How to choose a dog?

People who want to get a dog are faced with a lot of questions, especially if this is their first dog. Thoroughbred or mongrel? At the breeder or in the shelter? Is it possible to understand what a dog has a character? We asked the veterinarian Anna Dubakh to tell what you need to know and what to prepare for if you decide to become the owner of the dog.

1. Think about whether you can become the owner of the dog

Not everyone can keep the dog at home. Think about whether your lifestyle allows you to start an animal that requires a lot of attention, time and money.

If the perfect condition of wallpaper and furniture is fundamentally important to you, think about ten times whether you should start a dog. If you work a lot and are at home, it’s better not to start a dog: it is bored, it will become non -contact, uncontrollable, and, possibly, even aggressive. Many make dogs at the moment when a child should appear in the family. But can you withstand a double load?

You have to walk with the dog. On the one hand, this is a wonderful occasion to be in the fresh air, on the other, it imposes certain obligations. Find out if there is a place for walking next to your house and you are ready to get up earlier.

The dog needs to be fed. Do not think that she will eat perfectly with you. Your food, even the most refined, is not suitable for the dog. It is necessary to either cook for it separately, or buy ready -made food.

If you like to travel or often go on business trips, the dog will have to leave or take with you-this is not always simple.

Do not start a dog if you or someone close to dog wool allergic, as well as if you have alcohol or drug addiction.

Short. Be prepared for the fact that the dog will completely change your lifestyle.

2. Decide why you need a dog and what exactly

There are decorative, hunting, guard, shepherd dogs. Now on the Internet you can find a detailed description of each breed, information about the features of temperament, about predisposition to various diseases, about the attitude to children and about special needs for training.

Decide for what purpose you want to get a dog. If you are going to walk a lot with the dog in the forests and fields, the dog should be sufficiently hardy. If you want to give a puppy to my grandmother so that she is not lonely, do not take a large or hyperactive dog. And it is better for children to have a quiet dog of medium -sized or large, because children often treat small children as dolls, as a result of which dogs are injured.

If you need a dog to protect, give preference to those breeds in which security qualities are genetically laid.

A thoroughbred dog is good that you more or less know what to expect from her. Of course, each dog is individual, but there are many common qualities. Read more, do not rush to choose and remember that the character of the dog is affected not so much by the breed as the upbringing and how they treat it: the fighting dog can become a good -natured nanny, and the labrador - an aggressive egoist.

Short. The breeds differ not only externally. Carefully study character characteristics.

3. Choose not only the breed, but also the breeder

If you have already decided on the breed, take care of choosing a place where you will purchase a puppy. In no case do not buy puppies in the market or by ads. Find a nursery on whose website there will be a maximum of information. Well, if such a nursery is advised by the acquaintances that you trust. The site should have photos of puppies and their parents. Thus, you can already have an idea that you will grow from your puppy.

When buying a puppy, a contract of sale is drawn up, in which some important points are stipulated. For example, it may be spelled out that you undertake not to transfer the puppy to third hands, and if it is impossible to keep it to be returned to the nursery.

Take the puppy only from the nursery, do not meet with the breeder on the street. Look at the conditions that contain dogs. Will they cause you doubt? Delivery from another city can only afford an experienced dog breeder. If you have this first dog, do not risk.

The breeder must provide you with documents for the puppy. This is primarily a metric in which the breed, date of birth, gender puppy, nicknames of parents are registered. With this metric, you can then go to the club and register a puppy in your name. In addition to the metric, the breeder can give you a veterinary passport of the puppy, it may have marks about the first vaccination. It is good if the passport has the printing of a veterinary clinic, but often in order to save money, the breeders themselves buy a vaccine and vaccinate puppies. Then this is a matter of confidence in the breeder.

If you have already read that the dogs of the breed you have chosen can have some genetic diseases, ask the breeder about it. Ask to show veterinary conclusions about what examinations were conducted in puppies and their parents. Follow his reaction to your questions.

A breeder is a very important person in your dog’s life. When choosing a puppy, choose a breeder with whom you will be pleased to communicate and consult in the future. Let it be a competent specialist who loves dogs, and not just a seller.

Short. It is very important where and from whom to acquire a thoroughbred puppy.

4. Think about whether you have a unique dog

If you need a dog not for breeding, but for the soul, choose the best “breed” - a mongrel. This option is economical, interesting, unpredictable. Often these dogs are in good health, because the harsh natural selection has passed. But, on the other hand, they possess the genes of completely different ancestors, and what kind of surprise this or that combination will present you is unknown. But certainly no one will have the second such dog. Observe how a puppy grows and develops a very exciting activity. So he looks like a puppy like, and two weeks later - to the greyhound, but the beard either appeared, or not, but the ears stood up or ... no, only one thing.

You can take a puppy puppy from the street, buy on an ad, take from friends or from a shelter. Try to take a healthy puppy if you are not ready to seriously engage in its treatment.

Short. The mongrels are usually sweet, but always unpredictable.

5. Think: maybe you are ready to take a dog from a shelter?

Adults often get into the shelter, with life experience. It can be grief due to separation from the owner, vagrancy, hunger; Fear or distrust of people. Of course, there are quite socialized, contact, but still, as a rule, they have already passed the age when it is so important to lay the first communication skills with the owner. Much, of course, depends on the conditions of content in the shelter. Dogs can be kept free, and in the aviary of 10-20 animals, and in individual boxes. It is important who communicates with them and how, how long the dog is in the shelter.

On the other hand, if you take an adult dog, it is quite possible, you can avoid problems that are associated with small puppies: puddles on the floor, constant destruction of shoes, wallpaper and books.

Taking a dog from a shelter is undoubtedly an act of charity. But think about whether you are ready for him, whether you have enough effort, time, skills, desire to adapt the already formed animal to your lifestyle. And if you are sure of yourself, feel free to take it.

Short. Taking a dog from a shelter is a good deed, but you need to be prepared for it.

6. Provide your dog for proper care

With the dog you need to not only be friends, but also engage. Even if you do not have a hunter or a guard, still the dog must be brought up, know the main teams. If you do not have sufficient skills in raising a dog - contact a professional dog handler.

It is very important to feed the dog correctly. Remember that the food is incompatible with other products, that is, you can not feed with meat, porridge and food or today - one, and tomorrow - the other. You should decide which option is more suitable for you and make your choice, if more than once and for all, then at least for a long time. Remember that good food may seem expensive, but not every dog ​​will feel good, eating cheap.

The dog must at least once a year show a veterinarian. If the dog has excellent health, it will only be annual vaccination. But there are breeds prone to certain diseases, and this means that it will be periodically necessary to take tests, possibly pass an ECG and ultrasound or even more expensive examinations. Perhaps the doctor will recommend a special diet for your dog. Older dogs should be periodically shown to a cardiologist, an endocrinologist - now in large veterinary blades there is such an opportunity.

Many make a dog for an image or for status. Do not forget that the dog is not a toy or an interior item, but a living creature.

Short. The dog must be correctly fed and periodically showed to the veterinarian. Feel free to consult with competent specialists so that you and your dog are happy.

Anna Dubakh, veterinarian