AMOUNT OF CARE NEEDED

  A dog will live 12 to 14 years on the average. With today's technology, dogs, like people, are living longer and the average veterinarian has a number of 'geriatric' patients around 16 years This means that the dog, its coat and energy will be around far a long time!

  The lifespan of a dog should be taken into account before you buy it - especially when you are buying a coated breed. By 'coated', I mean that the coat is long and usually has a heavy undercoat The breeds that come to mind in particular are Afghans, Old English Sheepdogs, Shih Tzus, Bearded Collies and Poodles. These dogs will need constant attention to their coats throughout their lifetime, not just for six months or so. Quite often, especially if the dog is being bought for a child, the child will 'promise' faithfully to groom the dog and this tends to go quite well for the first few months and then becomes 'somebody else’s job (inevitably mothers get this one).

  When buying a heavily coated breed, you should accept the fact that the dog, if being kept as a pet, should be regularly trimmed every couple of months at least. This way everyone, particularly the dog, is a lot happier.

  Also, the environment in which the dog is going to spend its time should be considered. Owning long-haired dogs in areas with long grass and burrs is asking for trouble from grass seed abscesses in the feet, under the front legs and in the ears. In tick areas, having a long-haired dog is tempting fate, as trying to find all the horrid little pests can be nearly impossible. Often the dog has to be clipped off to the skin. If you want to keep the dog like this in a tick    area, have the dog regularly clipped off before the tick season -this usually coincides with the grass seed season, which makes the haircut quite useful. By the end of the tick season (ticks like warm humid weather), the coat is growing back nicely for winter

  Another point to remember is that excessively dense coated dogs have great trouble coping with the heat, e.g. Siberian Huskies and Chow Chows, and they will get easily distressed unless ample shade, water and, preferably, a cool room are available.

Information contained from - "The New Dog Owner's Manual" - Written by Dr Karen Hedberg