Cattle

Archive for October 1st, 2010

If your kids are trying to find a good companion dog, you may be tempted to first look at some of the more popular breeds, pick out some puppies and then select the best character. And there are hundreds of breeds to choose from – just think of the American Bulldog and the Huntaway and the Cabe?udo Boiadeiro and the Rampur Greyhound. But, try looking for a dog that fits your personality. Find a dog that has the qualities that you want and can bond with you. The age of the dog is not a concern most of the time. Breeds may have a certain reputation, but there are exceptions to all the rules. These tips, though, can guarantee that you will find a good companion dog.

Search for a puppy or adult that has a personality that fits your own personality and your experience. If you have handled dogs before and have experience, then a more dominant, independent dog may work for you. However, if you are not very aggressive or are not aquainted with working with a dog, a more submissive animal may be a better companion for you. When you are looking at puppies, try to turn it over on its back. A dominant dog will resist you, trying to turn over right away. If it fights to turn over, try to calm it. If it settles down, it is more submissive. If it does not struggle at all, but just lies there trusting you completely, you have a very submissive dog.

A dog that is fairly quiet and easy to care for is better for you if you are more laid back and more sedative yourself. If you tend to be very active you may want a more active, hyper dog to be more your style. If you are gone much of the time and your dog would be kenneled during that time, you should look for a dog that is a little self reliant and is less likely to suffer from separation anxiety.

You also will want your new companion dog to be smart and eager to please. This will make it easy teach it what you want it to know and it will happily learn the skills and perform them. If you are taking your dog out in public, you don’t want a fear nipper or a dog that is threatening to children. Naturally, this comes from effectively socializing the dog on a regular basis, but the sharper dog will watch you to see who is maybe a threat and who is no possible threat.

Dogs can be superb companions having the right character for your needs. Also, while many people feel that only young dogs can be trained, this is false. Many older dogs are salvaged from shelters daily and they are trained quite easily. The key to training a dog is bonding with it. When you have bonded with your dog, it will be happy to do what you want. They will want to anticipate what you want and will even look for ways to communicate with you. If you are careful to observe your companion, you and your dog can come up with your own language and this can give you a companion dog (even the Bearded Collie or Mioritic that is a very special friend.