Want to Adopt a Pup?

If yes, it’s wonderful but you need to learn a few tricks.

Before you visit a shelter or an animal home to adopt make a list of your ‘wants’ and ‘don’t wants’, which include size, energy level, grooming requirements, training requirements, and breed. But before that you have to replace feelings of pity and raw emotion with a slid knowledge of dog behavior.

1) Look Into Cages

Pass if you see manic behavior, circling, cowering, or lunging. Ask how long the dog has been at the shelter. If it’s too long that could affect its sociability. Once you have an idea of the dogs that fit your profile, approach the crate put your hand up to the bars.

2) Stare At Dog For Five Seconds

If it backs away or growls, it does not mean it’s a bad dog but if you’re choosing a pet for family, it’s not a good choice.

3) Extend Your Hand

Bend down and extend your hand, palm down and fingers apart. Hand should be level with dog. A sociable dog will stay in contact with your hand two or more seconds. A failed response will be to back away from you, growl, or ignore your hand.

4) Test Sociability

Stand in the middle of the room and don’t talk with the dog for 60 seconds. Now you’ll observe its sociability and see its true friendliness. If it’s not trying to get your attention and initiate a relationship, then it isn’t very sociable.

5) Conduct Listening Test

Clap your hand and say, “Puppy, puppy, puppy,” to see how the dog reacts.

6) Store Dog’s Back

Bend down to the dog’s level and stroke the back of the dog starting at the neck and going to the base of the tail. Do this three times. After three, a sociable dog will want more.

7) Physically Check The dog

Check its eyes for clarity. Check for clean ears. Check its coat for shine cleanliness. Check for alertness.

Hot Tips

Potty Training Your Pup

Pups in potty training must earn their space. It’s true that they will not soil their beds, which is why crate training is a good method for all dog sizes. But you need to make sure the area is waterproof or water-resistant, so it is easier t clean.

Mutt Myths

If a dog’s nose is cold, it is healthy. A dog’s nose is only cold because of the evaporation of the moisture put there by the dogs licking. A dog could have any number of illnesses and still have a cold nose.

Training can be easily accomplished at home. SitStayFetch is a great resource for helping you solve a selection of your dog’s basic training.