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  • Con Slobodchikoff, Ph.D.
    Slobodchikoff is President and CEO of Animal Communications, Ltd., specializing in pet behavior problems and in educating people about the behavior of animals.

« Get Your Signals Straight In Obedience Training | Main | Is Dominance A Useful Concept In Dog Behavior? »

July 23, 2010

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TopDogTom | Small Dog Training ETC

Great information. I think most of us have made our choice of dog by “That one is CUTE lets take it home”. No forethought of even the basics.
Where is our new dog going to SLEEP?
How much will it EAT?
How much exercise will it need/get?
And WHO is going to CLEAN the yard?
The mention of lifecycle to most is a foreign matter. 10-15-20 YEARS a real commitment not to be taken lightly.
Your list could and should be very detailed.
We love our K9 family members and make several lifestyle choices (travel being just one pet friendly hotels sometimes are not so friendly) to accommodate them.

SmallDogTrainingEtc.com
TopDogTom | Small Dog Training ETC

Corporate photographer London

My boxer snapped at the vet when he went near her bad foot, and now she seems to stiffen with anybody that kneels in front of her- how can i break this habit as she was really friendly before this- Grant

Michelle

This is fantastic advice. When I was looking to get a dog, I used a similar list, only mine had three categories.

1. Things I absolutely had to have in a dog.
2. Things I absolutely could not deal with in a dog.
3. Things I could deal with/work on in training.

I included everything from size and coat to personality traits to issues they had. There were some things I knew I could work on (fear issues and resource guarding for instance) and some I knew wouldn't work out well in my particular situation (such as separation anxiety) and some I knew that I could deal with but my partner was not comfortable with. So I made my list. And then found a dog who was absolutely perfect for us. She's been a joy these past two years.

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