pet connection

I just took a break for a quick lunch and started to sort through the magazines that piled up while we were in Seattle last week. I started with Men’s Journal because it had a cover blurb that read Choose the Right Dog: Best Breeds for City, Country, Kids and Active Guys. Wondering what they would get wrong (feel free to label me a cynic), I turned to page 55, where I found an article titled Your Dog: A User’s Manual, by Bill Gifford. Gifford spoke to breeders, people who do rescue and, of course, Cesar Millan and lives with a pair of Redbone Coonhound/Lab crosses.

It wasn’t bad. I’d quibble with the advice to go to the AKC first in search of a breeder–a quicker and more informative route, in most cases, would be to go straight to the parent club website–but the advice on what to expect from a breeder (nosiness about your fitness as a dog owner, health certifications on both parents, and willingness to take the dog back if he’s not a good fit) are straight out of Buying a Dog 101, although it would have been great if he had mentioned that real breeders take dogs back for any reason at any time in their lives, not just if a pup isn’t a good fit. He also recommends meeting the parents before a litter is born and points out that it takes a while to find a good breeder and may be as long as a year before a puppy is available.

In a sidebar, The Puppy Test, Gifford gives pretty good tips on choosing a puppy. I liked this one:

Place the puppy in a separate room. Remove him from the chaos of the…other pups, and then move away. Does he hide in a corner, bolt directly to you, or investigate his new surroundings? You want a dog that’s interested in you first, then his environment.

He does fall into the dominance trap, though, saying that a puppy biting or wrestling with your hand is a sign of dominance and suggesting that you roll him gently on his back to see if he resists or bites–also a sign of dominance. Dominance theory has been discredited, and I almost never hear either of those suggestions when I talk to breeders and trainers about choosing a puppy–and I talk to a lot of them.

A chart gives a thumbnail description of a dozen breeds, based on whether they are a homebody, running partner, good with kids or adventure ready. Mostly they’re on the mark. The Mastiff and the Rottweiler get the nod as homebodies; so does the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, which I’m not sure I agree with. I would have put him in as a running partner or adventure ready. Tip for the Mastiff: “Slobber can be an issue. Learn to love it.” Good advice.

The Schipperke, Australian Shepherd and Australian Cattle Dog are recommended as running partners. Uh-oh factor for the Australian Shepherd: “If not challenged mentally, will invent challenges. Not a good thing.”

Whether a dog is good with kids depends more on the kids and the parents than the dog, in my childfree opinion, but Gifford again makes some good picks: the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog, Portuguese Water Dog and Redbone Coonhound. These medium-size to large dogs are known for being pretty laidback and tolerant–not that they should be expected to tolerate abuse from children, but those bonks on the head from little fists can happen in the best-regulated households. I would have liked a little footnote about not leaving dogs and kids alone together. Tip for the Redbone Coonhound: “Keep him leashed–he obeys his nose, not his owner.”

Adventure-ready dogs include the Border Terrier, Chesapeake Bay Retriever and Norwegian Elkhound. Manly dogs all. Norwegian Elkhound description: “The elkhound is another “independent” (read: stubborn) breed. He’s hardwired to do his job with or without you but is also social. They love hiking, moose or no moose. Beautiful silver-gray fur–that sheds a lot.”

In a teeny-tiny sidebar, Gifford addresses adopting a dog from a shelter. Take the ASPCA’s Meet Your Match quiz to figure out if a dog up for adoption is a good match for you; see if you can take the dog home temporarily–or at least out of the shelter–so you can get a better idea of his true personality; and take things slow when you get him home.

Even the Dog Whisperer gave advice I couldn’t argue with: Walk your dog every day; reward the good, ignore the bad; use body language and tone of voice to communicate effectively with your dog; and don’t dwell on the past or hold grudges when working with your dog.

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