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Which breed designations should I be careful of when searching to adopt a puppy2007-11-25 2:55:06

FYI, my sister has a rottweiler and she is the nicest dog I've ever met. She is even afraid of my sister's cat. She did have a sister who was pretty aggressive. My sister got both of them when they were puppies but one was nice and quiet and the other one was loud and aggressive for some reason. My sister ended up giving her to a friend of hers. With dogs just like with people is difficult to guess how they will behave when they grow older. You just have to make sure they receive proper training and attention while they are young so that they grow up to be nice dogs.

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They are all different. Some will be more interested in you (they will do a home visit) and determine if you are the best one for their puppy. At the other end of the scale will be the ones that don't care about you other than if you can pay the adoption fee. Usually in advertising they will be very generous with the good qualities and very brief with the bad qualities. They will say things like, must be an only dog, or dog is afraid of children. With a puppy though you have a better chance because the dog is young enough not to have learned any bad behavior. To keep it a good dog you need to enroll in puppy classes, followed up with obedience classes. Socialize the puppy and allow it to experience a wide range of experiences, such as different people, different animals, different out of doors, grass, concrete, street traffic etc. The purpose here is the the dog learns that everything is fun and there isn't anything to fear. You don't want the dog to grow up fearing children just because it was not exposed to them as a puppy and learned.

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She looks like lab and maybe some kind of terrior mix. You have to think about how much information shelters have to go on when they recieve an animal. If its a stray they have to do their best to guess the breed(s) since the majority of them are mutts. If they take a surrendered animal they basically have to rely on the word of the previous owner about the breed as well as their medical history. If you are concerned take some pictures and take them to a vet to see if they can help you...but be warned that they are just taking their best guess as well. If you are getting a puppy then chances are you are getting them young enough to break them of any bad habits and train them yourself so you shouldn't have to worry about it too much. Good luck!!

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Choosing a dog by breed is fine, but I think it's more important to ensure that the dog you select matches your lifestyle. For example, are you gone from home long hours every day? Then a smaller dog that can be paper-trained may be better. Do you plan to take your dog with you places? If so, then you want one that's not so big that riding in a car is difficult and you want one who is social. How big is your home? Do you have a yard? Can you walk your dog? Is there a dog park nearby? Are you active? Do you prefer to relax at home? All of these should play a role in your decision.