainable, need homes, and then rehome them.
Shelters are a great place to buy a dog from.
Especially pet quality dogs.
I haven't even mentioned rescues.
This article is not long enough for me to explain everything about shelters and rescues but suffice to say both are outstanding sources for quality dogs and should be investigated.
Tip #5: Price.
Dogs can range from $60,000 to $600.
Yes, I said $60,000.
Obviously not everyone is going to run out and purchase a dog for that price, the point is, dogs can cost you some serious money so be careful when handing over your money.
Shelters, while affordable you need to ask to spend time with the dog on several occasions before making a final decision.
Even if you fall in love with the dog, think it over before getting the dog.
Training Centers, ask to see the dogs training.
What can the dog perform? Can it do what they said it can do? Will it be a good fit for your home? Breeders, Personally I would never buy a dog from a breeder site unseen.
I did this once about 10 years ago and lucked out.
Got a great dog.
However, I have seen hundreds that turned out to be sickly, poorly bred, and had extensive behavior problems.
Go to the breeders.
Look at the mother and grandmother before checking out the litter.
Get health checks, health records, and more importantly genetic testing.
If you are buying a working breed like German Shepherds make sure the parents are OFA rated.
This tells you if they have hip problems or are likely to develop them.
If they have no OFA rating or if the breeder says, "We've been breeding for years, we know they don't have problems" look for another breeder.
Serious breeders get these tests done on their breeding pair and they make sure to tell you about the ratings in advance.
Look for someone like that.
Finally, whatever you decide, take your time to think it over.
Dogs are not toys.
They are not things you purchase for kids and they are not things you purchase without thought.
You are committing to a life long care contract when you purchase a dog.
Hold up your end of the bargain by making a wise, well thought out decision.
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