THE PERFECT DOG
STEP 1:CHOOSING THE RIGHT BREED
By
OLATUNJI A. OLADEJO
Hello all, and welcome to my first article on “The Perfect Dog”. I would like to thank everyone who has encouraged the successful writing of this article as well as anyone who is reading right now.
So, you’ve decided to get a pet, I’m like “wow that’s a wonderful decision”. Now you’ve probably thought of dozens of animals you feel can suit your daily lifestyle and now all options come down to getting yourself a DOG, I say “wonderful, excellent choice”. Now I’m not saying all the other options aren’t great, no. I mean, cats are cute, hedgehogs are amazing, rabbits are soft, and grass cutters are cool and so on.
Choosing a right dog breed amongst a whole lot of at least 200 different dog breed in the world is a huge decision to make. It always go in two ways: either you choose the right one or the ‘almost’ wrong one. I thought a lot about these, did my research, combined with some previous experience and I brought you a seemingly nice article to show you how to choose the right dog breed, size, and even colour to suit your everyday lifestyle.
First, let’s talk about the breed. This part right here is the most important part of choosing a dog at large. As I mentioned earlier, we have tons of dog breeds out there in the world and choosing a right breed would not only keep you from unnecessary expenses but will also make you love your choice of the K-9 more. I must say, your everyday lifestyle determines the breed you should pick.
Let’s say for example, a smaller dog breed like Chihuahua, Samoyed, pug, American Eskimo Toy Dog etc. Isn’t suitable for someone who is kind of clumsy or someone who is easily frightened by sounds of creepy movements of little animal (you don’t want them to die from hypertension). For someone like this who loves to get these cool little creatures and won’t mind stepping on them anywhere around the corner. Then the question that pops up in that clumsy or frightened head is “does it mean I can’t get a dog?” My answer to you…”of course not, you just need to look carefully for your right breed”. I would recommend for people like that to get a medium sized dog if really desired. I would recommend Miniature Poodle, Miniature Schnauzer and so on.
Talk about being too busy to take care of your dog, groom him/her, and take him for constant training, and so on…. Well I won’t recommend getting a very hairy dog like a Hungarian Puli (The mop dog) or better still a golden retriever. These are very nice dogs actually, top of their lists, but also, they are working dogs, and they need constant exercise and grooming to keep them fit. You can as well get a Beagle or choose one of the terrier ranges around you though they need grooming too, so far they aren’t working dogs, they don’t need that much exercise every day. Also, the smaller pet breeds come in handy too… you can always take them everywhere you go (if they are well trained).
Oh! German Shepherds, Rottweiler, Bull mastiffs, Caucasian shepherds and many more. People have been talking about them more these days, it’s just safe to say they are trending now.
They are all nice, big, amazing dog breeds. If you have been considering getting one of these breeds or already have one, I congratulate you. They are mostly all purpose dogs as they can stand as guards, family dogs, herders (GSDs, Great Pyrenees, Hungarian Puli, Bernese Mountain dog etc. ), some as everyday pet dogs. I must say considering the feeding rate of the proposed breed is a very important factor in choosing the right breed for you. You don’t just want to put up your dog for adoption just because you don’t have enough money to feed or cater for it anymore… It’s not cool. German shepherds actually don’t need too much food to keep them up and running as do Berneese Mountain Dogs. For the record most mollosers (Bull Mastiffs, Caucasian Shepherds, Cane Corso, Pit-bull Terriers, Neapolitan Mastiffs, Boerboels) are somewhat heavy feeders… of course you won’t get the best out of starving them. Always check your pocket size before getting your dog.
Also, in addition, talking about climatic conditions, you must choose a dog that adapts well to the climatic conditions of the area or community you live in. Let’s say you love having those wolf like dogs (Siberian husky, Akita Inu, and Alaskan malamute) around because they are so cute and lovely to behold to the eyes maybe because of their blue eyes and nice fur. You may also have to rethink your choice if you live in a place with somewhat high temperature or else you’ll end up spending extra funds on keeping them cool as their skins three times thicker than any other dog breed.
There are also some dog breeds that can’t survive in extremely cold regions (e.g. Chihuahua).
There are also some dogs that were crossbred with other dog breeds just because of their beautiful physical characteristics, strength, traits and so on. Always note that if you are not getting a pure breed, you can and always must get a certified crossbreed. In the picture below, if you look at his eyes, you would notice them to look blueish and the fur look really nice. This because the dog is a mixed breed of a Siberian husky with a German Shepherd dog but note that this is always not acceptable in every country.
Let’s talk about coluor. If you know you can’t maintain the white fur of your dog, then, maybe you should just settle down for one with another colour. Every day, I see a Samoyed whose owner owns a wine shop across the street and most times I feel disgusted about how drastically the colour had actually changed from white to off-white. It is one thing to hold a small cute dog. It is another wonderful thing to hold a small cute white dog. I mean everyone would always look to your direction in awe.
Lastly, always choose a dog that has almost the same energy class as you do. At the point of selection, you will certainly be faced with a lot of puppies and there is always that one dog that sits around the corner running away from the fun atmosphere, always the last to get to the drinking bowl. Now, if you are this low energy, melancholic, easy going, cool headed dog lover, that right there is your dog. This works like that all the way round.
A very important tip: Let your dog stay with other puppies for at least six weeks after birth. This has a lot of benefits as it helps the dog to socialize with other puppies and also with the mother. Also, always remember to ask for the health record of the Bitch and Sire so as to be prepared for any health issue in your new K-9.
I hope you’ll find this article helpful. I’m also sorry if I didn’t explain some points better. I will certainly do that in my book which is yet to be published. Best of luck in choosing your dog.
