3 Things to Consider When Adopting A Dog
Before you adopt a dog, you want to make sure that you are ready for the responsibility that comes with doing so. Once you confirm that you can take care of a dog, you will need to think about a few essential factors to help you figure out what type of dog to adopt.
Everything from breed to age to history plays a role.
While there are plenty of matters to keep in mind when adopting a dog, they can easily be divided into three main categories: lifestyle, location, and temperament.
Lifestyle
Your lifestyle is among the most crucial considerations when adopting a dog, and it includes numerous factors.
Activity Level
Do you like to sit at home and read, watch TV, or play games in your free time?
Or do you like to go outside and hike or go for jobs?
What do you do on the weekends?
Overall, are you more active or sedentary?
If you are more active, then you can choose nearly any dog you want. The only caveat is if you want your dog to join in on your activities. Just make sure if you are taking your dog on adventure that requires a car ride, we recommend you set up your car to keep them safe.
If you want a pooch that will go on walks, jogs, and hikes with you, then consider a puppy or young adult dog.
You may also want to prioritize more energetic breeds, like huskies, boxers, border collies, or labs.
Related Resource: Is Your Puppy Too Hyper?
Suppose you are more sedentary and not willing to (or incapable of) change your lifestyle.
In that case, you may want to consider an older dog or a smaller breed that will need less exercise, such as pugs or chihuahuas.
Remember, all dogs need some exercise, but some will need a lot less than others.
How Often You Are Home? Do You Know Reliable Dog Sitters?
Are you a workaholic who puts in as much overtime as possible? Or do you work from home?
Do you spend your free time out of the house with friends?
If you do spend time out of the home, could your pup go with you?
If you do spend a lot of time out of your home, do you have a reliable dog sitter you can count on?
Is there a nearby doggie daycare you can afford to use?
You should reconsider adopting a dog if you are seldom home, as the canine would be alone for most of the day.
Overall, most dogs should be okay with you leaving for work every day, but there may be exceptions. If you rescue a dog from a shelter, always ask about separation anxiety.
Do You Have Enough Free Time to Care for the Dog?
This is also when you should think about your free time.
Do you have enough extra time in your day to care for a dog?
You will need to take it for walks and feed it every day. You will also have to take it to the vet at least once a year.
If you don’t have time for these things, wait to adopt a pooch until you do.
Do You Have Kids? Do You Have Other Pets?
Think about the size of your family. Some dogs are great with kids, while others are not.
It would be best to consider your kids' age, as many toddlers and small children don’t know how to interact with dogs properly.
If you have small children, try to adopt a pooch with a gentler temperament. If you adopt from a shelter, make sure to confirm the dog is okay with kids.
Ideally, please have your children meet the pooch before you adopt it.
Consider similar factors if you have any other pets. If you have another dog, think about what traits they would get along with best, and introduce them to the new dog before adoption.
Do You Have Guests Over Frequently?
You will also want to think about how often you have guests over.
Some canines are highly social and will love having new people to play with. Others will be overwhelmed by the excitement or may even become overly protective.
Your Finances – Vet Care Is Expensive
Before you commit to adopting a canine, check your finances.
Make sure you can afford food and vet care, including unexpected vet visits.
Location
Next, consider where you live as you think about what type of dog to adopt.
Region and Climate
Start by considering your region and climate. If you live in a cold area, you may want to reconsider dogs that get cold easily, such as chihuahuas.
Instead, opt for a dog like a husky that loves the snow.
Please take a moment to think about how often it rains or snows in your area and how hot or cold it gets.
Confirm you are willing to walk your dog in all those conditions.
If you live somewhere with extreme weather that could stop your pup from going outside, make sure you have an alternative for their bathroom and exercise needs.
Living Space
Your living space is among the most important factors to consider when adopting a dog. If you live in a tiny apartment, you should stick to a smaller breed.
If you live in a house or on a large property, you will not have any restrictions.
However, you need to consider the breed and how it will respond to other possible farm animals. Most farms have chickens and the owners go to great lengths to protecting them with dogs and other ways when they are in the coop at night.
Consider both the indoor and outdoor spaces, including whether you have a fence in your backyard or can install one. Some owners have considered an invisible fence surrounding the property.
The living space does not just matter in terms of size; you also want to think about its arrangement and amenities. If there are many stairs to get in and out, maybe reconsider getting an older dog. Or perhaps you want a smaller dog you can easily carry if your space has many stairs.
Think about other aspects of your living space as well, such as whether you have a lot of breakable objects.
If you have many breakables and don’t want to get rid of them, you may want to stick to lower-energy breeds.
How Loud Is Your Area?
Take a few moments to consider how loud your area would be for a dog.
If you live in the middle of the city and there is constant noise, you will want to make sure you adopt a dog that doesn’t have issues with loud noises.
Nearby Activities and Dog-friendly Places
Yet another vital aspect of your location is what amenities are nearby. Do you have easy access to a vet and a pet store?
What about a pet grooming salon?
Is there a dog park or somewhere else that you can take your dog?
Are nearby hiking trails and parks dog-friendly?
As you answer these questions, think about what types of activities you want to do with your dog and how easy they would be to do in your area.
Don’t forget daily activities, such as taking your dog for walks.
Do you live in an area with sidewalks?
Are you by a busy main road that could make walks challenging?
Now, combine your considerations about your location with those about your lifestyle. If you frequently eat and would like to take your pup with you, are there enough dog-friendly restaurants by you?
What other places would you want to be able to take your dog, such as breweries?
If you notice there are not as many nearby dog-friendly activities as you had hoped, you may want to wait for a little to adopt a dog.
Or you may want to adjust your ideas of what breeds, energy levels, and other traits you want to look for.
Temperament
When it comes to temperament, you need to consider yours and anyone else in your house and the dog itself.
What Is Your Temperament? Easy Going and Relaxed or High Energy and Hyper?
Start by thinking about yourself. Are you energetic and hyper or more easy-going and relaxed?
To some extent, this ties back into energy levels and lifestyle.
It also depends on how you react to situations and whether you worry a lot or are more go-with-the-flow.
If you worry a lot or get easily annoyed by broken things, you may want to adopt an adult dog instead of a puppy and stick to calmer breeds.
If you are more high-energy and hyper, consider adopting a dog that matches your temperament.
What Is the Temperament of Other Family Members?
Remember also to consider the temperament of anyone else that you live with.
Start with any other adults, like your significant other, who will also be taking care of the dog.
Then consider other members of the household, whether they are your kids or your roommates.
If everyone has very different temperaments, then prioritize those people who will interact with the dog most, which is typically the adults.
The Dog’s Temperament
Of course, you also want to think about what you want or can handle in terms of a dog’s temperament.
If, for example, you want a family dog, you probably want a breed that is playful and protective.
Good breed choices include Labrador retrievers, beagles, Irish setters, golden retrievers, pugs, and Newfoundlands.
If you want a guard dog, you will want to prioritize breeds that are more protective, such as boxers, German shepherds, rottweilers, Doberman pinschers, and Great Danes.
If you’re going to adopt a working dog, you should look for a breed known for being alert, strong, and smart.
Depending on the type of job you want the pup to do, you may wish for a husky, a Great Dane, a Doberman pinscher, or a herding dog like the Australian shepherd.
The Dog’s Training
The other aspect of the dog’s temperament to think about is its level of obedience and training.
If you have experience with owning and training dogs, you may want a challenge. In that case, you can ask at the shelter about any dogs that are still struggling in some aspects.
Remember, you will also need to have patience and plenty of time if you choose to get an untrained dog or puppy.
Or, do you prefer a dog that is already reasonably well-trained?
If that is the case, you will want to avoid puppies and head to your local shelter. There will likely be at least a few dogs with some basic training complete.
If you want a puppy but want to choose one that is likely to be easier to train, consider looking for border collies, poodles, miniature schnauzers, Labrador retrievers, or German shepherds.
Consider a basset hound, beagle, Siberian husky, Chinese Shar-Pei, or rottweiler if you are in for a challenge.
Just remember that any generalizations about breeds are just generalizations. There is never a guarantee that your dog will be as hard or easy to train as its ancestors traditionally are.
The Takeaway
Adopting a dog is a commitment that you make for life, so it is not a decision you want to take lightly. Before you even think about which breeds to adopt, make sure that you can handle a dog in your life.
Confirm you can afford them, have enough free time to give them the attention and exercise they deserve, and that your home can handle a dog.
Then you can think about your lifestyle, home, and temperament to figure out what type of dog to get.
The most significant decision will likely be age, as raising a puppy is very different from an adult, and both of those are very different from a canine in their golden years.
You will also want to consider its overall temperament, which the shelter you adopt should give you an idea. Always make sure to meet your new pooch and have everyone else in your family do so as well before you adopt.