I need some help from dog owners, please..

Hi everyone,
I am in the midst of creating a pet website that I want to stress education before people go rush out and buy a pet without considering all that is involved with said pet.

My site will have a lot of links to appropriate website, but I want to add a few small articles for each type of pet for people to get a feel for what is involved with various pets.

I am ok with most of the pet catagories, but I've never had a dog as a pet before and am scrambling to come up with adaquate information.

So if you have any helpful insights I can add I would love to hear them.
I have looked through the web but have not found many helpful sites on puppy adoption...such as what is the appropriate age to adopt and what to expect of him if you've never had a puppy/ dog before...personality, temperment, adjustment period...ect. Hints, advice, and tips so the pup doesn't wind up back at the shelter again.

Thanks for reading!
Diane

Have you visited Dogster.com? lots of info there. Good luck.

Diane - I am learning to be an animal behaviourist/obedience trainer for dogs. I would be happy to help you out with your website, I am actually creating one myself at the moment under my business name: `The Truth About Cats and Dogs'.

If you would like to email me my business address is [email protected].

Thanks Sarah, that is so nice of you!!
I'll probably be sending you an email soon

May I suggest looking on the American Kennel Club site for references to the Rescue sites for the various breeds. There are a lot of behavioral differences between the different dog groups and anyone who gets a dog should be aware of those characteristics, before they have a bad expereince and the dog ends up in Rescue (at best) or in the pound.

For example, some dogs are tolerant of other small animals (lower prey drive) and some are more active than others and some are not naturally good candidates for obedience training (e.g. malamutes)

I work with a breed rescue organization and one thing I do is to go to the largest dog shows and tell people who fall in love with the breed all the bad things about them (e.g. they bark a lot, they shed from double coats, they are escape artists, they bark a lot, they are not good obedience dogs, did I mention they bark a lot?) Only if they feel they can accept all the downsides do I discuss their good points (and mention dogs presently in rescue fostering that are available for adoption.) I notice that a number of the breeders at the shows are now telling admirers the possible problem characteristics, with the same motivation.

Incidentally, for those who are planning to buy a puppy from breeders, a good breeder will always be willing to take the dog back, for whatever reason.

Good luck with your site!

This site THE CANINE BEHAVIOR SERIES
has lots of great articles about selecting a dog, as well as lots of really useful articles about canine behavior and training.

I am going to stress that you should stress the compatitbility of dog breeds to familiy & lifestyle. We adopted a dog that, thinking back, we probably shouldn't have gotten. She is a Lab/GSP/Coonhound mix. SHe has the bray of a Coonhound, the build of a GSP, the energy level of a GSP, & the size of a Lab. Put it all together & you have a 95 lb. whirlwind of energy that barks a lot & chases things she shouldn't. I still love her & her naughty habits(although she gets me mad sometimes). However, she loves to sleep in the recliner or in my lap. If she doesn't get the exercise she needs, she eats things & chases the housecats.

I have learned from this experience & I know I will always look away from the high energy breeds in the future, but I can't help but think that my dog could've gotten a better home....