Hints On Picking A Puppy To Suit Your Lifestyle By Jason Turnbull

The greatest thing about choosing a puppy is that you get to pick your new family member. Unfortunately you didn’t get the same luxury when you inherited that Uncle or Aunt who always manages to say the most inappropriate things at the best of times. A few hints on picking a puppy can make a big difference.

Picking a puppy is one of the most satisfying and enjoyable experiences you could have. Going from puppy to puppy seeing their big lovable eyes and their floppy paws is heart warming. However, if you haven’t researched the right breed for you, it is very easy to find yourself making an impulse buy at a pet store.

Unfortunately impulse buying from a pet store results in dogs being left at shelters or becoming homeless. You see the grandma down the street attempting to walk the Great Dane her family thought was cute as a puppy. They didn’t quite realize it would grow to be so large. Now when grandma tries to walk her dog it looks more like someone trying to barefoot water ski behind a boat. That adorable puppy just doesn’t quite fit with what grandma was after in a dog.

So the question arises, how do you know which puppy will grow to become a suitable dog for your lifestyle? The first thing you should do is work out what you want from your dog.

Below are some hints on picking a puppy you should think about before selecting a good dog breeder to get your pooch from. Grab yourself a pen and paper, put your feet up and outline the ideal friend for you:

- What type of dog is suited to your home environment? Write down if you’re living in a big family home or a small apartment. You will want to be realistic about which dog will fit your home.

- Are you after an indoors or outdoors dog? Make a note of where the ideal dog can sleep and spend it’s time during the days. Some breeds really hate the cold and some just have separation anxiety that makes them want to be close to you at all times. Start planning sleep areas and play areas. Will you need more fencing around your yard?

- How much time do you have for grooming your pooch? Write down if you have time for daily weekly or monthly grooming requirements. Many short hair breeds require little maintenance whilst others need you pampering them daily with brushing.

- How much time do you have to exercise your pup? Outlining how much time you can spend walking and playing with your dog is important. Do you have time for extensive daily exercise or only leisurely strolls? Have a list of the exercises would you like to enjoy with your new pooch?

- Consider whether you are after a puppy that will snuggle on the couch or one that will be a great fitness partner during exercise. If you want a playful active dog or a mellow easy going dog, make a note of it. There are many different breeds that will suit whatever your needs are.

- An important thing to consider is the cost to provide for your puppy. Write down a budget if need be. Generally the bigger the breed, the more expensive they will be. This is for food, leads, dog bowls and vet bills may also be more expensive due to needing larger doses of medication. You will also want to research common medical conditions found in certain breeds as they can also be expensive.

Once you have this list, you will find many information sites telling you which breeds will fit what you are looking for. Cross out breeds that don’t fit and make a list of the ones that do. Then it is time to finalize your decision, possibly meet a few pooches of the breed you like and start to recognize their personality traits.

There is nothing quite like choosing a best friend that fits everything you desire. A puppy will have unconditional love and affection for you and strive to please you at every opportunity.

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=173506&ca=Pets

Your Dog's Healthy Lifestyle And Organic Dog Foods By Shabi

Just like you want to stay healthy and live a healthy lifestyle, so too should your pet live a similar healthy lifestyle. This is not a luxury that either of you can forego, and getting organic dog food for your dog is one of the few things that you can do to keep your faithful companion in the best of health.

Organic dog food can be found readily at many stores now, although probably not in smaller townships and such where organic foods and the fad of going organic has not yet fully caught on. If this is the case you might need to go to a specialty store or a health food store to obtain organic dog food for your dog.

The question you might want to ask however might be why you would want to go to so much trouble to get organic dog food for your dog. Well, besides the healthy aspect of things, by giving your dog organic dog food, you can be assured that no poisonous chemicals in the form of fertilizers and pesticides are getting into his system.

Organic dog food just like the organic foods we eat, are also free of genetically modified organisms. When you take all of these coupled together with the fact that organic foods are also produced using the best natural methods for the earth, it all makes one convincing case to go out and get your dog organic dog food.

The one thing that might give you pause for thought when looking at getting organic dog food is the prohibitive costs that you will encounter. Granted, the costs aren’t as high as they were a few years ago when organic dog food came out on the market, but they can still be pretty staggering if you have to manage on a tight budget.

Then of course you have the problem of not knowing whether your dog will actually take to his new diet. Some canine companions are notoriously picky when it comes to their meals and a change from the norm might incur what amounts to a food strike, from your dog until you give him back his normal fare.

If you know that your dog is one of these picky eaters (I know that mine is definitely a picky eater!) you might want to first introduce the organic dog food to their diets in slow stages.

This helps to make it easier on your pockets, and in the unlikely event that your dog dislikes his new organic dog food you know that you won’t be stuck with a whopping bag of dog feed on your hands.

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=181316&ca=Pets