adopting a new dog

[footsie]

I'm going to be getting a dog sometime in the next month or so.

I've never had a dog before, so I'm nervous! I will need a good "beginer" dog, but I also want a medium to large sized dog.

Any breed recomendations or warnings?

I'm going to start my search at the local shelters. I'm afraid that I'll end up just picking the first dog I see that looks friendly, when I really need to do a lot of comparing to find the right fit for me.

[nern]

I think the shelters are a great start! I visit the shelter here frequently and find lots of wonderful dogs that I would just love to adopt if I could....most of them are medium-large too. Hopefully, you will have the same luck and if the shelter staff is good they will be able to help you too.
Take your time and try to avoid rushing into anything. Spend plenty of time with the dog you are considering outside of the kennel. The shelters here have visiting rooms where you can spend some one on one time with an individual dog and they also allow you to take the dog out on leash if you wish. It depends on what kind of rules your shelter has though.
I would probably avoid dogs that are highly or easily aroused and don't seem to settle quickly or that have a hard time paying much attention to you (regardless of how much time you spend with them)because they are so involved in whats going on elsewhere.

What type of qualities do you think you might want in a dog?

I'm not sure how much you enjoy reading but if you do it might be worthwhile for you to pick up Sue Sternberg's book " Successful Dog Adoption".

[Dukesdad]

If you have a dog park in your area that is an excellent place to see all types of dogs AND talk to their owners about the dogs. I often see people at our park doing just that. It's like going to a dog mall and shopping for a dog that will really fit your lifestyle and vice versa.

Of course as nern suggested you could consider adopting a dog from your local shelter. Be sure to tell the shelter that this will be your first dog and they should be able to match you to the perfect dog.

My last piece of advice, and I think everyone here will agree with this, DO NOT purchase a dog from a pet store or someone who might advertise "Puppies For Sale" in the newspaper. The only place I would purchase a dog is from a very reputable professional breeder or from the shelter. BTW I have one of each, Duke is a purebred Lab that was originally from a professional breeder and Freckles is a rescue.

These are my tips and I'm sure the experience of the posters here will also help.

Please continue to ask any question you may have.
Good Luck.

[honeybears]

good fo your for doing research before you get a dog.
I agree with Nern about what what qualities you are looking for, you say you want a medium to large dog,

These are things to consider:

do you want a puppy? if so will you have the time and energy to train?

or do you want a mayba a little older like6- 8 months or older, you may still need to potty train and coarse basic training
of
do you want a dog that is high energy? and if so do you have the time and room for one or are you looking for a dog that is more mellow?

the 2nd one is the most important one, because so many dogs end up in shelters because people cant handle them, it no fault of the dog but the owner, for example jack russel terriers. They became very popular with the TV show Frasier, people got them because Eddy was just so darn cute, and and then went holy moly these dogs are like on speed, I didnt want this , and dump them at the shelters

think about hair type, medium to long hair dogs need a lot of grooming vs a short hair dog, can you handle shedding? some dogs shed a lot more than others.

I would as suggested keep these things in mind as go to your shelters and take a look, they should have play/walk rooms for you to evaluate the dog. Keep in mind though and dont be dissuaded by the dogs who do look hyper though, many of them arent like that but just want out of there so they are reacting, so donet let what I said about a hyper dog scare you, because once you get them out and evaluate them its easier to see their personality.


the other good avenue is check out your local rescue groups. These dogs are in foster care and the foster parents know the dogs personalities, they are normally have some sort of obediance training and potty training too


good luck

[Jamiya]

I agree with Sams in that you should look at a local rescue that fosters dogs. They can help you pick one with the type of personality you want. If you have a good local shelter with knowledgable people, you can ask the staff to help you pick a dog as well. There's a great trainer at one of our shelters that can assess a dog very quickly and tell you what the dog would be like at home. You probably want something that's not too high energy - like a calmer Golden Retreiver or Lab mix - BUT they do chew a lot (some of them) so you have to be aware of that as well. I personally like the funny-looking unique mixed breeds.

[Samsintentions]

Have you looked on Petfinder? I was doing some searches for you and here's what I though would suit you best. But JMO

http://search.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=4424640

http://search.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=4837836

http://search.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=5665276

http://search.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=5579517

http://search.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=4918089


And my personal FAVORITE!!!
http://search.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=5624000