What About Private Dog Adoptions?
Responding to an ad posted online or in a newspaper, or coming across the proverbial box of puppies for sale in a public marketplace, is often required in order to acquire a puppy or adult dog from a private party or a backyard breeder. The majority of the time, private parties will offer either an adult dog whose owner is relinquishing it (using the newspaper rather than a shelter) or a litter of mixed-breed pups that came from an unintentional mating.
If you go this route to select a dog, make sure to learn as much as you can about the real reason an adult dog is being given up, as you may be taking on someone else’s medical or, more commonly, behavioral problem.
If you do choose to go this route, make sure to find out as much as you can about the real reason an adult dog is being given up. Obviously, it is possible that this gorgeous adult dog just has to find a new home due to circumstances that are beyond anyone’s control.
Adopting a puppy in this method may either be a stroke of genius if it is possible to meet the dog’s parents and decide that they are both physically and emotionally sound, or it can be a total and utter waste of time if all you know is that the pups are adorable.
Should You Get an Adult Dog or a Puppie? That Is the Question!
In spite of the fact that you may obtain puppies from any of the locations that we listed, there are a few factors to take into consideration about the age at which a new puppy will join your family.
The fact that the puppy is still in the impressionable phase of the socialization process is one benefit of selecting an animal that is between eight and ten weeks old.
This indicates that you still have a significant amount of control over the puppy’s interaction with humans, other dogs, and even other species of animals that she is likely to spend her life with. You will also be in charge of her early education, and as such, you will be responsible for shielding the young puppy from unduly painful events and assisting her in learning how to be a welcoming and well-behaved part of the community in which you live.
Adopting a young puppy, on the other hand, is not the best choice for everyone. Puppies often go through stages in which they are teething or chewing on things, and they also need to undergo housetraining, which can be a time-consuming procedure.
Not every house is puppy-proof enough to withstand the newcomer’s anticipated destructive activity, and not every dog owner is patient enough to put up with a puppy soiling the house while she learns where the appropriate places to eliminate are.
Adopting an older dog might be the better option, but only if she already has good housetraining, is well socialized, and knows what she can and cannot chew on thanks to her previous experience.
When you have an older dog, you will typically acquire all that the dog has learned as she has grown up, both the good and the bad, and you will have relatively less effect on her behavior since the key phase of socialization is probably already over.
Which Sexe Is More Likely to Make the Best Pet: Male or Female?
In general, the variations in temperament that exist between individual dogs tend to outweigh any differences in gender. This indicates that there is a sufficient amount of diversity between individual animals, independent of their gender, to render a discussion of the behavioral differences between males and females to be of less significance.
The majority of pups will be spayed or neutered before they reach sexual maturity, therefore the influence of sex hormones on their behavior is minimized as a result of this practice. Choosing a puppy solely on the basis of its gender may have a far less impact on its behavior as it matures than does socialization, which involves exposing the puppy to a wide range of good experiences at an early age.
Evaluation of Psyche and Character of the dog before acquiring
The majority of contemporary animal shelters use the use of temperament tests in order to determine whether or not an adult dog is likely to be adaptable and, if so, what sort of family the dog would be the greatest fit for. There is still a lot of work to be done before we can show that these tests can accurately predict how a newly acquired dog will behave in his new home. Meet Your Match/SAFER (Safety Assessment for Evaluating Rehoming), Match-Up II, and Assess-a-Pet are some examples of the types of tests that are used by animal shelters.
The Match-Up II personality exam is used to analyze the dogs at the Center for Shelter Dogs, which is a component of the Animal Rescue League of Boston. Dr. Amy Marder is in charge of these evaluations. This exam is intended to include information from a dog’s behavioral history as well as conducted while the dog is at the shelter in order to match the requirements of each dog with an appropriate household, which will ultimately lead to successful adoption. Visit the website www.centerforshelterdogs.org for further resources, including written and video explanations of this program.
Although every temperament test is different, the majority of them share aspects and objectives. These include evaluating the dog’s social behavior with humans and other dogs, its trainability, its ability to be handled, and its tendency to be aggressive when protecting food or other resources. Shelter temperament tests have difficulty predicting certain traits, such as separation anxiety, territorial behaviors, and aggression directed at familiar family members, according to a number of studies, including one that was published in 2007 and reported by veterinary behaviorist Dr. E.Lise Christensen.
As a result, the best way to reinforce the findings of behavioral assessment testing is with as detailed of a behavior history as can be obtained from previous owners, in addition to the observations of the knowledgeable personnel at the shelter, such as with the Match-Up II examination.
Be careful to examine how your young children and any other pets get along with the dog you are thinking about adopting before finalizing the adoption process. If you already have other pets or children living in your house, this is especially important. Dogs that are relaxed in the presence of youngsters are often less prone to display aggressive behavior against the children.
The youngsters will be greeted by these dogs, which are more suited for families, in an acceptable way, and the dogs will desire just as much attention from the children as they do from the adults in the family. A dog that does not show any interest in your children or that actively avoids them is likely to have some degree of fear of children and may not be a suitable fit for your household.
Inquire whether or not the dog has been “cat tested” if you live with a feline companion. This is a very risky combination since dogs who have a strong instinct to hunt prey are more likely to pursue or even attack a cat that is already in the home. Before adopting a new pet, you should also try to get your existing canines used to the new animal first, as this will ensure that everyone is happy and comfortable with the new addition to the family.
You could also find it useful to inquire about adoptable dogs who have been raised in households with either children or other animals since this might provide further useful information. In comparison to a simple temperament test or a cursory observation, this may provide you with a considerably more precise evaluation.
Keep in mind, however, that different animals have unique personalities, and just because a newcomer did well in a foster home does not mean it will do well with the animals already in your house or in the environment you provide for them.
It’s possible that some dogs won’t show signs of some behavioral issues for many weeks. It is dubbed the “honeymoon phase” after a dog has been adopted, and at this time many of them may act differently than they would in a few months when they have had more time to adjust to their new home and feel more comfortable there. It is important to keep an eye out for signs of hostility when a new dog becomes used to her environment and begins to form closer bonds with her new family. Problems with aggression may emerge as the dog becomes more comfortable with her area.
Is That Definitely the Case?
Will adopting a second dog help a dog who suffers from separation anxiety if she already has one?
Although some dogs that suffer from separation anxiety find solace in the company of a second dog, the majority of nervous dogs do not see another dog as a suitable replacement for people and will continue to experience anxiety when they are left alone in the house.
In addition, the anxiety that your existing pet is experiencing may have an effect on the behavior of your new dog, which may result in twice as much difficulty. Last but not least, if the two dogs do not get along with one another, then there is a possibility that they may fight, which will cause you and your present pet even more anguish.
Is it true that if you already have a female dog, buying a male dog would avoid any fighting between the two dogs that you currently have? For example, if you already have a female dog, obtain a male dog.
According to research conducted by Dr. Kathryn Wrubel and her colleagues at the Tufts College of Veterinary Medicine in 2011, despite the fact that studies of many social animals in the wild have shown that members of the opposite sex only spar with one another very infrequently, we regularly see instances in which male and female dogs fight within the same household.
This is despite the fact that our domesticated pets are typically neutered. In the wild, males and females may look at each other as possible mates and also have less difficulties fighting over them.
However, in our homes, even dogs of different sexes may fight because they compete for prized food, chew toys and bones, humans, and a variety of other desirable resources. Because most of our dogs have been neutered, it is quite unlikely that they would consider one another to be a suitable mate in the same manner that their wild predecessors would have.
Is it safe to assume that a dog did not originate from a puppy mill if its papers show that it was registered with the American Kennel Club (AKC)? The vast majority of dogs that come from puppy mills or other commercial breeding operations have pedigrees that have been registered with the American Kennel Club or another registry.
Pedigrees are kept on each animal that is bred at these high-volume breeding operations. Even the existence of a champion in the dog’s ancestry does not guarantee that the dog will be a good parent. Puppy mills might acquire champion dogs or dogs that have been bred to champions in order to produce pups for sale.
Keeping Your Course While Sidestepping Obstacles
Now that you have done your research and selected your new friend, it is time to get your new puppy off to a good start in life. As soon as you bring the dog home, your job starts in earnest as you make every attempt to cultivate positive routines and steer clear of undesirable tendencies.
The first few days after a new dog has been brought to the household are crucial for any dog, but particularly for pups.
The delicate time of socialization, during which a puppy needs to learn what is safe and appropriate in life, comes to an end somewhere between the ages of twelve and fourteen weeks old. Because of the high likelihood that your puppy may pick up undesirable mannerisms as a result of either being left alone in the backyard or having full and unsupervised access to the whole of the home, it is important to avoid doing either of these things.
The training of your puppy in a crate, also known as a den, is a good place to start because it provides a secure method for preventing the puppy from soiling the house, a location where the puppy can go to get away from excessive handling by small children, and a method for preventing destructive and potentially dangerous behaviors in the house when you are not there. In addition to this, the puppy may be taught independence with the help of the crate by being trained to remain calm while it is left alone.
What Was It That We Said?
You will need to invest some time and energy into making the finest choices possible if you want to get a dog that will be a beloved part of your household for her whole life.
First, you should carefully consider getting a dog, and then you should conduct some study to figure out which breed or mixed breed you believe would be the greatest fit for you and the environment that you would provide for it.
Be wary of letting yourself be swayed by what you see on television or in the movies since these mediums often depict carefully chosen and well-trained individual dogs as representing their breeds. Do not let yourself be swayed by sentimental recollections of a dog from your childhood that was either extraordinary or looked to be such due to selective recall. Your present circumstances may be completely different, and the breed you had as a kid may no longer be appropriate for your way of life.
When you have narrowed down some possible choices, the next step is to give serious consideration to where you can get a new dog or puppy. You should also give careful thought to whether you would be better off adopting a dog from a shelter or buying a dog from a reputable breeder.
Choose a canine companion who doesn’t seem to be either very aggressive or overly timid.
Be prepared to develop strong feelings for your canine companion as you help her get acclimated to her new environment and learn how to live peacefully with you.
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