Choosing Dog Breeds, Puppies and Rescues - How to Choose a Dog That's Right for You The question I am most asked by soon-to-be dog owners is "What breed of dog is best for me?" or "Are Staffy's smart?", "Are Mastiff's aggressive?" "Are Jack Russells crazy?"
Now, before I answer these seat clenching questions I want all you soon-to-be dog owners (or multiple dog owners) to do me a HUGE favour. First, take a deep breath. Now, put your breed stereotypes on the shelf, put your rescue dog horror stories under the stairs and wrap your sunny puppy ideals back up in the glittery gift paper they came in.
Now you've got your research helmut on I can take you through my crash course on "How to chose your new best-friend."
Now, be honest with yourself. If this is your first dog (and that means the first time you are solely responsible for a dog) you need to do even more work to prepare for this then someone who has a little hands on experience. Now, don't think all you previous dog-owners get to ride the ignorance train to dog-ownership, you also need to do your research and learn how to prevent any of the mistakes you made with your last dog. (Super-dog owners BEWARE. If you put little
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A normal puppy needs to have a positive interaction with at least 100 strangers (including lots of men and children) before 14 weeks of age (before they can safely leave the house due to vaccination issues). Guard breeds and other "stand-offish" breeds will need even more effort in this department. An anti-social dog is an unsafe dog and cannot safely interact with other dogs, strangers and ESPECIALLY children. Anti-social behaviour includes, withdrawing, hiding, growling, barking and other signs of fear or uncertainty around strange people, places and dogs. Honestly ask yourself, how much time and expertise do I have in this