5 Benefits Of Adopting An Adult Dog

Adopting an adult dog has many benefits over starting off with a puppy. In this article, we are going to talk about some of those benefits that you might enjoy by adopting an adult dog.

1. Don't have to deal with all the puppy raising issues

When was the last time you raised a puppy. Raising puppies can be a real pain in the rear and time-consuming as well, especially if you work or are gone away from home for long periods of time. In the beginning puppies need lots of time and attention to take them out to do their business and in feeding them multiple times a day. With an adult dog you shouldn't have to do that.

2. Possibly house trained

When starting with an adult dog there's a possibility that it's already housetrained which will make your life much easier. However if it isn't housetrained when you adopt it, it should be very easy to accomplish that task.

3. You know what you are getting

What I mean by this is when you get a puppy you never really know what you have until it matures. With an adult dog "what you see is what you get" so you know exactly what the dog will look like and how big it will be. You also have an opportunity to see its personality and demeanor around other dogs and other people before you bring it home.

4. Possibly had some training and some manners

With any luck possibly your new dog has had some training but if not no big deal because contrary to what you may have heard before "you can teach old dogs new tricks". In fact sometimes an older dog can be much easier to train because they are calmer to deal with.

5. An adult dog can be calmer

Depending on the age of the dog and whether or not it has had any training you may find an adult dog is much calmer than a puppy. This has its benefits if you're bringing the dog home to a family with small children or older adults.

As you can see there could be some real benefits by adopting an older dog. However please understand that it's not always this easy. You need to make sure that you learn as much as possible about the dogs background and why the previous owner was disposing of it.

I think one of the most important things to consider is aggression. If the dog wasn't socialized properly as a young puppy there may be fear or aggression and that is something that can be tough to deal with.

I always warn people when adopting a new dog that the first 15 days you really don't know the dog yet. It seems that they always seem to be on their best behavior for the first couple of weeks but after that time the real dog comes out. So make sure that were ever you adopt the dog from global and we take it back if there are some major issues that pop up later that you are not willing to deal with.

So go become a hero to a dog and give it a forever home. It will love you forever!

Source:http://ezinearticles.com/?5-Benefits-Of-Adopting-An-Adult-Dog&id=8560319

How Often And When Should You Feed Your Dog?

This question pops up all the time and there are several different things that will determine the correct answer for your dog. Let's talk about those things so that you can determine what is best for your pet. 

One of the first things to consider is or we dealing with a puppy or an adult dog? An eight-week-old puppy should probably be eating three times per day. When that puppy gets to 4 to 6 months of age then twice a day is usually adequate. 

The breed of your dog is also an important thing to consider. Larger breed dogs do fine with a single daily feeding. However it seems that smaller dogs do best with two smaller meals per day. 

Another question I hear quite often is whether free feeding is a good idea. My answer is no, it is not a good idea to free feed your dog especially with a young pup that you are trying to house train. You see every time your dog eats it will probably have a bowel movement and if your dog is eating all day long that means he's having bowel movements all day and not helping the house training process. 

On the other hand if you feed your dog twice a day for example he should have two bowel movements and you're able to control the time it has those bowel movements by when you feed your dog. 

Ideally it will always help if you're able to have a consistent schedule for your dog. For example if you're going to feed twice a day ideally it should be around the same time each day and the same goes if you're feeding only once a day. 

Another thing you should consider while we are talking about feeding is the quality of the food that you are feeding. 

You should always feed a quality food that has at least 27% protein. Keep in mind that just because a dog food has 27% protein does not mean that it's a quality dog food. There is what we consider good protein and also what we consider bad protein. For example chicken and beef are good proteins, but chicken beaks' chicken claws, and cow hoofs are protein as well. However the chicken beaks, chicken claws and cow hoofs are not good protein and simply pass through your dog's body without providing any nutrition. 

If you will come up with a sensible feeding schedule combined with a quality dog food you'll find that you will have a happy dog that will flourish and do well.

Source:http://ezinearticles.com/?How-Often-And-When-Should-You-Feed-Your-Dog?&id=8560325

Choosing a Great Dog From a Shelter

If you and your family have decided to get a new dog, selecting one from the local shelter is an excellent way to find the right dog for you. There are however a few things that you should be aware of and watch out for when selecting that pound puppy. 

Whether you are looking for a pet at the local shelter or a local rescue organization they may have puppies as well as adults. When selecting a puppy there are a few things you should watch out for. If you're looking at an entire litter you do not want the alpha dog. That's the dog that usually appears to be somewhat of the bully and in charge. That dog will be a bit of a challenge to you later on. 

At the same time you do not want the puppy that is sitting off by itself and not interacting with the other pups. That is a puppy that will have issues later on with fear. You want the puppy that is outgoing and comes to you, wants to be with you and wants to be petted he'll be easy to spot. 

Remember that saying from Forest Gump? It applies to puppies as well. Puppies are like a box of chocolates you never know what you're going to get. (until they grow up) 

If you want to know what you're going to get then an adult dog would be best for you. With an adult dog you can tell what it is already. You don't have to wait for it to grow up. So how do we select that adult dog? 

The first thing we look for in that perfect dog is an outgoing personality. We want a dog that's very friendly, outgoing and doesn't appear to be fearful of anything. A dog that shows fear is going to be a dog that is hard to work with for you over the years. In fact fearful dogs often become aggressive dogs so stay away from that fearful dog. 

You'll also want a dog that doesn't show any aggression towards people and even other dogs. This is important if you own another dog or plan on being around other dogs. 

Unfortunately quite often people think they can adopt a dog and change it. What I mean by that is they feel that they can take that fearful dog or the aggressive dog and keep it from being that way. Sometimes we can help them with training but a lot of times we can't, so why start off with a dog that already has problems. There are so many great dogs available for adoption that are complete sweethearts and have no emotional baggage. It just makes sense to adopt a dog like that rather than one with problems. 

So when looking for your next dog at a shelter or rescue take your time and pick the dog that's right for you and your family. Don't just grab a dog because of its breed or its color. Instead pick a dog that you'll enjoy spending the next 10 and even more years with and you will be much happier.

Source:http://ezinearticles.com/?Choosing-a-Great-Dog-From-a-Shelter&id=8368200

Re-Housebreaking Your Adult Dog

Has your adult dog started using your house for a toilet again? Maybe your dog just has an occasional accident as some people say, every now and then. If so it's time to take a step backwards and return to the basics.

When I say return to the basics I'm talking about let's go back to training this adult dog just like we did when it was a pup and the best way to do that is by using the crate. By using the crate you are teaching your dog that he can hold it until it's time to go outside.

Photo credit:https://www.petstrainingandboarding.com

When it comes to crate training people quite often ask me how big should the crate be and the answer is simple. The crate for your dog should be big enough that it can stand up and turn around and lay down. It should not be big enough that he can invite friends over for a party. We want the crate small enough so that he learns if he has an accident he's going to have to lay in it. With most dogs Mother Nature has a way of telling them to hold it.

I think a misconception is the fact that it's hard to train an older dog. When to some extent it's actually easier training an older dog than a puppy. So to make this work properly there are three places that your dog should be at all times for a four-week period.

The first place your dog needs to be is of course in the crate. By being in the crate as I said he learns that he can hold it.

The second-place your dog can be is on the grass. The reason we say he can be on the grass is the fact that that's where we want him to do his business and we want him to develop that as his preference. So actually the more time your dog can be on the grass the better off we are during this four-week training period.

The third-place your dog can be is with you. This is easy to accomplish simply attach a leash to your dog and then attach it to your belt wherever you go the dog goes with you so he's less likely to have an accident right in front of you.

Now we want to teach the dog how to let us know when it needs to go to the bathroom and the simplest way is by using a bell. There are several different bells you can use but I like the one you can buy at Staples office supply. This particular bell only cost $6 and it's like the one you see on a hotel desk. You know, the one that gets the hotel clerks attention.

Photo credit:http://bit.ly/2BxW6sC

During the four weeks of training each time you want to take your dog to do its business you take him with his leash over to the bell lift his paw and hit the bell. Then immediately open the door. Your dog learns that the noise from the bell makes the door open. It usually takes anywhere from 4 to 8 weeks for your dog to catch on to using a bell.

As you can see if you will just take a short period of time to retrain your dog you can have a dog that's house trained again.

Source:http://ezinearticles.com/?Re-Housebreaking-Your-Adult-Dog&id=8368212

Which Is Best, Puppy Or Older Dog?

Which Is Best, Puppy Or Older Dog?

That is a good question and one that is asked quite often. The answer depends on you and how much patience you will have with house training and training a new puppy. Puppies can be a lot of work and require a bunch of your time and energy to keep them out of trouble.

If you go to any shelter or rescue you will see a bunch of dogs that are in the 12 - 18 month age group. Why are so many dogs that age in the shelter? Because their owners got them as a puppy, never trained them and now they are monsters.

That is true, a puppy that is never obedience trained, house trained and exercised properly become a monster to an owner that just will not take on the responsibility to teach the dog what is right and what is wrong.

Now don't get me wrong pups are cute and they can be a whole lot of fun if you are up the challenge. If you are not up to the challenge maybe an older dog would be better for you. When we talk older you can consider anything that is maybe 2 years and older.

Many of these dogs have had some training, are past the chewing stage and with any luck they are house trained as well. Depending on your activity level you may even want to consider a senior dog.

Senior dogs are usually very grateful to have a new home and an attentive new owner. They don't require as much activity as either a pup or a 2 year old dog so they are great for a senior citizen.

So if you opt for an adult dog rather than a puppy there are a few things that you can do to create the bond between man and dog. Start of with a good obedience training program. The training will establish you as the alpha in the pack and will teach the dog some skills that will make it a good member of the family.

Exercise is important for any dog so do what you can to exercise your dog. Walks actually build a true team and allow the dog to see you as the pack leader.

So to answer the question there is no right or wrong. It simply depends on you and which you prefer, a puppy or an adult dog.