subject: Dog Training - Before You Get A New Puppy [print this page] Dog Training - Before You Get A New Puppy
Choosing The Right Dog For Your Home
So you've decided to let in another member into your family?
A dog is a wonderful addition to any home, but not every home is the right place for every dog. Before bringing any dog to your home, you need to take a look around, and see where you and your dog are going to be living together.
I meet a lot of people who bring a new dog into their home, and only then begin to think about Where is it going to stay:
Inside the house, is the house too small?
Outside, but have you got a fence? Tie it outside? (thats a no..)
Who will take care of the dog? Are you home during the day? Is anybody else home during the day?
If its a puppy it will need Crate Trainingand the minimum of attention every 3-4 hours for the first couple of months.
Do you have babies? Small children? Dog loving (or less) neighbors?
These decisions may seem minor, and unimportant but in fact they have large implications about your life, your dog's life, and a lot more.
If you are living in an Apartment - Large Breeds are not recommended.
For home owners who live in an apartment, and wish to get a dog, I advise a small to medium breed, for these will feel more comfortable in the small space of an apartment, with enough room to go about. You might want to consider a less active dog breed, but in any case, you never know how active your dog will be until it grows up and its behavior stabilizes.
Barks are something that can always be dealt with by different methods, but some dog breeds tend to bark more than others, it's always something worth looking into.
The more time your dog will spend indoors, the more effort you'll need to put into it's education, teach it to play with the right toys (advice on picking toys can be found here) instead of your furniture.
Living in a House?
If you have the luxury of having your own house, your choices are much more versatile, you might even have your own back yard with a good fence for a large active dog to live in.
No matter what dog breed you choose, a back yard is always the preferred area for a dog to spend most of its time. It's where they can sit in the sun, play with their toys and be free of confinement.
Always make sure your dog has toys to play with, or it will find its own "toys" which can be very expensive and harmful.
Read more about Choosing The Right Dog For Youhere.
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