Where does responsible dog parenting start?
Responsible dog parenting starts before you even get a dog. You should put a great deal of thought into adopting a dog, because you must make a commitment to that dog for his lifetime. You should research the breeds which you think would be best for you based on the breed’s “job description.” Border Collies and Jack Russell Terriers are smart–you see them in all of the television commercials. But if you won’t be happy with a dog that will need enormous amounts of mental stimulation to keep that busy mind from creating games of its own (like redecorating the house or chasing/biting/shredding the children), then you should choose a dog that is a little “easier” to maintain. If you think you want a Labrador, but you don’t want to invest the time to properly train him, and he grows up to be 80 pounds of trouble bouncing off the walls, don’t you DARE cart him off to the animal shelter and tell the people “he just got too BIG!” or “he needs too much exercise!” If you research the breed, you
