The size of your
dog is a personal preference that deserves consideration. I have talked to several people who adopted a
cute little puppy, only to surrender it when it grew to be a big, boisterous
adolescent. A typical scenario is that
the family has a 2-year-old or toddler.
The dog happily jumps on the child once or twice, the child becomes
terrified of that dog (and perhaps any other), and the poor dog winds up at the
shelter. The lesson is that the size of the grown dog should be considered
carefully.
I have also seen
children terrify a small dog, so you might want to look for a large, laid-back
dog for older kids. Careful management, such as leashing the dog, or separating
the dog from the youngest children with a baby-gate, can avoid the knock-down
disasters. Other good strategies are waiting
to adopt until the children or older. If
you get a puppy, you should train it to keep its paws on the floor while it is
still young. It is unfair to let a tiny
pup jump all over everyone all the time, and then to punish it or give it up
because it continues to jump as it grows.
A little foresight and training, using the methods in this book, will prevent
such problems.
I have also seen
families that liked a large, adult dog very much, but who feared they would be
unable to manage such a powerful animal on walks. This is unfortunate, because even very large,
muscular dogs can generally be managed easily and humanely using a head-collar
or a front-clip harness. (I will explain
about these options elsewhere in the book).
Large dogs, contrary to popular opinion, can make great “inside
dogs.” When searching for an indoor
companion, keep in mind the dog’s general activity level and exercise needs,
and whether you can meet these needs.
Keep in mind that some dogs (and breeds of dogs) can be high-energy dogs
outside but couch-potatoes in the house. Another consideration might be how
much the dog sheds and how much grooming it requires.
Also consider that some dogs and some breeds
are more protective than others. For
liability reasons, you should look for a friendly, less protective sort of
dog. If
you want a more protective breed, be sure that the dog has been well-socialized
as a puppy and is friendly with everyone: children of all ages, men, men with beards, women
in hats, people in uniform, etc. When
you get any puppy you need to socialize it with many different people before
the age of about 12-14 weeks, but this is especially true of the protective
breeds. Remember, there is a huge
difference between a protective dog
and an aggressive dog, and you do not
want the latter! According to the Unchainyourdog.org
website:
A
protective dog is used to being around people and can tell when the family is
really being threatened. A dog learns to be protective by spending lots of time
with people and by learning to love his human family…
Aggressive
dogs can't distinguish between a threat and a family friend, because they are
not used to people. Aggressive dogs will attack anyone--children, a policeman,
the meter reader, other dogs. You are in danger of being sued by raising an
aggressive dog who (sic) is a threat to the community.
As you research
breeds, you should read up on how reliable the various breeds are
off-leash. While there is certainly no
guarantee that a particular dog can be trained to be reliable, some breeds are
more predisposed to “taking orders” from humans in the great outdoors than
others. Many of the herding dogs, such
as Border Collies, tend to stick closely to humans and to look to them for
direction; most terriers are rather independent-minded; some breeds, such as
scent-hounds and sight-hounds, should never
be trusted to stick around off-leash. Knowing this and having realistic
expectations of the dog and breed can avert a tragedy!
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