THIS IS AWESOME! My favorite dog trainer and dog whisperer of all time has just released a free video online explaining how to eliminate 94% of all unwanted behavior in ANY dog. Her name is Krista Cantrell and I absolutely LOVE the way she teaches. Click on the video to watch. You'll be glad you did...

How do I go about choosing a new pet for the family? What is the best pet for our family? Good start by collecting information. This is vital as a pet is for life, so if in doubt do not have one.
However there is such a large choice of pets to pick from, all of them can be engrossing, but have dissimilar pluses and negatives. You can choose from a dog, cat, hamster, rat, fish, rabbit, bird and the list goes on and on.
It is important to involve all and sundry in the decision, it needs to be a whole household decision. Due to its significance I propose you talk about and write down your objective for wanting a pet. Add to it on a large sheet of paper, with a column for the pet, some columns to rank each pet. The headings for a pet include, time (yours), cost (pets are pricey), pet care, space requirement, ability to fuss, interest, joint activity, any phobias, other issues.
Pets take time, some have need of more than others. High maintenance animals are those that have need of regular exercise such as dogs and horses. Dogs originated from wolves and maintain many of those characteristics. Searching for food they walk many miles to search for food, so most dog breeds require at least one to two hours a day walking. This needs to be part of a routine and done rain or shine. Other animals may have need of a lot of grooming, changing water etc. A pet sitter often spends a lot of their visiting time to grooming long haired cats, though the cat and the sitter enjoy it. You may hanker after a specific animal, but do you have the time for him? Be straight with yourself and the prospective pet.
Expenditure, think of expense. There is the potential cost of the pet to start with, which for a pedigree pet can be costly. I would like everyone to consider adopting a abandoned pet, there are more and more of these at the moment as families are unfortunately abandoning them to the pet homes – why not do good and help out? The other set up costs include cages, leads, grooming aids, blankets / beds. Then there are the weekly pet costs, food, which for a large animal can be substantial. I strongly advise you to have your pet sterilized, many pet specialists and research have suggested that you will have less behavioural problems with a neutered pet. There are regular vet expenditure such as vaccinations, however some are difficult to plan for. Because of this I strongly recommend you to take out pet insurance, so you can deal with any unexpected accidents that may occur. There are ongoing costs for flea treatment etc. These costs mount up.
Is your house large enough for the pet? Some animals can be watchable, but you may not be able to fuss them, what is the key for you? No pet has it all. Can you handle the animal? Rats are exceptionally exciting, but some people do not like the scaly tail, or the idea of one.
You should to review the summary paper, you may not have the time for walking the dog during the week due to work pressures, but this may pay for a regular dog walker. Not enough space for the horse, use stables, but watch the cost.
So finally you have identified a type of pet, there are lots of diverse types and individual species to decide on, taking hamsters there are five basic types, with very diverse characteristics. There is also the choice of how many, some animals are better off single, others as a pair because they require the company. Then there is the choice of sex, some animals have very different behaviour between the male and female. Male rats are less active than females and urinate more.
Final steps, I would advise you to take the pet for a test drive. Find someone with a similar pet, that you can borrow for a few days, or even be a pet sitter for them during the summer vacations. Talk to the owner about the costs, the effort that is required, and do not forget the pleasure that the pet gives. An alternative is to do some animal charity work.
Pet breeders and dog trainers are exceptionally knowledgeable, so visit and talk with them.
I hope this helps, go and enjoy a new pet.

No TweetBacks yet. (Be the first to Tweet this post)

Technorati Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Tagged with: • • • • • • • • • •

Filed under: General Dogs Discussion

Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!