Dogs Breeds - puppies for sale
If you’re looking for a puppy for sale, you’ll find all the information you need right here to choose the right dog for you.
Dogs have been bred for thousands of years (approximately 15,000 years of breeding exist between the original wild wolf and what we know today as our companion dogs) sometimes by interbreeding (where dogs from the same genetic line are bred together) or by mixing genetic lines to create new breeds. Of course, this has resulted in a very wide variety of breeds and hybrids (including wolf hybrids) from the little Chihuahua to the lumbering Great Dane.
Breeding and inter-breeding only has control and regulation at a “pedigree” level, overseen by The Kennel Club of Great Britain and in the USA, The American Kennel Club, so it’s difficult to give an accurate answer to: “how many breeds of dog are there?”. Furthermore, breeds historically have been initially created, or bred, and subsequently altered to suit their original purpose: companion dogs are generally affectionate, soft-natured and family-friendly; guard dogs are alert, bond strongly with few people and are trained to show aggression in either display and/or physical act; hunting dogs have highly sensitive olfactory cells, use their nose a lot and show determination to follow scents (even through hedges!); herding dogs who are trained to keep groups of livestock (such as herds of sheep) contained and assist in their movement from one area to another and working dogs which is a fairly generic term for those dogs which have very specific ‘jobs’ such as pulling sleds or transporting people. Although these are the most common groups of dog there are actually many more and you could even include assistance dogs as a breed of their own as many organisations such as Guide Dogs for the Blind and Hearing Dogs for Deaf People have their own breeding programs to maintain desired properties (such as good temperament, fast-learning, not digging etc) through their stock.
There are over 300 different breeds of dog Worldwide and when looking to get a dog, it can be a daunting process to select one. Rather than trawling through all 300+ breeds, here are some Top Tips for Getting The Right Dog For You:
1: Getting a dog is accepting an animal into your home - remember that it is an animal. Sounds obvious and a little patronising, I know, but I’m constantly surprised by how many owners complain that their dog barks, knocks things over with its tail, brings muddy paws into the house and is “unruly” if not trained. These are all normal behaviours for an animal. It’s sort of akin to complaining that this bird you’ve just got keeps flying everywhere and it’s annoying you. Owning an animal - whether dog, parrot or bear - is about responsibility and accountability. Remember that you are responsible and accountable for your dog and its actions by law and can be prosecuted so choose to be a responsible dog owner.
2: Think carefully about what your home life is like and how a dog would fit into that: are you away all day? If so, what will your dog do for 8 or more hours on its own? Don’t be surprised, or angry, if it gets lonely or bored and starts to dig your carpet, chew your sofa or even defacate through stress of being left alone. These are all normal animal behaviours. Do you have children? If so, you’ll want to think very carefully about avoiding guarding breeds and dogs that have been bred not to growl: it is much safer to teach a child to move away from a dog that growls than get a dog that will bite or snap without warning. Rottweilers, despite all their unfortunate bad press in the past, from a reputable breeder, are a fantastic breed to have around children.
3: Where possible, make sure you see both parents of the dog you want. This often isn’t possible when adopting from a rescue centre but if you get a puppy do not ever accept it if you haven’t seen what the parents are like. Behaviour is genetic, so if you don’t see the parents, you’re taking a complete gamble on what behaviour traits your dog will develop… or already has.
4: Train your dog from the second you get it: teach it gently and calmly what you would like it to do and what you would like it to not do. Although behaviour is genetic, it is only behaviour and the vast majority of the time can be modified. There are a number of free training tips available on my website, you can download my free dog training and behaviour iPhone app from the AppStore (search for Dog Trainer Pro), listen to my podcast series on iTunes or watch videos on the YouTube channel.
5: Think about the environment that you live. Do you live in a flat? Do you live in the centre of a large town or city? Do you have a garden? Where will you exercise your dog? If you live in a flat, it wouldn’t be advisable to get more than one dog and certainly not a large or active breed. Labradors, Huskies, Staffordshire Bull Terriers and hounds are all out of the question: they require exercise, free-running and lots of stimulation. What we term “bad” behaviours are actually perfectly normal, predictable and avoidable - the vast majority of problem behaviours I see have been created - all-be-it unintentionally - by owners, environment and lack of showing the dog how we’d like it to behave.
6: Read very carefully and thoroughly as much as you can about the breed so that you fully understand the pros and cons (of which each breed has plenty of each) and listen to the warnings and advice from other owners.
I love tigers and, even though I could have one as a pet in captivity in places like America - I wouldn’t. Just because dogs are more common, it doesn’t make them any more a dispensible commodity.
Once you’ve thought about each of these points, you’ll find it much easier to select the best breed for you as you can immediately discount any that don’t suit you, your living environment and your lifestyle. At all costs, do not get a dog because you like the way it looks: many, many Huskies for example, are being re-homed or dumped at rescue centres because they were chosen simply on their stunning and somewhat magical looks - little do many potential Husky owners realise that they are innate jumpers (and will easily clear 7ft high fences), love to dig, have innate chase instincts (small and fluffy are their favourite things to chase… which of course includes rabbits and cats) and are very indepdendent. As lovely as they look, they’re not for people who can’t commit to lengthy exercise, a lot of patient training and an understanding of the breed.
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Posted in Jez's advice on anything dog by admin
