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rec.pets.dogs: Getting A Dog FAQ |
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Archive-name: dogs-faq/getting-a-dog
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Last-modified: 20 Nov 1997
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There are many FAQ's available for this group. For a complete
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==========
Getting A Dog
Author
Cindy Tittle Moore, rpd-info@netcom.com
Copyright 1995-1997.
Table of Contents
* In General
* What Kind of Dog Should I Get?
* What are My Responsibilities?
* Where Do I Get One?
* Where Do I NOT Get One?
* How Do I Find a Good Veterinarian?
* How Do I Introduce Several Pets?
_________________________________________________________________
In General
This article is intended to provide anyone contemplating a new dog,
whether a puppy or an adult, with useful information. There are more
detailed FAQ articles with further information if you get a puppy
(new-puppy) or an adult (new-dog).
_________________________________________________________________
What Kind of Dog Should I Get?
Factors to consider
There is an enormous variety of dogs in shape, size, personality, and
abilities. Different breeds will have certain characteristics for
which they were bred. Ask breeders at dog shows and look them up in
breed books for further information. You must consider several things
before deciding on a dog:
* _How much time can you spend with it?_ Dogs are social creatures.
They will not be happy left out in the back yard alone. You must
be committed to spending several hours a day with it.
* _What space can you provide it?_ If you live in a small apartment,
you must take this into consideration: many dogs will not do well
unless you expend a good deal of effort in meeting their needs.
Dogs can be pretty adaptable so long as *you* help them out. Don't
be fooled by size into thinking a dog will be OK in a small
apartment -- Jack Russell Terriers require a LOT of exercise.
Conversely, many Mastiffs are content to flop on the floor and do
nothing at all while you are gone.
* _How much money can you set aside for it?_ Even if you get a dog
from the shelter or otherwise inexpensively, you will have to buy
food, pay for veterinary checkups, vaccinations and routine
medical care, and purchase other equipment over the lifetime of
the dog. Not to mention replacing anything the dog may damage or
destroy, or putting money out for medical emergencies. Do you have
the financial resources for this?
* _How much exercise can you give it?_ If your time is limited, you
should look for smaller or less active dogs that can obtain enough
exercise in your home or from short walks. Note that not all small
dogs are less active, or larger dogs more active; research your
breeds!
* _How much training can you do?_ Regardless of the dog you get,
training will make your dog much more compatible with you and what
you want to do. A trained dog can go to more places with you
without disruption, and can be more easily a part of your life.
* _How much grooming can you do?_ How much hair are you prepared to
have in your home? You should give serious consideration to these
factors: some dogs shed little and require no grooming (clipping,
stripping, etc); others shed little but require more grooming;
others shed but do not require grooming; and still others both
shed and require grooming. Do note that just about all dogs will
require some nail clipping regardless of conditions. If you get a
dog that requires regular grooming, are you prepared to pay for
its grooming or learn to do it yourself and to do either
regularly?
* _Which sex do you want, male or female?_ There are pros and cons
to either sex, all of which are generalities and may or may not
apply to a specific dog. By all means, if you have a preference,
get the sex you want. If you are not sure, it really doesn't
matter -- look for the dog you hit it off with.
* _What characteristics do you want in a dog?_ Different breeds have
been bred with specific purposes in mind. Dogs bred for scent, for
racing, for retrieving, etc, will exhibit these traits. Consider
which characteristics you would like and which will annoy you.
Reading up on dogs in breed books (some are listed below) and
talking to breeders will give you some idea of these kinds of
characteristics. This also may be a reason to choose a purebred:
characteristics in purebreds appear more reliably because of their
consistent breeding. Do recognize, however, that dogs show
individual personalities, and variety exists within each breed.
Breeds are only a general indicator of what to expect. Some
questions to ask yourself:
+ What sort of exercise do I want to do with the dog? Walking?
Jogging? Hiking?
+ Do I want a dog that is bouncy and ready to go, or more
relaxed?
+ Am I prepared for a dog with some protective tendencies? How
about a dog with possible dog-aggression (because of its
background or breed)?
+ Do I want an indiscriminantly friendly dog or one that is
more reserved?
+ Do I want a dog that must be near me whenever possible or do
I prefer a more independent nature?
+ Will I want a dog that readily accepts other animals (e.g.,
cats, rabbits, etc.)?
+ Am I interested in: obedience, agility, hunting, herding,
coursing, showing, etc. with this dog?
Purebred or mixed-breed dogs
If you are interested in a purebred dog, you should pick up a book on
dog breeds (most libraries will have a good selection) and do some
research, with the above questions in mind. There are some
breed-specific FAQ's available. Finally, you should SERIOUSLY consider
attending a dog show where not only can you potentially contact
breeders, but you can see ADULT specimens of the breed you are
considering. It's very important to remember that cute little puppies
remain cute little puppies only for a matter of weeks. There is a long
period of ungainly and rebellious adolescence finally followed by
mellow adulthood.
If the dog's breed is not important to you, you should still consider
the above list when choosing the dog. You do face a few more unknowns
since a mixed-breed puppy (e.g., a "mutt") may or may not clearly
exhibit what its adult characteristics will be.
Many people have strong feelings about purebred dogs, especially the
characteristics of the breed. Other people feel that the "stereotypes"
are overrated. Jon Pastor made some nice comments about the usefulness
and caveats of typical breed behaviors:
Are behaviors commonly ascribed to specific breeds based in fact or are they
just stereotypes?
They are really a bit of both: they are informal statistical
descriptions (i.e., stereotypes), and to the extent that they reflect
reality they're also facts. "Stereotypes" -- or, more simply, "types"
-- can be, but are not necessarily, evil: it depends on how you use
them.
Typical means "characteristic of the type," and is a statistical
abstraction; it does not have any normative implications -- i.e.,
there is no claim that all (or even most) examples of the type in
question have the characteristics that are stated to be typical. One
of the ways in which people make sense of the world is by comparing
entities they encounter with the types they've stored in their
memories in order to identify them; it's a remarkably effective way of
compiling knowledge about an infinitely complex environment so that it
can be accessed quickly enough to (in the extreme) save one's life.
Thus "typical" is a largely ad-hoc, somewhat personal label, until it
is agreed-upon by some number of people who share the same notion of
what common characteristics identify the "typical" object of a
particular kind. If we could eliminate the biases that have been
identified in such behavior (e.g., if the last 20 dogs you've seen
have been Borzois, you will most likely over-estimate the true number
of Borzois in the dog population), we would find that "typical"
approximated some statistical tendency in the population we're
addressing, typically the mean (average) or mode (most common).
If you pick some characteristic and look in a particular population to
see how many individuals have different levels of that characteristic,
you'll find that when you graph the results they look like this (more
or less):
no.
| |
| *
| * | *
| * | *
| * | *
| * | *
| * | *
| * | *
| * | *
| * | *
| * | *
--+---------------------------+------------------------------------------------
score
There will be some value that occurs most frequently (the mode); in
the case of a perfectly symmetric curve like the one above, this value
will also be the average (mean). Symmetric curves like this occur
surprisingly frequently, so I'll continue to use it as an example.
For example, let's say that you want to plot the aggressiveness of
various breeds. First, you have to come up with a way of ranking dogs
on aggressiveness [an exercise left to the reader ;-)], and then for
each breed you score a large number of dogs on aggressiveness and plot
the results:
no. with
score |
| * |
| * | * o
| * | * o | o
| * | * o | o
| * | * o | o
| * | * o | o
| * | o* | o
| * | o * | o
| * |o *| o
| * o | | * o
--+---------------------------+-------------------+----------------------------
"aggressiveness" score
Here, breed 1 is represented by '*' and breed 2 is represented by 'o'.
Notice a couple of things:
1. the centers of the two curves are clearly separated, from which
you'd conclude that the breeds differ to some degree in
aggressiveness
2. there is some overlap, so that the most aggressive breed 1 dogs
are substantially more agressive than the average breed 2 dog, and
the least aggressive breed 2 dogs are substantially less
aggressive than the average breed 1 dog.
The significance you attribute to the results depends on the shape and
position of the curves, but in most cases there will be substantial
variation within groups and at least some overlap between groups.
Now, by doing this in N dimensions you can play the same game on as
many characteristics as you wish, and make statistically meaningful
statements about tendencies of one particular breed or typical
differences between breeds.
By doing so, you are *NOT* saying that
1. all dogs of a particular breed have all -- or, in fact, *any* --of
the "typical" levels of each characteristic
2. there is necessarily any real dog that has all of the "typical"
levels of each characteristic
3. it is impossible for a dog of breed 2 to have some -- or, in fact,
*all* -- of the typical characteristics of breed 1
This is not a True/False situation, it's an infinitely-graded
situation. If you get a dog of that particular breed, the modal
(typical) value is simply the one you'd be most *likely* to get.
A big caveat: breed traits are not computed scientifically, and are
thus not quite subject to the laws of Statistics. However, they do
reflect the cumulative wisdom of hundreds (thousands?) of years of
human observation and active breeding of dogs.
The bottom line is that if you get an Newfoundland, it is highly
likely that it will be a good lifesaving dog; it is possible, although
less likely, that it will be a *great* lifesaving dog; and it is also
possible, although also less likely, that it will show no aptitude for
lifesaving. Similar statements hold for "typical" traits of sight
hounds, Rotts, Poodles, GSDs, Goldens, Irish Setters, and any other
breed you can think of.
If you use this "stereotype" information to inform your choice of a
dog, and make some effort to determine how "typical" a given dog is
likely to be of its breed (by looking at parents and siblings, by
observing the dog, by asking the owner, etc., etc.), it's innocuous
and can be quite useful. If you use it blindly to make blanket
judgements of breeds, use of stereotypes can be foolish. In the
extreme, if you don't understand the meaning of the characteristics,
or have mis-identified or mis-measured them, use of stereotypes can be
positively evil, such as when "all Pitbulls" are identified as
dangerous and banned.
The only conclusion that this discussion licenses with respect to the
purebred-vs.-mixed-breed question is that prediction is easier with a
purebred because the number of purebreds is (relatively) small and
(relatively) fixed, while the number of possible mixes is essentially
infinite; as a result, there has been more observation of individual
"pure" breeds, and there is consequently more data to support
generalizations about breed characteristics. This is not, by any
means, to say that purebreds are necessarily better or worse; they're
just more predictable.
So if you want a dog with a particular set of characteristics, you
will be more likely to get such a dog if you find a breed that
typically has those characteristics and choose a dog of that breed
*intelligently* than if you choose a dog of mixed breeds (unless, of
course, you're talking about an older dog whose behavioral
characteristics are already obvious and therefore observable). This is
a statement about probability, not about quality, and anyone who
attempts to apply an absolute value-scheme to it is making unwarranted
and unjustifiable extrapolations.
Statistics is a powerful weapon. As with any other such weapon, use it
ignorantly or indiscriminately at your peril...
Books
Listed here some good references on dog breeds; others appear in the
Publications FAQ. In addition, there are many that are specific to one
breed. Space prohibits listing any of these type of dog books here,
but you should look up breed specific books on the breeds you are
especially interested in for even more detailed information. The breed
specific FAQ's mentioned in the introduction will contain recommended
pointers.
One word of warning on breed specific books. In general, avoid the TFH
"KW" series readily available in most pet stores. These are small
books, about 150 pages. Most of them recommend pet stores as a source
for puppies, blithely talk of the "joys" of breeding, and contain very
little actual breed-specific information. Instead there is a large
amount of general information repeated from book to book, and what
amounts to advertising for a number of brands of dog products. Leaf
through the book carefully before deciding (or not) to buy it.
De Prisco, Andrew and James B. Johnson. _The Mini-Atlas of Dog
Breeds_. TFH Publications, One TFH Plaza, Neptune City, NJ 07753 1990.
This book lists and describes over 500 breeds from around the
world. Abundantly illustrated with color drawings and photos.
Includes a short forward on what criteria you should consider in
choosing a breed, and a short description of the categories it
chose to group dogs in (slightly different from, eg. AKC
groupings).
Mandeville, John J., and Ab Sidewater, eds. _The Complete Dog Book:
official publication of the American Kennel Club_. Eighteenth edition.
Howell Book House, Macmillan Publishing Company, New York. 1992.
This is the reference for the AKC breed standards, each of which
covers several pages and includes a black and white photograph and
text on the breed's history, characteristics, and nature. Newly
admitted breeds, such as the Shar-Pei, have been added to this
edition.
Sylvester, Patricia, ed. _The Reader's Digest Illustrated Book of
Dogs_. 2nd edition. The Reader's Digest Association, Inc.,
Pleasantville, NY. 1994
Besides the excellent text and illustrations in the album, which
cover 2 pages for each breed (175 total), the informative sections
are also well-written and illustrated and include many color
photographs as well.
Tortora, Daniel F. The Right Dog For You. Fireside, Simon & Schuster
Trade Books. 1983.
Offers a complex decision procedure, with lots of questionnaires to
alert you to the potential significance of various features of
breed behavior and physical characteristics. One of the few that
lists potential problems of each breed rather than giving a
glowingly positive one for each.
Wilcox, Bonnie and Chris Walkowicz. _Atlas of Dog Breeds_. TFH
Publications. 5th ed, 1994.
Over 900 pages long in large format. The authors are top notch
writers and did extensive research to compile this comprehensive
resource of the world's dog breeds. The book is profusely
illustrated with excellent quality photographs and a 3-5 page
article. This book makes a good effort to show every color and
every coat type of each breed in the various photos. Expensive. The
latest edition is out in two volumes.
_Project BREED Directory_. Network for Ani-Males and Females, 18707
Curry Powder Lane, Germantown, MD 20874, 301-428-3675. 1993.
There is a section on each breed (over 100 listed) listing specific
breed rescue organizations and individuals throughout the US. It
also describes each breed's appearance, origins, traits, and the
most common hereditary health problems for that breed. No pictures.
Check or money order ($15.95 plus $1.50 s/h) for a copy.
Videos
The _AKC Breed Identification Series_ is a set of seven short video
cassettes that give a brief overview of each breed of dog recognized
by the AKC. The tapes are categorized by AKC breed groupings
(sporting, working...) The segments for each breed last less than five
minutes each. The information is often erratically presented and
incomplete. The tape set is probably unavailable at video rental
stores. Since the set of seven tapes is probably quite expensive, the
public library would be the best way to examine these tapes.
Some breed clubs have much better videos describing their breeds. They
are expensive enough that it's probably not worth getting them if
you're still "browsing," but if you have a dog of that breed, they're
often quite nice to get ahold of.
_________________________________________________________________
What are My Responsibilities?
There are responsibilities that go along with being a good dog owner.
A dog will live from 10 to 20 years, depending on its breed, size and
general health. This is a long term commitment, and you must be ready
to provide the dog with a home for that duration. You must make
provisions for it when you go on vacation. It needs attention, love,
and respect from you: feeding and watering it are not enough. Consider
it part of your family: this is no joke as that is exactly what the
dog thinks YOU are: its pack, its family.
* _You are responsible for its health_. An essential part of owning
a dog is making sure that it gets good medical care. Check the
vets in your area and pick out one before you even get your dog.
Take your dog in to the vet immediately after acquiring it and
take it in regularly thereafter. You will have expenses for yearly
shots and, in many areas, heart-worm preventive. Puppies and dogs
routinely die without adequate veterinary care.
* _If you get your dog for protection, you are obligated to make
sure that it is safe, reliable, and trustworthy around people_.
Never chain it up in the back yard, or encourage it to snarl and
bite other people. Never try to make a dog "vicious." Such
irresponsible treatment results in tragic stories of children and
adults being mauled or even killed, the dog being put down, and
various dog bans being enacted. A dog can protect you just fine by
barking at suspicious noises and allowing you to investigate. It
does not have to be vicious. A good protection dog is always well
trained, properly socialized, and has a relationship with its
owner that encourages it to be protective. Higher levels of
protection (such as attack dogs) require considerable training and
experienced handling and are most definitely not for everyone.
* _You are responsible for your dog's reproduction_. You must either
get it neutered, or make provisions for keeping your bitch away
from dogs when in heat. If your male is intact, you must keep him
under control when he smells a bitch in heat. If you breed, you
are responsible for making sure that your dog or bitch is suitable
for breeding (i.e., good health, good temperament, good specimen
of the breed, and free of genetic defects), and making sure that
all resulting puppies are placed in good homes. The millions of
dogs that must be put down annually in the US are the result of
owner irresponsibility about their pet's reproduction.
* _You are responsible for your pet's behavior_. This means keeping
your dog under control. Do not let it roam; do not let it become a
nuisance to others in your neighborhood. Keep it on a leash when
walking so that it does not run up to other people or dogs and
bother them. Clean up after it or curb it (make it go in the
gutter) when it eliminates, *especially* in public areas. Many
parks, beaches, and lakes are closed to dogs because of
irresponsible owners in this regard.
* _You are still responsible for the dog when you "get one for your
kid_." Unless your child is old enough, at least 13 (and highly
variable at that), she or he will not have the sufficient maturity
to take responsibility for the dog. A dog can be a good way to
teach children about responsibility, but the dog is still *your*
main responsibility. Dogs acquired for this reason often wind up
in the shelters when the parents find out that they are the dog's
primary caretaker.
* _You are responsible for becoming more knowledgeable about dogs_.
Find some good books and read up. Enroll in puppy and dog classes
where you can learn much from the instructor; attend them even
before you get a dog or puppy for first hand knowledge of what you
can expect. Many dogs are in animal shelters with a note that says
"couldn't be housebroken" or "couldn't be trained."
* _You are responsible for being prepared for the new dog_. Never
get one as a "surprise gift." All members of your family must
agree on having a dog. Have food, water and food dishes, bedding,
collars and leashes, chew toys, and a veterinarian lined up before
you pick up your dog. Many "Christmas puppies" are found in the
shelters by New Year's Day.
Some books to try:
Milani, Myrna M., DVM. _The Weekend Dog_. Signet (Penguin Books USA,
Inc.) (1985). ISBN: 0-451-15731-1 (paperback).
This book outlines practical solutions for working people with
dogs. It has excellent suggestions for understanding dog behavior,
particularly destructive or unwanted behavior. Gives all kinds of
practical solutions to the problems of adequate exercise, adequate
training, housetraining, and so forth.
Miller, Harry. _The Common Sense Book of Puppy and Dog Care_. Bantam
Books, Third Edition (revised) (1987). ISBN: 0-553-27789-8
(paperback).
This small book provides a surprising amount of useful information.
A little on the "lightweight" side, nevertheless, it gives a good
outline of what you should know about your puppy or dog. You can
use this to decide how much you do know and where you need to brush
up on what you don't. Besides sections on how to select the right
dog, it covers basic puppy needs (housetraining, feeding,
illnesses), basic training, basic pet care, and a complete list of
AKC breeds.
Monks of New Skete, The. _How To Be Your Dog's Best Friend_. Little,
Brown & Company. 1978. ISBN: 0-316-60491-7 (hardback).
A monastery in upstate New York breeds, raises, and trains German
Shepherd Dogs. On the basis of their considerable experience, they
offer troubleshooting guides, discuss discipline, environmental
restrictions, basic and puppy training, and much more. Extensive
bibliography. The emphasis is on understanding the dog in order to
communicate with it or to solve problem behavior. An excellent,
well written classic, although becoming a little dated.
Spadafori, Gina. _Dogs for Dummies_, IDE Press, 1996.
This book is my current favorite and most up-to-date volume on dog
ownership, especially for the novice owner, although there is
something for everyone here. The author writes a newspaper column
and has been answering basic questions every day for years, the
same type that show up in rec.pets.dogs. This experience and
helpful advice comes through in every page on this book.
Taylor, David. _You and Your Dog_. Alfred A. Knopf, New York (1991).
ISBN:0-394-72983-8 (trade paperback).
This useful book is an overall guide to the health and care of
dogs. It includes a basic listing of dog breeds (AKC). This is a
good general purpose book that gives you an idea of what all is
involved in owning and caring for a dog.
_________________________________________________________________
Where Do I Get One?
There are really only three places that you should get a dog from: an
animal shelter, a _responsible_ breeder, or a rescue organization.
Typically, dogs from shelters or rescue organizations are neutered, or
you will be required to neuter them as condition of purchase.
Animal shelters
The animal shelter is a good place to pick up a dog and save it from
death in the bargain. Look for a clean, healthy dog, keeping in mind
any constraints you may have. Look for signs of friendliness and
liveliness. Does it approach you in a friendly manner? Talk with the
people caring for the animals for any information on a particular
animal they can give you.
The best thing to do is to go the animal shelter every weekend and
spend time with the dogs. Try to put their plight out of your mind for
the moment--it would be nice to save them all, but you can't. Instead,
you should get to know the dogs on an individual basis.
Read the tags on each cage and see whether the dog was a stray, or
whether its owner turned it in for some reason. There are some
beautiful adult dogs in the pound that have been given up reluctantly
by ill or elderly, or even deceased, owners. Don't overlook these!
Ask to see the dog in the holding area most shelters have. You'll be
able to check for signs of hostility, see if the dog knows anything,
and in general how it reacts to you. Expect some fear and nervousness!
A few doggy treats may help calm it. If things seem to be going well,
ask if you can take it on a walk, even just around the compound. If
you are curious to know its reaction to cats, take it by the cat
compound.
Finally, don't be afraid to say "not this dog," and walk away. It is
hard, hard, hard to walk away from a sweet dog, but you are looking
for a companion for life, so you will have to be honest with yourself
about what you want. There are heartbreaking stories from people who
made an impulsive decision in the pound and lived to regret it. Bring
along a friend who can help you look at the dog more objectively.
Breeders
If you plan to show your dog, or desire a healthy pet-quality
purebred, find a responsible breeder. Don't use newspaper
advertisements. Attend dog shows or performance events instead and
talk to the owners and breeders there. Try contacting the local breed
club for the breed you are interested in. It's best to get to know
several breeders before they actually have litters you would like to
get puppies from. This gives you a chance to learn more about the
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