1. What age is Right for You?
Now, none of this is to say that older dogs don't require just as much effort. It is entirely possible that an older dog hasn't ever been housebroken (because maybe it lived outside it's whole life) or trained. In some cases, an older animal might have some sort of training. In my case, I knew I wanted a 2-3 year-old animal. One that was still young because I live an active lifestyle and wanted my dog to be able to partake in the activities with me, but not a puppy because I knew I didn't have the proper amount of time required. Or perhaps a senior is for you. I would totally adopt a senior dog if I had more space. Once you decide on an age that would be right for you, it's onto the size of the animal.
2. What size do you like?
Larger animals take up more space in the home and the car, and they also put a bit more wear and tear on the house than a smaller dog. However, if you have a destructive, smaller animal, I've seen them do some pretty significant damage to a home. Do you have the proper yard, or place to walk your dog? Larger animals might require longer walks and a larger yard to play in. I was lucky because I had a dog park very close to where I was living, as well as many trails right around my house to walk. that being said, I knew I could handle a larger animal, so I went into my decision knowing I could take a 50+ pound animal without a problem.
Do you have smaller children who will be walking the dog? Or smaller children in the house? Large dogs can be a bit clumsy and can knock small children over on accident. If that's the case, a smaller dog might be for you.
Once you evaluate your area and your space,you should have a good idea in mind about what size dog your family can accommodate.
3. Male or Female?
Males tend to be a bit larger, and since I was prepared to take on a larger animal, I was leaning more toward a male. There are lots of theories out there about male dogs vs. female dogs. I've heard females can be more timid, while males can be a bit more frisky. Honestly, I've seen it go both ways. I've seen females that can be incredibly strong-willed and independent, and I've seen males be fairly docile. I think it all depends on the training and the breed. I got a male- therefore, inheriting a humper- a problem that has slowly gotten better over the years. Not all males are humpers, and I've seen some female offenders as well. My big thing- is that I did not want a dominant animal period. There are some alpha females out there, as well as some alpha males. The important thing here is to spend some time with the dog to see if its personality will fit with yours.
Here is another article on choosing males vs. females.
and one other one as well.
4. Decide on your negotiables:
The "perfect" dog isn't out there. There can be some that grow to be pretty close to perfect after spending lots of time with you. However, the odds you find the perfectly well-behaved dog right off the bat are slim to none. That being said, figure out which types of traits and behaviors are negotiable for you.
Here was my short list of characteristics that were negotiable:
If the dog didn't know these behaviors, it did not really concern me because I knew the dog could be easily trained with the proper time and effort.
- Didn't have to behave on leash (I knew I would be able to fix that with a bit of training)
- Didn't have to be housebroken (I knew that could be fixed with some training as well)
- Didn't necessarily have to know any commands; although, I liked if the dog at least knew how to sit (I knew I could spend some time training the animal later)
- Barking incessantly: If I took the dog for our one on one time, and the dog had a barking problem, I knew it probably was not for me. I spent some time with animals that would not stop barking- even after a correction. I knew my neighbors would be upset if I had an animal that barked constantly, and I wasn't adequately equipped to deal with a non-stop barker. For me, that was a deal breaker.
- Aggression (food or toy): Most humane societies have one on one pens (either indoor or outdoor) with toys and bowls of water in the room. I did not want to knowingly take an animal that demonstrated aggression, because I knew it would require specialized training that I did not feel equipped to handle. I would first play with toys in the room with the animal. I would calmly take the toy away from the animal when I decided we were done playing. If the animal growled or barked or demonstrated any sort of aggression during that time, I decided it probably wasn't for me. I would do the same with the food/water bowl. I would go near the bowl while the dog was close by- if it showed any signs of aggression, I knew it wasn't the one.
5. Breeds:
Finally, the breed. Breed might not be as important to you as say, temperament of the animal. I had labs and golden retrievers growing up, so those were at the top of my list because I was familiar with the breed. I certainly was open to other options. Many breeds, are more active than others, such as herding breeds. Others are more social. But again, for me, it really came down to the ultimate temperament of the animal. I could tell right away whether there was a bond.
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| The first time meeting Sawyer |
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| He wasn't quite sure what to think |
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| Then he decided he might kind of like me for his human |
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| His mind was made up! |
Finally, it's important to visit the dog in person. Go back more than once. Bring your kids, bring your other dogs if you have them. The worst thing would be to jump into a situation if you aren't quite ready and ultimately, have to return the dog because it just wasn't working out.
I rescued Sawyer from the Williamson County Humane Society (Now Texas Humane Heroes), and the rest is history.
