Complete Dog Guide | Dog Training Advice » Dog Breeds

How to Choose the Right Puppy

doggirl — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 14:20:20 +0000

There are many different puppy breeds available these days for the person interested in getting a new puppy to add to their home and family. In fact with all the different cross breeds coming into being, along with the many hundreds of pure bred dogs there are, it can in fact be very difficult for a person to decide what type of puppy they should get.

For the first time puppy owner with nary an idea on what type of puppy breeds will best suit them, there are a few things they can do to rectify matters. The first of these, is to get yourself acquainted with at least a few of the various different puppy breeds. Although this won´t give you a large cross cut on the types of puppy breeds, it will give you an inkling of what you might be looking for.

This can be accomplished either by going on the internet looking for information, trawling through a few pet stores to look over the different puppy varieties available there, or by getting a book or two or three on different puppy breeds.

Once this is accomplished you will then want to go through the many needs and requirements you are looking for in a puppy. For instance, are you looking for an energetic puppy or a languid one; do you want a puppy that will grow into something resembling a small mountain or do you want one that will fit comfortably in your lap?

Your circumstances also play a great part in narrowing down the search for puppy breeds which might suit you. Do you live in an apartment; do you have a large garden, small garden, or no garden at all? Is the puppy going to be left alone all day long or only for a few hours each day? Do you have young children with whom the puppy would need to interact? And what about other pets, do you have any?

Answering all of these and more such as whether you´re allergic to dog hair, as honestly as youíre able to can help to considerably narrow down the field of different puppy breeds you need to look at.

And when you get through answering these questions, you will then want to list the traits you want in your puppy, like for instance whether you want a watch dog, or whether you want a show dog, or just a loyal companion to keep the lonely hours of the day at bay.

These will all help you to find the perfect puppy for you and yours. You might have to look at a few dozen varieties of puppy breeds before you do so, but then again, the best things in life are never the easiest won things, are they?

Shih Tzu Puppy

doggirl — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 15:21:36 +0000

Not everyone wants a Labrador or a Beagle or even a Puggle as a pet. It is a fact that some people love Huskies, Chihuahuas, Terriers, Poodles and adorable Shih Tzu´s. The last breed of dog is not one that would suit everyone but it cannot be denied that there is many a future dog owner looking around for a Shih Tzu puppy to buy.

Of course not everyone looking for a puppy starts off with a Shih Tzu puppy in mind, but when fate crosses this adorable puppy across their paths, it seems to be more than they can do to resist the inquisitive faces, the short upturned nose with the hair fanning out in all directions and the gentle adoring eyes staring at them with patent mischief.

A Shih Tzu puppy will make an ideal apartment pet as it doesn´t mind being indoors and in fact, can be quite active when indoors as well. Shih Tzu´s can also be quite indolent if they are allowed to be and more often than not you will find it lying around in various comfortable spots around your house.

This is why you shouldnít over feed your Shih Tzu puppy, as it can become fat and lazy. Keep your puppy well fed and remember to exercise it regularly. If you live in an apartment, try and take him out for regular daily walks. Don´t overtire it however and go for very long distances, as the Shih Tzu breed is a small breed and only needs moderate amounts of exercise.

If you have a yard, whether itís large or small, you might want to think about letting your Shih Tzu puppy outside to run and scamper for a while. A daily walk is still good, but in this case, your Shih Tzu puppy is getting its exercise in small regular bouts through the day.

Shih Tzu´s can also make great watchdogs as they are alert and will tend to bark if aroused by something out of the ordinary. Luckily they don´t normally bark out of turn which is one of the reasons why getting a Shih Tzu puppy is ideal if you live in an apartment.

You might also like to know that although Shi Tzu´s in general are alright with gentle children or older children, they can be snappish if given the right set of circumstances (like a good old fashioned tail-pulling!) and might not be the most suitable of dogs to have around very young and/ or mischievous children.

A Shih Tzu puppy is also an ideal option for the dog lover who is allergic to dogs, or rather dog hair. Shih Tzuís shed almost none to very little fur which makes them a great candidate for allergy sufferers.

You will also find that Shih Tzuís also make great show dogs. A little bit of spit and shine (not literally of course!), and regular grooming of its coat and your Shih Tzu puppy can become a champion show dog.

Springer Spaniel Puppy

doggirl — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 15:09:20 +0000

If you´re looking for the perfect dog to join in your family, you will find you have many different dog breeds to choose from. This being the case it can be difficult to choose the right type of dog which will suit you, and the best thing you can do will be to go through the various avenues open to you and find yourself your ideal doggy companion. But what happens if this happens to be an adorable little Springer Spaniel puppy that you saw the other day?

It´s simple really. If you haven´t already bonded with the Springer Spaniel puppy, then you will first want to do a few background checks. And if you don´t know the breeder very well (where you saw the Springer Spaniel puppy from to begin with), or you saw the puppy in a pet store, then you will most definitely want to do a little searching as to the validity and the reputation of the breeder or the pet store.

Make sure that you´re not getting the Springer Spaniel puppy from a puppy mill first and then proceed from there. Once this is in the clear and verified you can then go to the lengths of finding out more information what you will have to deal with when you take on a Springer Spaniel puppy.

Not everyone will be able to keep up with this energetic and playful puppy, and if you know that you don´t have the time or the inclination to deal with a sometimes willful, but most times cheerful Springer Spaniel puppy then you are better off looking for different breed of dog to get.

You will also be interested to note that these dogs shed constantly, although not a whole lot at once. You will need to regularly groom their silky coats, and brush them on a daily basis as well. Since they are more or less constant shedders these dogs are probably not best suited for dog hair allergy sufferers.

If you do get a Springer Spaniel puppy you will find him to be wonderfully responsive and intelligent. They are well trainable and are willing learners. They are also considered to be good with small children as they are good natured dogs.

However, if you are going to leave your Springer Spaniel puppy alone for any length of time you would be well advised to take extra precautions, or leave it alone for the least possible amount of time. They can be willful at times and throw tantrums when left alone and you might come home to find your home trashed by a lonely Springer Spaniel puppy.

Don´t let this put you off getting a Springer Spaniel puppy however, as these adorable dogs are very loyal and have host of other good qualities besides these. They will most definitely be an asset to anyone who gets a Springer Spaniel puppy.

Get to Know Your Labrador Puppy

doggirl — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 14:18:00 +0000

Dogs are known to be very friendly animals. As you are choosing the dog that you want you may suddenly see a bundle of fluff streaking across your path. What you are looking at is that of a Labrador puppy. These gentle yet highly excited puppies are the perfect pets. You will need to think about which type of Labrador puppy that you want to adopt. This is due to the fact that the Labrador breed comes in two different types.

These breeds are the English Labrador and the American Labrador. These two dogs types have different looks which will help you when you are planning to adopt or buy one of these dogs. In the breed of dog itself there are 4 colorations which informs the breeders of what type of puppy that you are looking to add to your family.

These colors which you can find your Labrador puppy in are silver, yellow, chocolate, and black. The usual colors of the Labrador donít include silver, this color has caused controversy among dog breeders. Some of the breeders claim that any Labrador puppy which has a silver coat is a cross with a Weimeriner. Other breeders state that the silver coat is that of a true mutation.

For those of you who lead an energetic lifestyle choosing a Labrador puppy will fit nicely into your style of living. The lab (as they are also called) is a dog which loves to swim. Unlike other dog breeds the lab is bred to swim. The webbing which is found on their paws will help them to swim. To help dog owners with grooming their puppy after it has been in a swimming bout you will see that the Labrador breed as a whole has an easy to care for and water resistant coat.

Like all puppies the Labrador puppy loves to socialize. They can be trained so that you have a well disciplined puppy. As these dogs are very active you can exercise them with no problems. You will however need to give your puppy some type of activity to keep them occupied. Without this activity and disciple the Labrador puppy will become highly destructive.

While the Labrador breed was not bred for being a guard dog it does have this capability. You may want to broaden the scope of learning which will influence your puppy when it is a full grown dog. The patience that you show in training your Labrador puppy will help you to have a healthy and very happy puppy.

Yorkie Bichon Mix

doggirl — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 15:01:50 +0000

It might sound odd when you think about it, but with so many cross bred dogs pooping up both intentional and unintentional there´s really nothing incredible about a Yorkie Bichon mix dog cropping up over time. What this means for potential dog owners, is something completely different of course.

If you´re looking at getting a Yorkie Bichon mix puppy but are not sure whether you want one, and more importantly are not sure what the mixed puppy will end up like, well, there´s only one thing to say: you´re not alone. No one can correctly predict what a mixed breed dog will turn out to be like, and this is true in all cases of mixed breed, or cross bred dogs.

To state the obvious, there´s a chance that the dogs could turn out to be predominantly like their Yorkie father/mother, or like their Bichon Frise mother/father. Unlike the Puggle mixed bred dog, for the Yorkie Bichon mix to be considered pure, the parents do not have to be specifically of own breed, i.e. you do not need to have a Bichon Frise mother and a Yorkie father, or vice versa. It can be either mix, as long the parents themselves are pure bred dogs.

And this is where it can sometimes become tricky when cross breeding dogs. Because no one dog breeder will necessarily have the entire lineage of a dog going back hundreds of years, it can be difficult to know for certain whether or not the ancestry of the parents themselves have been cross bred at any point in time. Sometimes genetic traits might hide themselves for a few generations, and might instead decide to manifest itself at this point when the dog breeders are going cross breeding the dogs.

The resulting dog can be one of the cutest things that you have ever seen, or it can be a hodgepodge of odds and ends. This however is very rare in good breeding programs, and if you want a good Yorkie Bichon mix then most likely you will get a good combination of a Yorkie Bichon mix.

What then would be the characteristics of such a dog, never mind the features of the dog? Well, unfortunately that too is not as easy to tell beforehand and most owners will have to wait to see what their Yorkie Bichon mix puppy grows up into: a predominantly Yorkie mix dog, or a predominantly Bichon mix dog. Whatever you do end up with though, you can be assured that you will get a warm and affectionate dog who is very loyal to you, and you really canít ask for any more than that can you?

Puggle Puppy

doggirl — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 14:48:20 +0000

If you´re looking at getting a Puggle puppy as your new pet, you might first want to find out all there is to know about Puggles and Puggle puppies in general. This will give you a good grounding in what you will have to deal with when you get your new Puggle puppy and what you will have to look forward to as your Puggle puppy matures into a full grown adult Puggle.

The first thing that you should know about your Puggle is that when he matures he will still look a puppy at a mere height of 13-15 inches and with a weight of 14-20 pounds. This means that your full grown Puggle will be just like he was when he was a Puggle puppy, and can be carted around easily or kept on laps without any problems (unless of course they´re in the mood to play and refuse to sit still!).

A Puggle, if you were unaware of it, is a cross between a Beagle and a Pug dog. To be considered a true blue Puggle puppy it needs to be bred from a pure bred Beagle mother and a pure bred Pug father. The resulting Puggle puppy can have anything between mainly Beagle features to mainly Pug-like features.

If you´re looking for variety in the choice of coat for your new Puggle puppy, you can choose from the more common tan color, beige, black, silver and sometimes a fawn and white-spotted mix. The coat of your Puggle puppy will be short, and smooth and will typically require little grooming.

They also have the characteristic wrinkled face and droopy ears of their parents and display a tendency to be short and stocky, with a waggly curly tail. A Puggle puppy is an affectionate creature and requires more time spent on lavishing love and attention than on grooming!

A Puggle puppy is also one small bundle of energy and loves nothing better than to play, so they make great family pets especially if there are young children around for them to play with. Puggles can be great social animals if introduced to the concept at an early age, but are otherwise friendly anyway.

Donít however mistake this friendliness as anything more than a good temperament, as a Puggle puppy once trained will make a reasonably good watch dog. They donít tend to howl like their beagle mothers, but you will find that a warning bark or two are given to any strangers wandering by.

Your Puggle puppy, besides being energetic and mischief prone, will also be intelligent and trainable. They have good listening skills and they will become very loyal to their masters.

The best traits about your Puggle puppy however, all lies in his adorable features. The wrinkled-up appearance and the droopy ears make your Puggle puppy a truly captivating puppy and not one to be overlooked by anyone.

Meet the American Eskimo Pup

doggirl — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 14:28:36 +0000

To each, his or her, own dog. That might not necessarily make sense to many people who live dog-less, but it is nevertheless true that every dog owner believes his, or her, own dog or puppy to be the best, the cutest, the most intelligent, the friendliest dog etc. The list goes on and on, so let me make it short by saying that I believe my very own 10 month old American Eskimo puppy to be the cutest, the most intelligent, and the most stand-up comedic dog!

That´s right, I´ve coined what might be a new phrase in the land of dogdom, however I don´t expect it to go further than my very own American Eskimo puppy. From the very first day we brought her home, to this day it´s been one riot (of laughter by the way) after another. Like I said it started the very first day, when she fell into her pint-sized tub of milk. Now that´s she´s older and larger it´s sometimes difficult to believe that she was ever that small, but luckily I have pictures!

If you´re looking to become the proud owner of an American Eskimo puppy, there are a few facts that you might want to look at before proceeding any further. It´s always best to find out beforehand whether an American Eskimo puppy is the best breed of dog for you, or whether you might be better off with an Afghan hound or a Boxer.

Owning an American Eskimo puppy is not everybody´s cup of tea, and finding out that it is an average shedder, for instance, is very important for people who are allergic to dog hairs. It is also important to note that the coat of your American Eskimo puppy will need to be groomed on an average about twice a week normally, and about once a day when they are shedding.

Take note that if you let the grooming lapse, this breed can and will shed its un-brushed hairs without compunction, so you will need to groom these dogs.

You will also find that your cute and adorable American Eskimo puppy is also very intelligent and can be easily trained. They are a rambunctious and playful breed of dog, and need to be exercised regularly. The American Eskimo puppy is also suited for apartment living as long as you remember to exercise it properly.

If handled properly, and people-trained when they are still young, your American Eskimo puppy will be a great asset to you, and a loyal companion. The best thing that I love about these dogs however, is the small swagger they have when they´re walking, as if the thickish mane of fur around their necks leads them to believe they are the lions of the dog world!

American Eskimo Puppy

doggirl — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 14:25:57 +0000

Take note that if you let the grooming lapse, this breed can and will shed its un-brushed hairs without compunction, so you will need to groom these dogs.

Meet the Teacup Yorkshire Terrier

doggirl — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 14:16:03 +0000

So you´re looking to get a new dog and you thought that you might prefer to have the bright and playful companionship of an energetic Yorkshire terrier. If this is the case then the best place for you to look for your new canine pet is from a breeder of Yorkshire Terriers. Whatever you do though, stay away from people or breeders who are advertising that they have a teacup Yorkshire Terrier for adoption.

This is simply not a true statement. There is no such thing as a teacup Yorkshire Terrier. These are instead the smallest puppies of any given litter and most if not all dogs labeled as a teacup Yorkshire Terrier will be undersized.

This means that they will weigh in less than the standard normal weight of 4-7 lbs, and this in turn will mean that your Yorkshire Terrier puppy will more than likely be prey to a number of diseases and illnesses. You will need to take good care of your teacup Yorkshire Terrier if you do decide to go ahead and get the smaller puppy.

The thing you need to do in this instance is to find a reputable breeder who will be able to supply you with a teacup Yorkshire Terrier. The problem however, arises when you get to the reputable part of the reputable breeder. Simply stated, a reputable Yorkshire Terrier breeder will not sell you a puppy that is underweight and which will most likely be prone to bad health over the years.

This means that those advertisements you see stating that a breeder has a teacup Yorkshire Terrier for you to adopt, are all false. If you investigate any further you will also see that most of these teacup Yorkshire Terrier breeders are also asking top dollar for these runts of the litter.

More to the point you will also see that these very irresponsible Yorkshire Terrier breeders are also purposely breeding small puppies. They have to especially select small Yorkshire Terriers to do this, and over time you can be assured that the more and more of the genetic defects to be found in these undersized dogs will show up more prominently.

It is also true that you can go into this with your eyes wide open and adopt a teacup Yorkshire Terrier. You might also find that you teacup Yorkshire Terrier puppy has no ill health whatsoever, and that he is very rarely, if at all, sick. This is definitely not the norm and you will be a very dog owner indeed if this is the case.

The best thing that you can do however, would be to stay away altogether from breeders who advertise that they have a teacup Yorkshire Terrier to sell, and instead find a reputable Yorkshire Terrier breeder to find your perfect puppy companion.

Pet Breeders

doggirl — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 14:24:04 +0000

If you ever wondered where all those lovely and cute pets you see in pet stores ever came from, look no further. A very few of them might have come from parts unknown and a very few of them might be able to trace their ancestry back to the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria, but most of the pets you see in pet stores, come from various different pet breeders.

These people are the ones who make it their life´s work to breed certain type of pets. If the pet breeders breed only one type of pet, or they specialize in a certain type of pet breed, then the value of these pets do tend to go up in price. These, of course are the better breeders.

If youíre actively looking to get a pet, and a pet store is your easiest option, you will first want to do some investigating into the background of your intended pet. Where did it come from; what is its lineage; what illnesses can it have; have any genetic flaws or disease been bred out if it; and most important of all, where does it come from?

These are all valid questions, and should be asked before you buy a pet as it will help you to make a decision with a clearer understanding of the situation. The last question, “where does your pet-to-be come from?” is especially important if you care about such things as pet mills.

In these places, animals are churned out like in factory and the pets have no proper care. They aren´t ill treated physically, although some can be, instead they are ill treated in the manner in which they are forced to live. This is why itís always a good idea to check up on where your pet came from, and whether it came from suitable pet breeders, or pet breeders without a conscience who only care about the last dollar.

Not all pet breeders are like that of course. Most love their pets, and breed them only with the best care and attention given to them. These pets live in humane conditions, and enjoy a good life.

If however, you want to look at getting a new pet straight from the pet breeders themselves, then this too is a possibility. If this is going to be the case, you can always ask to take a tour of their breeding facility, and find out as much information as you can about them.

In this day and age itís not so difficult to find the information you need, and a little judicious hunting around can help you to find pet breeders who are known and respected in the pet breeding community, and who provide their pets with only the best care.