What to know before adopting a dog

            When adopting a dog, there are some important considerations before you run off to the rescue. After all, you are adopting your new best friend. You want to have a meaningful and happy life together. Breed, activity levels, size, along with the age of a dog. These are all things that you want to look at before bringing a dog home. It's important to understand the traits of the breed that you are getting. Find one that fits with your temperament, living space, and lifestyle. With hundreds of breeds in the world, there is one to meet your needs.

Are you a couch potato or a marathon runner? Some dogs are happy to stay cuddled up on a couch with you while others need to run. And then run some more. The activity level is one of the first and most important considerations.

            With this in mind, consider the amount of space you have, both within your home and the space you have available outside. You wouldn’t want a high energy dog, such as a Weimaraner or Australian Shepherd, living in a small apartment. Is there a place to run nearby? Frustration can build up over time if your dog can not drain out that energy every day. That frustration then manifests itself in bad behaviors. We all know you don't want your favorite shoes or couch ending up a chew toy!

            Contemplate the weather in your location. Even if you’re an active person, the weather might not be in your favor all the time. Some breeds, such as a husky, it can be too hot to do long walks during the summertime.

What about the age of the dog? Everyone loves puppies! With all that cuteness comes great responsibility. You will have to be a leader, and do some obedience training for that cute puppy. Or else... all hell could break loose. It can be hard if you don't have the time nor patience. Having repetitive schedules, plus getting up in the middle of the night, often several times a night while house training is not uncommon. Time to devote to that training is important to show your new best friend how to live happily with your family. Puppies often get distracted outside. Everything is new, fun, and exciting to them. This means it will take longer for them to go to the bathroom. You will need time while this part of the training is happening. 

You then have the other end of the spectrum, senior dogs. They might need to be taken out more often than an adult dog, as anyone of 50 probably knows. Perhaps you already have other pets in the house.  Senior dogs need to be properly introduced and train to work together as a pack. You can teach an old dog new tricks though! It just takes some time.