One of the most determining factors at the time to be happy with our dog, it is your correct choice. It may sound a little bad at first, however its importance when it comes to having a correct interaction with our animal during our lives together, if a percentage could be established, it would be 80%. Which is a very high percentage as you can see.
Today I am going to talk to you about how to choose your dog correctly, which does not have to be a puppy. There are people who do not have patience for them and that is a reality. I leave you with the entrance, Educating on an emotional level: How to choose our ideal dog, where I hope to clarify your doubts on this subject.
In a previous post, Educating on an emotional level: Stress in puppies II, I talk about the importance of properly educating our puppy, keeping him away from emotional intensities since he was little.
Dogs are social animals, and they are capable of adapting as much as possible, to our life and our family, however that measure of which I speak is largely marked by the way of being of the dog, which like any Being human, has personality, characteristics and needs, which make them unique as individuals. Maybe two dogs look alike, yet they will never be the same.
Therefore expecting our new dog to resemble the old one, or pretending that a dog has a personality similar to its father who was our previous dog, or that two sibling dogs have the same personality, is largely self-deception that it often takes us away from our pet by frustrating ourselves by not finding what we expect, which only serves to establish a solitary confinement with our four-legged friend, which most of the time results in problems of great proportions, which would have been solved easily through a little observation and acceptance.
That is why I always suggest asking ourselves a series of questions before choosing our pet.
Which is what I want?, It is a good starting point. It is not the same to want a furry friend to go to the field for a run, than to hope to be able to sit and touch his belly for hours on a blanket in my living room.
What is what I need?, is a good achievement to the previous point. If you are an elderly person or person with reduced mobility, or you just get nervous easily, you should choose a dog with a medium / low energy. If you are an active person and athlete, you should look for a dog with a high energy that is able to follow you in your activities without problems. This point is one of the most important. You may want one thing, and you need another. Be careful and honest with yourself on this question. The answer can mark the life in common with your dog.
What can I offer?, is a necessary ending. If you work 12 hours a day and you cannot get your dog what he needs, and you have no one to take him out while you work, it is best to consider the situation beforehand and not be irresponsible. If you live in Ecija, it is better not to catch an Alaskan Malamute, since it is a dog that has lived for 10000 years in cold climates. And don't tell me air conditioning and shade fix it. Be honest with yourself. You cannot have a Mastiff in a 30 square meter apartment and expect that because he is looking out 15 hours a day on a balcony he is happy. This is very important. We cannot condemn an animal to suffer our lives.
And I end this post with a suggestion: Consult with an Educator or Breeder, or with the Operator of the Shelter or Zoo-sanitary that attends you, which is the correct choice of puppy for your needs. Inform you before choosing. If everyone did it, there would be half as many abandoned dogs.
And the blame for that is only us, humans.
Greetings and I wait for you in my next post.