Choosing a Great Dog From a Shelter

If you and your family have decided to get a new dog, selecting one from the local shelter is an excellent way to find the right dog for you. There are however a few things that you should be aware of and watch out for when selecting that pound puppy. Whether you are looking for a pet at the local shelter or a local rescue organization they may have puppies as well as adults. When selecting a puppy there are a few things you should watch out for. If you're looking at an entire litter you do not want the alpha dog. That's the dog that usually appears to be somewhat of the bully and in charge. That dog will be a bit of a challenge to you later on. At the same time you do not want the puppy that is sitting off by itself and not interacting with the other pups. That is a puppy that will have issues later on with fear. You want the puppy that is outgoing and comes to you, wants to be with you and wants to be petted he'll be easy to spot. Remember that saying from Forest Gump? It applies to puppies as well. Puppies are like a box of chocolates you never know what you're going to get. (until they grow up) If you want to know what you're going to get then an adult dog would be best for you. With an adult dog you can tell what it is already. You don't have to wait for it to grow up. So how do we select that adult dog? The first thing we look for in that perfect dog is an outgoing personality. We want a dog that's very friendly, outgoing and doesn't appear to be fearful of anything. A dog that shows fear is going to be a dog that is hard to work with for you over the years. In fact fearful dogs often become aggressive dogs so stay away from that fearful dog. You'll also want a dog that doesn't show any aggression towards people and even other dogs. This is important if you own another dog or plan on being around other dogs. Unfortunately quite often people think they can adopt a dog and change it. What I mean by that is they feel that they can take that fearful dog or the aggressive dog and keep it from being that way. Sometimes we can help them with training but a lot of times we can't, so why start off with a dog that already has problems. There are so many great dogs available for adoption that are complete sweethearts and have no emotional baggage. It just makes sense to adopt a dog like that rather than one with problems. So when looking for your next dog at a shelter or rescue take your time and pick the dog that's right for you and your family. Don't just grab a dog because of its breed or its color. Instead pick a dog that you'll enjoy spending the next 10 and even more years with and you will be much happier. Wayne Booth is owner of Canine Behavior Specialists, http://www.CanineBehaviorSpecialists.com in Nashville, TN where he helps people train their dogs and solve behavior problems. Wayne has been teaching people how to become Professional Dog Trainers since 1990 and he is the Training Director of the Canine Behavior Specialists Network, http://www.K9-University.com. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8368200