Advice for adopting a first dog?

Go to the shelter and begin your search - tell them that you have a cat and a seven year old in the household and that it's a first dog. Ideally look for a dog that has successfully lived with kids before and maybe cats - or at least has been cat tested. Some breeds are more prone to high prey drive - and thus more likely to chase a cat - terriers and many hounds for example. Likewise - avoid small toy breeds - they are very fragile and aren't always a good match with kids.

So some research on breeds before you go and focus on breeds that do well with kids and other animals. A mixed breed is great but breed research will give you an idea of some of the breeds and mixes that might work for you.

Also a young adult dog may be easier - puppies are hard work. No matter what, sign up fro obedience class so you all can learn.

Good luck with your search.

The best thing you can do is get a book. Most books are written by experts or at least by people who have a fair amount of experience on the subject. Rather than relying on advice from random strangers who may or may not know what they're talking about, books that have been published usually have a little more credibility. For one thing, they usually tell you about the author and what sort of experience they have. Plus, you can frequently get at least a few reviews on the book itself. Start off at amazon.com and see what you can find on the subject. You might try a search on "Adopting a dog" and see what turns up. Yes, there's probably a plethora of information available and if it seems overwhelming then take it in small doses. Read a bit now, then come back a little later and read some more. Eventually you'll reach a point where you can say "OK, now I have a good idea of what sort of information is available and it's time to take the plunge." There's no reason you can't buy more than one book, different books will give you different opinions, different people's experiences and additional information. If money is a problem, go to the library and borrow the books for free!

Read a general book on the various breeds of dogs. Then read one on the specific breeds you're considering - if they're cross-bred, read a book on each breed. Read enough books and eventually you'll get to the point where you feel like you know just about everything there is to know about the subject. That's when you know you're ready to go buy that doggy in the window. By the time you're done, you'll be an expert on the subject and then you'll be the one here answering other people's questions. You get experience in two ways, the hard way and the easy way. The hard way is doing it yourself. The easy way is relying on other peoeple who have many years of experience doing it the hard way. But those people are limited to 1 lifetime. You can gain 10 lifetimes of experience by reading 10 different books. Good luck! Have fun!

I would suggest going to a shelter and only ask to see a medium dog that gets along with cats...if you can bring your cat along to see if your cat likes the dog you may want to adopt. Its so much harder getting a new animal home and then doing an introduction...it works best if it is on neutral grounds.

I was able to bring my dog to the shelter to help us pick out the right puppy. He feel in love with one particular puppy which we adopted.

Ask the shelter if the dog is potty & crate trained...get a dog that is about 2 years old since that we you know exactly what kind of dog you're getting...most puppies develop their personalities as they grow...adult dogs are already there.

It sounds like you're doing a great job in your research and yes it can be overwhelming. You may also check out your local craigslist where people only charge a small rehoming fee and you do not have to do as much paperwork...just saying cause with the housing loss...many people are looking to rehome their dogs and most of them will turn them into shelters if they can't rehome.

I would recommend considering a fixed male dog...they tend to be alittle more laid back...my male pointer is gentle around cats my female pup is more excitable.

Items to consider: crate, bed, water & food bowl, dog food (hard food should be fine, preferrably one that lists meat first rather than a meat meal), some chew toys, toothbrush and doggie toothepaste- human toothpaste is poisonous, nail trimmmers, collar- preferrable quick release so it doesn't get caught on anything when no one is home, i only use a choke collar to walk my dogs, tags and make sure your register your dog with the city- most dogs without proper registration showing that it has its shots cannot be brought to dog parks, and a good vacuum for dog hair :-)

good luck!

Have whatever dog you adopt cat-tested. Make sure they actually see the cat moving so you can get an idea on their prey drive and whether or not they will be tempted to chase.

Toys, a vet appointment, and sign up for training classes! Please remember to take it slow when adopting a dog. Things don't happen overnight and there is an adjustment period for any dog. Just be consistent, loving and train and socialize.

For the cat and the child, never leave them alone unsupervised. Eventually when/if your dog has earned his freedom in your house he can be alone with your cat but kids and dogs are never to be left together without supervision.

hi,

If you want to feel like you've made a real difference as a dog owner, adopt a dog from a shelter or rescue group. There are few other ways to make such a huge difference in another creature's life.

here are some guidelines:

http://dogtime.com/adoption.html

hope this helps.

frequently i might say basically get the puppy and do a suited intorduction and them and the cats might desire to get alongside wonderful, besides the undeniable fact that based on the undeniable fact which you're adopting that's going to truly be hit or miss, a rescue or adoption place might desire to be waiting to aid you be attentive to how the potential dogs is with cats. besides the undeniable fact that each so often rescue dogs can act slightly distinctive interior the rescue ecosystem than at their new homestead (my pit became into very submissive to my shepherd on the adoption health center, at homestead he has began to challenge my shepherd and be dominant, she continues to be too no longer straightforward for him to bypass up the %. ladder nevertheless)