锘? Dog Obedience Training So you Want a Puppy?
If you have ever worked at any type of animal shelter or rescue organization you know that every year Meliton Hernandez Jersey , post Christmas, you will be swamped with dozens of unwanted puppies that have not been put through a full dog obedience training course, and are therefore going to, maybe, have some antisocial behaviours that will make the poor creature hard to rehome.
The pup will not have been socialised or worked through an obedience training course that may have picked up a tendency for the pup to be a bitter Jose De Jesus Corona Jersey , or a barker, or a digging dog.
They come into the shelter looking for a new home because it grew too big, or nobody wanted to feed it and look after it, or there was not enough time to give the dog the attention it needed, or it had become a problem biter Mexico Football Jersey , or it barked all day nonstop, or it was costing more to feed and keep than could be afforded and so on and so on.
Many people think that the only thing they need to think about is how the kids will love having a little fluffy puppy. They do not stop and think about the fact that taking a puppy into their lives should be a lifelong commitment and with it comes the responsibility of ensuring its long term health and well being.
Unfortunately so many people have no idea why they want a puppy and before too long they have failed to put it through a proper dog obedience training course and it has become a problem in the house, and an embarrassment every time it goes with you for a walk.
I strongly believe there should be an owners licensing system where the prospective ownerpurchaser needs to adequately show they have fully researched answers to the following questions:
Why exactly do you want to take on the responsibility of dog ownership?
Are you going to have enough time to take the dog to a club or training facility that will provide a full obedience training course for the dog?
Have you, or the person who is going to look after the dog, got sufficient time to give the dog adequate exercise and training at home as well as at their local club or training facility?
Do you want a dog to do a dog sport with? Agility Mexico Soccer Jersey , fly ball, Frisbee, tracking, IPO etc
Are you willing to match the dog with a particular sport? it would be better to have a border collie to do agility with instead of a St Bernard.
Do you want a dog to just love and cuddle?
Have you done some research into a number of dogs that fit the category you want the dog to fit? If you want a terrier, do you want a Bull Terrier Authentic Enrique Esqueda Jersey , a Staffordshire Terrier or a Fox Terrier.
Are you able to afford the vet bills if something goes wrong?
Are you aware that some dogs are, on average more expensive to keep than others?
Do you have or are you going to have children what dog is suitable around young children?
What training clubs are in your area and do they train using positive reward systems.
Do you want a thoroughbred pedigreed dog that you might be able to breed with?
Are you aware of the requirements for being a breeder?
Are you aware of the issues that arise when you have a litter of pups?
Where is the nearest leash free exercise area?
This is not an exhaustive list and I am sure you would be able to add several more very pertinent questions without thinking too hard.
Lets see if we can provide some insight into the answers to the above questions :
1)This depends on so many factors. A tradie wants a dog in the back of his utility. A single child wants a companion. An agility competitor wants a new agility dog to train. You saw a silky terrier in the pet shop window and just fell in love with it.
Short answer use your head, not your heart and carefully examine why you want a dog.
2)Who is going to train the puppy? Not only at the dog obedience club, but also house train, yard train Authentic Vicente Matias Vuoso Jersey , and exercise time. Ideally everyone in the house should be made aware of what training is being done and what systems are being used.
3)Dog sports are all great fun and I recommend that you get involved wherever you are able. Some dog clubs specialise in just doing dog obedience training, whilst others may provide basic obedience training leading to doing dog agility or IPO work. Then there are specialised groups that only do maybe Frisbee or fly ball.
4)If you want to do agility with your dog then you need to think about getting one of the working breeds. If you want a dog to pull a sled then you need a sled dog. If you are going duck hunting you need a retriever and pheasant hunters need pointers.
5)Dogs get sick, get bitten by ticks and have accidents. Vet bills can be really big. Last year, in one weekend I had 2 dogs go down with tick bites. The vet bill was a tidy $1,200. Are you prepared for that?
6)There was some research done in the UK recently that listed the costs of owning dogs. I could not believe the most costly dog was listed as a Chihuahua. But food for a giant Mastive breed will be huge compared to a Maltese poodle.
7)Talking of Maltese poodles Authentic Eduardo Herrera Jersey , another research report had this breed as the most vicious of all dogs with the breed being attributed as having the most amount of recorded bites. Their bite may not be big, but
