User:Dsurber/wip

Work In Progress

Please don't edit this page. I'm just thinking out loud here. Comments on the talk page are welcome.

Getting a Dog
Getting a dog is a long-term commitment, not to be undertaken lightly. Dogs frequently live for fifteen or more years, and for the life of the dog, he is your responsibility. You are responsible not only for his physical care--food, water, shelter, health, exercise--but also for his mental development and social life. Dogs are social animals; a dog must belong to a pack. When you keep a dog, your family is the dog's pack. So when you acquire a dog, you are committing to making the dog a constant companion for as much as twenty years. If you are unwilling to make this commitment, perhaps you should reconsider getting a dog. Cats are more solitary animals and do not require constant companionship.

In light of the impact a dog will have on your life, it is wise to choose a dog carefully. Dogs' mental and physical characteristics probably vary more than any other species. Although individuals within a breed can vary greatly, the breed of a dog can tell you a great deal about him. Each breed was developed for a particular purpose. Althought few breeds are still used for their original purpose, individuals of each breed still have many of the mental and physical characteristics that suited the breed to its original purpose. Equally what has happened to a breed in recent years can have a dramatic impact on the typical member of the breed. Just because a breed had a certain trait twenty years ago doesn't mean that trait is common in the breed today.

For example, if you are very active socially, with a large circle of friends that visit your house, you might not want a dog from a guarding breed. For thousands of years guarding breeds were selected to be suspicious of strangers. A highly suspicious dog would not be happy with your social lifestyle. On the flip side, suppose you are concerned about crime in your area. A guarding breed might be a good place to start looking, but you shouldn't assume that all guarding breeds are equally suitable. Some guarding breeds have been bred as pets for many generations and it might be hard to find an individual that retains all of the protective qualities you want. For example you might get a dog that is suspicious but that runs away rather than barking.

The important point is that the work a breed was created to do can tell you a lot about the individual dogs, but it doesn't tell you everything.

Perhaps you shouldn't get a dog. Shelter are overflowing

Rescues, senior dogs, young adults, puppies

The myth of the purebreed dog.

Mixed breed dogs

Puppy mills, pet shops, want-ads, backyard breeders

Dogs are predators. Dogs are pack animals.

Jobs dogs did and the traits required
 * Guarding
 * Hunting-killing
 * Hunting-finding
 * Hunting-retrieving
 * Herding
 * Pulling
 * Companion