WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM A DOG?

New puppy owners often do not consider whether the breed of dog that they have selected will be suitable for their family or lifestyle. They have a breed in mind that they may have seen in someone else's backyard or on a dog food advertisement on television.

The breed may be a very nice ore, but will it fit in with your family, particularly if you have very small children? A Saint Bernard, although a lovely small puppy, reaches 60-80 kg by nine months of age, while your child has gained 6-8 kg (if it is growing rapidly) in an entire Year!

The Saint Bernard puppy an be a bit too heavy and exuberant to associate with lightweight children. However, an older bitch, one that has got over the puppy stage, can be excellent with young children.

When selecting a dog, care should be taken to choose a breed with nature that the family likes and can live with in and around the house A quiet gentle breed, e.g. the Italian Greyhound, is totally unsuited to rough handling by young excitable children, yet it is particularly good with older children and adults. A rough and ready terrier, for example, the Australian Terrier, is ideal for 'middle-sized' energetic humans.

Consideration should be given to the following:

(a) Size of the dog in relation to the age of any children.

(b) Area of the backyard.

(c) Amount of exercise needed and care necessary in grooming the adult coat. An Old English Sheepdog, for instance, looks superb when in full coat, but may require 6-8 hours work a week to keep it that way. The vast majority of these dogs are eventually clipped very close to the skin every summer because the grooming cannot be managed properly.

If some thought is given before buying a puppy, there would be far fewer unwanted dogs finishing up in the pound. The more thought that is put into determining the type and temperament of your puppy, the greater the eventual enjoyment there is between suitably matched dogs and owners.

To assist your choice of breed, here is a summary of the different breed groups, their general characteristics and temperament.

Remember that a dog is a wonderful friend, who accepts you with no reservations. It will not be able to criticise you if your temperament and habits do not mix well with its temperament and habits.

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