Are You Ready for a Dog?

Housing

Can you properly house the dog? Being chained in the back yard with a hut and water is not proper housing. Dogs are social animals and pets really should be part of the family pack. If you cannot make a dog a family member, keep him safely inside when you are not home and let him have plenty of exercise in a safely fenced area, reconsider. It is cruel to a dog to leave him outside all the time. Also, these dogs are more prone to become nuisance barkers and victims of "pranks" or theft.

Lifestyle

What is your lifestyle like? Are you an active family that spends time hiking and camping or going for long walks? Are you more sedentary? Some breeds require a lot of exercise daily - both physical and mental. The half hour walk given to a Bulldog is far from adequate for a Border Collie. A Bulldog will not be able to handle the strenuous hours of daily workouts a Border Collie requires. Research any breed thoroughly before getting - use several different sources as well. What one person or even a vet says about a breed may be totally erroneous.

Look at books devoted to the breed; many breed-specific dog clubs have websites with plenty of information, etc. If you are looking at a cross, research the breeds you know are in the cross to give you an idea of what you are getting. And bear in mind that small does not equal less energy. Some giant breeds have lower activity level than many smaller breeds. Size is not always relevant when it comes to how much energy and exercise a dog requires.

Grooming

What about grooming? All dogs need grooming - even hairless breeds! Some breeds are quite a bit for the average person to handle and may require professional work (Poodles and Bichon Frisés for example). Others require only a few minutes of going over with a brush once a week as well as regular attention to teeth, ears and nails. All dogs shed to some extent. Even supposed "no shed" breeds will lose hair. Hair falls out of follicles - take a look at your own brush or how often do you pluck a strand off your jacket.