Practical Dog Training Tips

The right dog for you!

Which breed?

In my experience, most of the problems that people have with their dogs are the result of a mismatch of dog and owners. If you get the wrong dog for your personality and lifestyle you can expect to run into trouble down the road.

Responsible breeders have known this for ages, and most good breeders will refuse to sell a puppy to a home they feel he will not fit into.

Place a very dominant puppy with a very submissive owner and you've got a disaster waiting to happen.
Place a very submissive puppy with a very dominant owner and neither puppy or owner will be very happy.

Large? medium? small? High energy, or more laid back? There are a bunch of things to consider if you want a dog that fill fit nicely into your lifestyle.
In fact, those very considerations are the reason for all the different breeds in existence today. They were developed by selecting for certain characteristics that adapted them for specific jobs and environments
Toy Poodles were not developed to herd sheep. Great Danes were never intended to be lap dogs. Pointers are wide ranging, fast moving, high energy dogs that are almost impossible to keep up with on foot.

If you have a passion for a certain breed, then of course you should go with a puppy from that breed, but first, make sure you are aware of their physical and mental qualities and needs. Making an informed choice of breed helps ensure that the new puppy will fit into your lifestyle.

If you want to check out different breeds a good place to start would be at the American Kennel Club website. The site includes descriptions, standards and general characteristics, and even video clips of the various breeds, to help you decide what's right for you.

Male or female?

When people ask me which is better, a male or a female, I generally tell them to find the best puppy in the litter and then check underneath it to see if they've bought a male or a female.
I suppose that's a bit of a cop-out, but it's my way of illustrating that physical and mental soundness are not a function of gender.

Having made that point, I go ahead and give them some very unscientific opinions that I have formed after years of working with, and living with, dogs.

Across-the-board generalizations regarding the characteristics of dogs is risky at best and some females are more like males and some males are more like females.

With that in mind ... across-the-board, I find ...
Males tend to be more independent and seem to have their own personal agenda, while females seem to be more family oriented and tuned in to what I'm doing. The analogy I use most often is, if I go out into the yard with a female, when I go around to the back of the house she'll likely come along. If I go out with a male, he probably won't even check to see where I am until he's completed his routine check of the property and anointed all four corner-posts. If his rounds turn up nothing more interesting, then he may come to see what I'm up to.

Males, at least in the breeds that I live with, tend to be larger and more impressive. They also seem to have a need to water down every shrub, tire, and gate-post they encounter.
Females , unless spayed, tend to come into season with alarming frequency, and must be watched closely, lest they run off with the neighbourhood mutt. Those of you who have teen-aged daughters will already be aware of this characteristic.

Again, an informed, thoughtful choice is best, but if you have your heart set on one sex or the other you should probably go with your preference. If you settle on a female when you really wanted a male, every time your dog makes a mistake you're likely going to be thinking "I knew I should've got a male". This is hardly fair since males make their own share of mistakes. However, it is human nature.

Purebred or Heinz 57?

If you plan to participate in any of the organized kennel club activities such as conformation or obedience you must have a purebred dog.
If you want to be sure what your puppy will look like as an adult, you need a purebred.
There are other advantages to owning a purebred as well, such as being able to choose a puppy from parents certified clear of major genetic problems, and sold with a written guarantee. The initial cost of a good registered dog is not that much per year when divided by the dog's lifetime.

A major caveat here is, just because a dog is registered as a purebred doesn't necessarily mean he's a good dog. A pedigree is only as good as the dog that carries it. I've known CKC and AKC champions that I wouldn't accept as a gift.

If you are not interested in a purebred you may still wind up with a good dog, it's just more of a gamble. Shelters and breed rescue centers are good places to start looking.

In the next article we'll discuss how to find a good litter and select a good prospect.

Good luck with your training ... Neil

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