How To Choose Your Dog – Assessing Your Lifestyle
This article covers some of the issues you need to consider when looking at what you need from your dog. Read on for more info.
Get Your Free Guides!
I’ve put all of the online lessons into a bigger and better free e-book guide. Grab yours today!
Most people make a mess of choosing a dog. It happens to 6.5 million dogs per year in the USA alone. That’s BILLIONS of dollars wasted. Heartache and tears. Unbelievable cruelty. So stop! Think! And get your FREE guide today!
Discover for FREE what most people will never know about choosing a dog for a lifetime of joy. Fast track your success with the best tips around. Get your Free Guides today by clicking this link
What do you need from a dog?
Getting a dog isn’t about getting the dog you want. It’s about getting the dog you NEED.
I know that sounds a bit silly. But when you assess your lifestyle properly you can often find that what you wanted and what you need aren’t compatible. Get what you want and it doesn’t suit and there will be trouble ahead.
Too many people jump in headfirst, get a dog they think they want and then find it’s not suited to their lifestyle. They often choose based on what they’ve seen, or heard, and only that. Third hand information and pictures do not tell the full story! Then they rehome it, pass it on to someone else because it’s too much of a problem, neglect it, or worse.
The best dog is one where your lifestyle and the dog’s needs are all matched up. Sometimes that might mean a surprising choice – for example you ended up with a cute small dog not the big one you were first thinking of. If you look on the testimonials page you’ll see an entry from a dog trainer which makes this point really well.
If the dog’s right for your lifestyle, then you’ll have a lifetime of happiness.
Many people who take rescue dogs don’t choose the best looking dog in the world. But they are deliriously happy with it. That’s because the dog’s personality and it’s fit with the household turned into lasting love.
So first….
Assess your lifestyle.
That’s asking questions like:
- where do I live – town, country?
- what’s the climate like – hot, cold?
- what kind of space do I have indoors for a dog bed and food bowls?
- is my garden/yard big, small?
- am I highly active? Not active?
- how old are my kids? Does this mean I can have an X sized dog (big/small/medium)?
- how much time do I spend at home?
Once you have answered all the key questions, then you can look at what ‘picture’ that gives you of your home. So off you go and list the key points about you, your family and environment. Those key points need to be found in your dog.
You now know what you need from your dog. You can then review breed profiles with confidence, or visit rescue centres, and see which dogs fit your lifestyle.
So start considering what are the unique factors of your household and environment. List them out and think about them before you look at the breeds to choose from.
However, there are lots of questions you need to ask to make sure you know your lifestyle inside and out. And ways of assessing them that make it easy for you to see all the key points at a glance. Missing just one thing can lead to problems further down the line.
P.S. Lifestyle is a really crucial aspect to get right. Because your decision of what dog to choose stems from that. If you get that wrong, then everything else will be wrong too, including your dog. If you care enough to really be happy with your dog, then click here now