I’ve been thinking about dog rescue lately, ever since I read and blogged about A Small Furry Prayer. Well, last night we watched a poignant 60 Minutes program about the large numbers of homeless families with children.  The program didn’t really touch on dogs, but many shelters are overwhelmed with dogs being given up as people lose their homes. So this morning, with dogs needing homes still on my mind, I did some websurfing. We are not ourselves in a position to add another dog at present, as our 13-year-old LarryDog would hate sharing attention with a newcomer.

I didn’t go to Best Friends this time. It’s a nationally-known animal shelter Read the rest of this entry

This article by Marcie M. Jensen of http://camprunapup.com/wp has important tips in choosing a puppy. I couldn’t have said it better myself! I think her comment about not getting littermates shines light on something I have noticed about our Rottweiler, Lola, now about a year and a half old. We got her last year in a rescue situation when she was about eight months old. We learned that she had just before that been separated from her sister, a littermate (within the week or two before we got her). Well, Lola loves us dearly and I do find her quite easy to train, but it is evident to me that she is more dog-focused than any other dog we have ever had. I must say that Marcie puts the case against littermates considerably more strongly than I would have, but I left that paragraph in as food for thought. What do you think about getting littermates?

Camp Run a Pup is quite a special place, a “Bed and Biscuit” dog inn, located in the Chicago area, not far from O’Hare airport. They give loving care to their dog guests while the dogs’ people are out on vacation or business trips. To find out more about the B&B, click on the picture. — Rosana

Is it possible to pick the perfect puppy? I’m happy to tell you yes, with some effort on your part. The first step is to buy or borrow a book on dog breeds. Look up the breed you are considering and read about them. A puppy will always demonstrate the traits it was bred for. If digging drives you nuts, don’t buy a Terrier. If you don’t want a dog that barks and herds you, a Sheltie is not for you. If you can’t spend a good part of your time playing and training, don’t buy a Border Collie. Do your research. If possible, talk to a trainer, groomer or veterinarian. These people see what happens when a dog becomes stressed. A breeder is likely to tell you that the breed they deal with is the best. Well, of course! Why else would they be breeding them?

A lot of people say, “My puppy picked me!” In other words, their puppy ran right up to them, and they bought it. They have just brought home a very dominant, demanding pup, which is fine for some people. However, most people will find it stressful to live with this dog. A much better choice for MOST people is the puppy who kind of hangs back, and then when coaxed, comes over and allows you to pet and play with it a bit. Do not ever purchase a puppy who runs and hides or is afraid of loud noises. In other words, you clap your hands and the puppy freaks. This puppy will be very difficult to train and will have noise issues its whole life.

All these rules hold true even if you’re not getting a purebred dog. Do not – I cannot express this strongly enough – Do Not get two puppies at the same time. Never be tempted by littermates. Several things will happen when you buy littermates… Neither will bond to you because they will bond to each other. You cannot train two dogs at once. A dog does not need another dog to play with; they love to play with you!

Be very careful when selecting your new family member. Remember, a dog is not a disposable plaything; a dog should be forever.

I just found an enjoyable little quiz you can take to help you select a dog breed. Since a lot of people choose their dogs without any research, this should be at least a start, though I personally love to pore over breed books.

Here’s the quiz, at the popular dog website Dogster:

http://www.dogster.com/breeds/finder/

And here’s an even better resource, Paws to Consider: Choosing the Right Dog for You and Your Family, by Brian Kilcommons and Sarah Wilson. It’s at Amazon, and has a lot of great customer reviews:

I came across a list of smart dog breeds recently, and found it quite interesting. The article didn’t happen to mention where the information came from, or how it was derived, but still it was fun.

Intelligence of dog breeds is an important factor in choosing a dog. The more intelligent ones can be more satisfying to train… but if you don’t train these dogs enough, they may find things to do that you won’t like! Our LarryDog is part #10 (Australian Cattle Dog) and #3 (German Shepherd), with some Chow and maybe other things. He’s one of the smarter dogs we’ve had.

Of course, intelligence and trainability aren’t exactly the same. Our Basenji, Sunbeam, was incredibly smart — typical of her breed — but training? If she felt like it. I was once on a email list for Basenjis with the motto “Where it takes 100 people to outsmart 1 Basenji.”

The online bookstore Dogwise has a lot of great breed books and other things to help you choose a dog breed that will suit you.

Click here to go to the category Choosing a Dog at Dogwise.