Collins Complete Dog Manual

Training Programme (#litres_trial_promo)

Using Rewards (#litres_trial_promo)

Dog Sports (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 5 (#litres_trial_promo)

Caring for Your Dog (#litres_trial_promo)

Feeding Your Dog (#litres_trial_promo)

Grooming (#litres_trial_promo)

Exercise (#litres_trial_promo)

Going Away (#litres_trial_promo)

Healthcare (#litres_trial_promo)

Diagnosis and Treatment (#litres_trial_promo)

Nursing a Sick Dog (#litres_trial_promo)

First Aid (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 6 (#litres_trial_promo)

Advanced Dog Care (#litres_trial_promo)

Showing Your Dog (#litres_trial_promo)

Breeding (#litres_trial_promo)

Pregnancy and Birth (#litres_trial_promo)

Glossary (#litres_trial_promo)

Need to Know More (#litres_trial_promo)

List of Searchable Terms

About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)

(It’s Me Or the Dog © HarperCollins/ © Mark Read)

Choosing Your Dog (#ulink_ff065da1-591e-5557-9de1-51e710e7d5f5)

Finding a Dog (#ulink_2da24d8f-0c00-5766-ac81-d0af787744fc)

Selecting the Right Dog (#ulink_bf6ffcd6-7b64-594e-93f6-eadddaf9d46b)

The Perfect Puppy (#ulink_7b5325e3-4748-533e-9f39-af39b01a41b3)

Good Social Skills (#ulink_f532807e-4c9b-5983-bd91-0d689f089a43)

If you want a puppy, impulse buying is your worst enemy: every puppy is small, pretty and vulnerable, and it is so easy to fall for a little bundle of mischief without any consideration for the future – the puppy’s future or your own. Buying a puppy or an adult dog is one of the most important purchases of a lifetime. You will be assuming control of another creature’s life and he will be dependent on you for upwards of twelve years, so you are, in effect, buying a new member of the family.

Because of the importance of the decision, it is a good idea to consult with all the members of your family from the youngest to the eldest, for each one will bear some responsibility in different areas of the dog’s life. Children should be closely involved as the lessons they can learn from caring for a dog will stand them in good stead for the rest of their lives. Owning a dog now is likely to help them to be more caring to both animals and humans later on in their adult life.

Which Breed?

There is a breed of dog that is suitable for every family. The UK Kennel Club registers 173 breeds of dog and obviously it will take a little research in order to discover which one is ideal for you but all the effort is well worthwhile. Probably the first consideration is where you live and the size and style of the accommodation. All dogs love freedom and are suitable for country living, with the exception of only some very small heavy-coated breeds, but not all dogs are suitable for city or town life. It would not be right to condemn a large dog such as a St Bernard or any of the larger hound breeds to life in a small flat in a tower block, but dogs, being what they are, would adapt to the life. However, the fact remains that it would not be fair and would almost certainly lead to problems, particularly concerning behaviour and temperament.

(It’s Me Or the Dog © HarperCollins/ © Mark Read)

If you live in an estate where the houses are quite close together, the neighbours must be respected. They have the legal right to peace and quiet and thus a breed that is inclined to yap or bark for long periods is not suitable; neither would you want a breed that has the reputation for being aggressive to other dogs and too defensive of you and your family. Remember that unfortunately not everyone likes dogs, and therefore you would not want to willingly introduce an element into your life which will bring aggravation.

Next, consider your own attitudes; if you are super tidy, a dog with a thick double coat that tends to moult heavily would be a source of irritation. He would require daily grooming but would you have the time to do this? There are other considerations, such as is the house left empty for long periods? Is there a member of the family willing and able to walk the dog at least twice a day? Who will be responsible for feeding him and making sure that fresh water is always available? (see Chapter 2: Dog Breed Guide (#ufca3d865-b7fc-584e-a377-0632df7def8e).)

(It’s Me Or the Dog © HarperCollins/ © Mark Read)

Finding a Dog (#ulink_f2d50892-0293-5d8a-800b-6eea5931b1eb)

It has never been easier to find out about dogs, and the latest most convenient and complete way to do this is by using the Internet.

(© Jean Michel Labat)

It is simplicity itself to click on to the Kennel Club’s own website, or one of the others that relate to pets, and link into the breed history, breed clubs and the breeders themselves. It is possible to communicate with breeders and owners around the world and to download photographs and articles. The Kennel Club will also provide you with the telephone numbers of any breeders close to where you live. However, if you are looking for one of the rarer dog breeds, you will have to be prepared to travel further afield.

There are literally thousands of books on breeds of dogs and there are many specialist bookshops dealing in the subject. Public libraries are also an excellent source of information, and if they haven’t got a particular book they will order it specially for you.

There are weekly newspapers devoted to pedigree dogs, their care, exhibition and breeding as well as some monthly magazines publishing information on every aspect of owning pet dogs. One UK magazine even has a section on finding dogs, with a list of consultants for every breed. A phone call can put you in touch with a friendly expert who is not there to sell you a dog but to provide unbiased information so you can make an informed decision.

Pedigree or Mongrel?

At about this juncture you will have to decide whether you want to own a pedigree dog or a mongrel. Some authorities claim that pedigree dogs are less healthy than mongrels or cross breeds. Although this may be so with a few breeds, there is no scientific evidence that will prove the case generally. There are two reasons why a dog is classed as a pedigree:

• The first is that his ancestry is known and recorded.

• Secondly, he breeds true; that is to say that if you mate a dog and a bitch of one breed the resultant puppies will be replicas of their parents (colour excepted).

One of the main advantages of a pedigree dog is that within close parameters you will know how big he will grow. You will also know the sort of temperament he is likely to develop. However, buying a mongrel is a bit like a lottery – unless you have some specialized knowledge, the little creature at eight weeks might be a giant at eighteen months; he may have inherited some nasty genes from one of his parents that may not manifest themselves until he is two years old or even older.

The Kennel Club, the Internet, canine newspapers and magazines can all help you to find the right pedigree dog or puppy for you. Many prospective owners go to dog shows to seek out breeders but with today’s All Breed Championship Shows, which are held over three days, it is as well to find out in advance on which day your favourite breed is being exhibited. A telephone call to the Kennel Club or a study of the canine newspapers will reveal the most convenient day; the smaller open shows that take place over one day may not schedule your particular breed.

Pet shops and puppy farms

There are traps into which the unwary can fall: the selling of puppies and young dogs is now a multi-million pound business, and unfortunately there are a few unscrupulous breeders, dealers and retailers waiting for the gullible. Most people have seen on television and read in the national newspapers of ‘puppy farms’. However, these are not farms in the true sense of the word but places where puppies are bred with no thought to their welfare, physically or mentally, and fed on cheap and inferior foods with no veterinary attention. Their breeders are not concerned where they go or what happens to them after they leave their premises. The puppies can either be sold direct to the public via misrepresented newspaper advertisements or they can go to dealers who will sell them by any method. Alternatively, they may be sold on through pet shops.