Breeds

Choosing A Dog That Is Right For You.

There are many things that we just don’t think about when getting a new dog or puppy. With most people the excitement of getting a new dog usually over powers what you really need to be taking into consideration.

Academy of Canines has found that one of the most important things you can do to make sure your life remains happy as well as your new dog’s life, is to choose a breed that is right for you! Too many people choose dogs due to their look, how they think they should act, or even because that breed of dog was in a movie and “smart or perfect”. These are the wrong reasons that could lead to disaster for you and your new dog.

Academy of Canines can help. Following you will find information to help you if you have found a dog, adopted an adult dog or puppy already, or if you are still looking for a dog or breed that would be right for you. We are also including links to other sites that we felt may be helpful in helping you choose a breed.

Choosing the right dog breed for your family

FOUND DOG or SHELTER DOG

If you have found a dog or puppy and have concluded that it was not a “lost dog”, you now have to decide if this is a dog you really need to be keeping or would both of you be better off by you finding the dog a different home better suited for his breed.

There are many factors to keep in mind when keeping a found dog or adopting a shelter or rescued dog or puppy. Most of these dogs, even puppies, have some type of past. DO NOT let this discourage you in any way from taking in one of these dogs! We have found that some of your most loyal dogs are the ones that have been saved. In reality, if a dog or puppy has been dropped off, thrown out, left by a dumpster, or what ever the situation may be, there was a reason. Now this does NOT make this a bad dog! The reasons could be anything from the person could not afford to feed or care for the dog (which is becoming a greater problem due to the 2008 economy crisis), the person did not understand how to correct behavior problems like pottying in the house or chewing which are the two most common, the person did not have room for the dog, the person works too many hours now to properly care for the dog, and the list goes on! Again, majority of these dogs are NOT “bad dogs” and just need training, behavior correction, and lots of love!

Academy of Canines does want to make you aware of a few extra things other than picking out a breed that is right for you. When you take in a found or adopted dog or puppy, be cautious to how it is with children, other animals, and also both males and females. Even if you do not have children or pets of your own, your neighbor, relatives, or friends might. Dogs with other animals can usually be socialized depending on the dog. Yes, most dogs and cats can live together if socialized and handled correctly. Male and female humans, this is one that you do not actually come across often but does happen. Depending on the dog’s past, some dogs have been abused by one or the other and develop a dislike for males or females. I hate to say, I have personally experienced this. I was brought an abandoned 10 week old pup that had been severely abused. She was wonderful with women and children, but had a deep dark hate for ALL men. This is not a situation that a normally individual or family would know how to cope with. It all depends on the dog and the extent of the abuse if behavior modifications will be productive or not in this type of case. Take a few minutes to see how the dog reacts to different people before taking it home. If you are getting the dog from a shelter or adoption facility, normally the employees can tell you a little about how the dog has acted since being there. You can also ask the staff to come around the dog to see how it acts. If it is a found dog please be cautious when introducing it to new people until you learn how the dog will act. Majority of dogs do not have these issues, but it is good to be cautious.

There is nothing worse then seeing a 7-8 year old dog dropped off because he was not socialized with children or animals. If you have an older dog or thinking about getting one, Academy of Canines does offer education in our members section on “Old Dog, New Baby”, there is no reason to give up your old friend just because you are afraid he won’t bond with a new baby, child, or family member.

PICKING A BREED THAT IS RIGHT FOR YOU

If you are getting a new dog or puppy you want to make sure you choose a breed that is right for you as well as your environment. There are many things to consider… your schedule, the amount of time you have to spend with it, the amount of space and yard space you have, size of breed, breed group, hypoallergenic or not, amount of shedding, pure breed or mix breed, hyper activity level, and more!

To help you choose a breed or breed mix that is right for you, Academy of Canines is providing links to other web sites which have information on specific breeds or breed mixes while we are in the process of building our own “breed database”. If you need any further help with a specific breed or mix please feel free to contact us.

Breed Database

**Please note that the web site(s) above are in no way associated with Academy of Canines or academyofcanines.com, but provided to further help you in choosing a breed**

If you would like Academy of Canines to consider including your dog in our breed database, please email us the breed/breed mix, any information which may be included, your dog’s name and a high quality close-up full body photo.

Due to Academy of Canines mission to help keep dogs in forever homes and out of the shelters, we will be including as many mixed breeds as possible. Please feel free to send us your mixed breeds as well! Just please make sure you know the breed mix for accuracy in description.

Thank you,

Rebecca

Academy of Canines