Things You'll Need:
- Pen
- Paper
- Internet
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Step 1
First off, determine your situation.
Dogs take a lot of effort, puppies take an insane amount of effort.
Are you 100% willing to put in every ounce of effort it takes?
Do you like waking up every hour every night for a few weeks? That's what a puppy will need.
Are you willing to pay a trainer to help you work through an older dog's issues? That's what an adopted dog may need. I paid my trainer $100 an hour to help my adopted Dane's dog-aggression issues. -
Step 2
Determine your energy levels.
Adopting or buying a kelpie means that your life will be an action movie from start to finish. Kelpies are working dogs, and will need to work, or they get bored. Bored equals barking, digging, biting, tearing, and can lead to aggression issues.
Adopting or buying a Basset Hound will mean that your life is a lazy Sunday from start to finish. They need cuddles and affection and slow, short waddles. If you're looking for a dog to go jogging with, buy a working breed. -
Step 3
Determine your base knowledge of dog's needs.
Buying a British Bulldog and not knowing anything about heat stroke, ear cleaning, folds and tucks of skin, anal glands or respiratory illnesses equals a dead Bulldog. -
Step 4
Determine your base state.
This means how you react to dogs of varying sizes. If you're cautious or nervous around large dogs, don't get a German Shepard. Once it learns that humans are below it in the pack and are scared of it, you've bred a potential monster.
If you adore Mountain Dogs but lack the strength of character, leadership and ability to be more stubborn than it is, don't get one.
If you walk behind your dog and stay out of it's way, don't buy a large dog that will easily figure out that it is the boss of all humans. One child acting too upfront and bossy and you'll have a damn big lawsuit on your hands. -
Step 5
Determine your finance.
If you're willing to spend possibly thousands on vet bills, a bulldog would be perfect.
Giant breeds take a lot of money and care too. Worming tablets are sold on kilo weight. Want to guess how much you'll be spending on a 100+ kilo Mastiff's worming treatments? -
Step 6
Determine your family dynamics.
Do you have very young children? Search for a breed that has 'very good with children' in the breed description. St Bernards are great with children and can take a lot of little-hand abuse....but remember, that's not an excuse to stinge on the necessary years of training.
Do you have teens who couldn't care less what dog you got as long as it's "cute"? Maltese Terrier would be suitable, as long as someone is designated to do the daily grooming.
Are you a single adult who wants a companion to see in the mornings and at the end of the day? Don't buy a high-energy breed, they'll tear your house to ribbons in boredom and loneliness. -
Step 7
Determine house size.
Irish Wolfhounds may be suitable for unit houses, but think what damage they do to you, children, other pets and themselves if they bolt through a slender doorway. Open plan houses suit Giant breeds better.
A Pomeranian will take up a corner of the lounge room and a small area outside, and are suitable for apartments and small units. -
Step 8
How long do you want your dog for?
Giant breeds {Danes, Wolfhounds, Bernards, etc} can live to 15 years, which is very rare. 7-10 years is a better estimate.
Very small breeds have very small lifespans too. "teacup" breeds are not true breeds, and are made by breeding two runts of a litter. They get the worst of genes, and most likely will struggle through their 4th year. -
Step 9
Breeder or adopt?
"Breeder" doesn't mean a friend of a friend who just happens to have a pregnant cross breed, or a number in the paper that offers "cute cuddly puppies"
True breeders breed for love of the breed. True breeders don't get much money out of a sell. True breeders plan their matings years in advance. True breeders spend thousands making sure their pups are the best of the best that you can take home.
Anyone who buys a dog has to do years of research. It isn't a case of "My friend has a staffy and it likes kids so I'll buy one too".
You have to go to shows, meet breeders, join the club in your area, speak to vets, speak to owners, wait on breeder's lists for years, get your property and family inspected go through an ownership evaluation...it's a long and tedious process.
In the end, however, you know what you have.
It's like buying a cast-iron saucepan that all famous chefs use, and which comes with a lifetime guarantee.
Adopting is a good moral move, but is risky.
That cute 3 year old Staffy may be sweet behind the wires, but maybe he has a deep-set hatred of small boys with sticks.
The shelter owners don't know each dog's loves, hates and desires. They know what they're told by the previous owners, which most likely doesn't include "Oh, by the way...he hates babies"
They most likely know "He's really sweet" or "He's easy to walk on the lead"
It's like buying a saucepan at a garage sale. It might look fine at first, and when you get home the whole thing blows up, or it might be perfect both at home and at the shelter.
