So you have decided that that you are a doggy lover.
It is no doubt a right decission. People all over the world love dogs.
According to American Pet Products Association (APPA) analysts' estimates approximately 63.4 million U.S. households own dogs.
But owning a dog as a pet is a huge responsibility. It is equivalent to having a baby to be taken care on a daily basis. They demand attention, love and care. They also have a personality of their own just like humans.
Lots of factors go into deciding which breed of dog is best suited for a family.
I am listing out some of the major factors which one needs to consider before a suitable dog breed is brought into the house as a pet.
1) Acceptance: All members of a family may not agree on having a dog in the house due to various reasons like alergy, falling hairs, frequent barking, family outings and so. Their needs to be a discussion and agreement on the modalities of having a dog in the house like sharing responsibility on feeding, walking, grooming and medical emergencies.
2) Location: Earlier people used to live in large independent farm houses and had large open spaces where animals of all kinds including pet dogs lived. But now people live in modern apartments where living space is a constraint and having a pet dog in the limited space will add to the burden. Neighbours may object to your dogs barking or your locality may have a no pet rule. If this can be sorted out then having a dog becomes easier.
3) Finance: Owning a dog can be financial burden if they are not considered at the time of making a decission. If you decide to buy a dog then they can be very expensive depending on the breed you choose. Pure bred dogs are very expensive. Adopting a dog from a shelter would be good for those who are not too concerned about the breed. Dogs require vaccination right from their 3rd week to adulthood. In addition to vaccination they also need to be dewormed once in a quarter to limit the worms in their intestine. A trip to the vet once in a while must be part of your routine. Feeding every few hours specially formulated dog food is essential for your dogs health. All these require adequate allotment of finances.
4) Time: This is the most important of all factors listed above. As i had already mentioned earlier owning a dog is a full time responsibility just like taking care of your child. A child grows and becomes independent and starts to take care of his or her needs but a dog needs constant attention throughout it's life span of 12 - 14 years. Dogs require daily walking twice a day, daily grooming and weekly bathing. If you and your family members can commit your time then the returns in the form of unconditional love and faithfulness is ten times from your dog.
5) Right breed: Dogs come is three sizes.
Small medium and large.
Small breeds like Chihuahua, Pomoranian or Lhasa are good for small families living in small apartment building or houses. Small breeds require less workout but need daily walks. Walk on the footpath in the locality road would be sufficient as a means of exercise.
Medium breeds like a labrador, bull dog, Dalmatian are good for families living in large apartment or houses with adequate space like a garden to run around.
Large breeds like Great Dane, Tibetian Mastiff require large space and usually owned by families living in farm houses or independent villas.
If you are interested to know more about dogs then click here to find books available on amazon on various dog related topics.
Next i would be discussing on whether to bring a puppy or a dog of few months or an adult dog as a pet.
It is no doubt a right decission. People all over the world love dogs.
According to American Pet Products Association (APPA) analysts' estimates approximately 63.4 million U.S. households own dogs.
But owning a dog as a pet is a huge responsibility. It is equivalent to having a baby to be taken care on a daily basis. They demand attention, love and care. They also have a personality of their own just like humans.
Lots of factors go into deciding which breed of dog is best suited for a family.
I am listing out some of the major factors which one needs to consider before a suitable dog breed is brought into the house as a pet.
1) Acceptance: All members of a family may not agree on having a dog in the house due to various reasons like alergy, falling hairs, frequent barking, family outings and so. Their needs to be a discussion and agreement on the modalities of having a dog in the house like sharing responsibility on feeding, walking, grooming and medical emergencies.
2) Location: Earlier people used to live in large independent farm houses and had large open spaces where animals of all kinds including pet dogs lived. But now people live in modern apartments where living space is a constraint and having a pet dog in the limited space will add to the burden. Neighbours may object to your dogs barking or your locality may have a no pet rule. If this can be sorted out then having a dog becomes easier.
3) Finance: Owning a dog can be financial burden if they are not considered at the time of making a decission. If you decide to buy a dog then they can be very expensive depending on the breed you choose. Pure bred dogs are very expensive. Adopting a dog from a shelter would be good for those who are not too concerned about the breed. Dogs require vaccination right from their 3rd week to adulthood. In addition to vaccination they also need to be dewormed once in a quarter to limit the worms in their intestine. A trip to the vet once in a while must be part of your routine. Feeding every few hours specially formulated dog food is essential for your dogs health. All these require adequate allotment of finances.
4) Time: This is the most important of all factors listed above. As i had already mentioned earlier owning a dog is a full time responsibility just like taking care of your child. A child grows and becomes independent and starts to take care of his or her needs but a dog needs constant attention throughout it's life span of 12 - 14 years. Dogs require daily walking twice a day, daily grooming and weekly bathing. If you and your family members can commit your time then the returns in the form of unconditional love and faithfulness is ten times from your dog.
5) Right breed: Dogs come is three sizes.
Small medium and large.
Small breeds like Chihuahua, Pomoranian or Lhasa are good for small families living in small apartment building or houses. Small breeds require less workout but need daily walks. Walk on the footpath in the locality road would be sufficient as a means of exercise.
Medium breeds like a labrador, bull dog, Dalmatian are good for families living in large apartment or houses with adequate space like a garden to run around.
Large breeds like Great Dane, Tibetian Mastiff require large space and usually owned by families living in farm houses or independent villas.
If you are interested to know more about dogs then click here to find books available on amazon on various dog related topics.
Next i would be discussing on whether to bring a puppy or a dog of few months or an adult dog as a pet.
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