Choosing a Dog

As I stated earlier, breeds matter. Over the centuries, people have found dogs helpful for many tasks. As a result, selective breeding brought about more of certain desired results and less of others. Size is a great example. Some tasks require a large muscular dog while others require a smaller, more agile one. After all, a dachshund cannot accomplish what a Saint Bernard can and vice versa.

It's simple to research dog breeds. In fact, a quick online search reveals some helpful tools. Just as there are "cat" people and "dog people," there are "big dog" and "little dog" people with some in between. It is very important to be happy with your dog's size and overall characteristics since they will hopefully be part of your family for many years. Ideally, it is best to adopt a puppy. Our training advises 49 days as the optimum time to bring a puppy home. The exactness of this date is related to transitioning from dog mama to human parent.

Top Dog, the book we promote, and Family Dog, the DVD, offer additional help in choosing a puppy from the litter. In general, the best choice is neither the most active nor the most passive. Alert and interactive are good traits of course. Another interesting thing to look for is the puppy who briefly resists being held on his back and then relaxes instead of the one who continues to resist or the one who never resists in the first place. It's easy to let the cuteness factor overcome this rational assessment!

Another consideration is the presence of other dogs and pets as well as children in the home. Even a dog that will used for hunting will still be a family member. Actually, the time he spends interacting at home with the family is just as valuable to his training as the time he spends in the field. Just as children learn by playing, so do dogs. Regardless of the breed, all dogs need consistent training and attention. The brand new puppy needs frequent attention to his potty training. Other basic commands and leash training can be accomplished with a routine of 15 minutes twice a day. Since our goal is trained happy dogs, this 15 minutes twice a day has to be a priority everyday for 16 weeks. The results will certainly be worth the effort.