Notes on choosing a dog

 Yet another email I sent to a couple looking to adopt their first dog right after buying their first new house.  I send these a lot.  Some of my views on buying versus adopting and puppies versus older dogs are discussed here.  Not a complete list of ins and outs, but worth posting none-the-less.

A few things to consider when choosing your dog:

1. Puppies are very destructive - especially the powerful breeds like Chow Chow, Labrador, Shepherd, etc. They require at least 2 long walks a day and will not be satisfied by just playing in the yard. Are you sure you want to mix puppy and new house? No matter how careful you are about kenneling and monitoring, you will almost definitely have at least a few potty accidents, wall chewing, wire chewing, etc. Puppies must teeth, so they also must chew. A trainer can help you get through it with minimal damage, but it takes most dogs 1-2 years to mature enough to be trusted regardless of how early you start training.  A puppy may sound like a  fun and cute idea, but you may regret it.

2. You can still adopt a young dog, 5 months and older, at the shelter and shape their personality while skipping the super destructive phases. Dogs are very adaptive and smart - it is never too late to train.  There may still be some chewing, jumping, and other young dog behaviors depending on the age of your dog, but this makes them no different than a dog you would buy from a breeder. Keep in mind that the dogs at the shelter are not bad dogs.  They are simply overflow from the millions of households and breeders who carelessly allow their dogs to breed when there are already too many.  It is a simple issue of overpopulation.  When there are too many people and not enough homes, we end up with homeless people.  Works the same way for animals, only there are a lot more homeless dogs and cats in this world than there are people.  Approximately 7 dogs to every one person in the states. 

3. I highly recommend, whether or not you decide to adopt a puppy or a 5+ month old, that you adopt a mix breed. Unless you are planning to drop $3000 and show the dog, there is no real reason to buy a purebred. Plus, purebreds tend to have more medical issues and temperamental imbalances than most mixes. All purebreds were designed with a specific job in mind, so they are prone to more severe behaviors. Plus, these days they are often bred for looks and not health or personality, meaning there are dangers of health issues, in-breeding, and corruption in the blood lines - all for the sake of a "pretty" dog. It is nearly impossible to know about these issues when you go to buy a puppy. Keep in mind that the dog breeding industry is not a regulated one. Finding a good breeder is like finding a trustworthy tow truck driver. Not likely.