THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE ADOPTING A BULLDOG
A bulldog can be a nurturing companion, a silly buddy, an exercise partner, and more, but doggy ownership is also a lot of work. Training and caring for your dog needs time and money, and adopting a dog is a big decision that shouldn't be taken without due consideration.
I'll center on the negative aspects since most folks looking for a doggy are already aware of the positives. This is a pretty broad question, so let's assume you have already found a breed that will work for you.
Time Commitment
Young puppies are about 20 times more challenging for the first 1-2 years than an adopted pooch. If you don't invest the time, you'll pay in other ways (like lost sneakers, noise complaints from next-door neighbors, hostile behavior, and more). It will take multiple hours every day to train and exercise your new puppy, but it will really payoff in the long run. You know those really cool doggies that gladly wait outside of stores without a leash, or sit quietly at an outdoors bistro even when other canines are present? That didn't happen by mishap. Adopting a more mature mutt is a great shortcut to a wonderful companion but there are factors you still need to do to make sure your new hound is compatible with your daily life.
Cleaning
Nails need to be clipped, hair needs to be cleaned, and they need to be bathed. Professional dog grooming runs from $60-$ 120 and you'll need to do it every couple of months for a pooch with long fur.
And speaking of hair, it will be everywhere. It will be on your clothes, in your baby's mouth, and sometimes in your meals. Lint rollers are fantastic, but you'll never obtain pre-dog levels again. I find my doggy's fur at friend's homes that my doggy has never visited. It's a plague.
You also need to be conscious of allergies-- are you allergic? Is anyone that's going to be around the pup allergic?
Healthcare
We invested $8000 in veterinarian expenses during the first 2 yrs of our pup's life (our very energetic doggy had a couple of severe injuries, so this is a high estimate, but not unheard of). There are health insurance alternatives out there, but be sure to get one without having lots of exclusions. Expect to pay $50-100 per month for insurance, which doesn't cover regular veterinarian visits.
Significant medical troubles are pretty common over the lifespan of a dog so be prepared to make very difficult decisions. If you needed to pay $10,000 to preserve a high quality of life for your canine or put him or her to sleep, what would you do? Where do you set an end point? This will be an inevitable question that you'll have to face.
Socialization
If you reside somewhere where leash laws are strictly enforced (or somewhere that lacks open places where pooches can play unleashed with each other), you'll probably need to pay for dog daycare or a dog walker. Without this, your canine will likely develop aggressive behaviors toward other pets, which can be very dangerous. Mutts are inherently social and separating them can be very destructive.
Other Things to Take into account
Dealing with Other Animals
Do you have squirrels, skunks, pigs, or other potentially risky or undesirable wild animals in your region that your pooch will bump into? What will you do to stay away from confrontations?
Your Freedom Will Be Limited
You're committing to arriving home directly after work for the next 9-14 yrs of your life. What will you do when you take a trip? Are you going to ensure your canine is socialized properly enough that you can leave her with another pet owner or dog daycare center?
Unless you expect to seriously breed dogs, you'll need to neuter your pet. Not only do you prevent surprise puppies, but it diminishes aggressive and bizarre behaviors (by yours as well as other canines).
Keeping Discipline
You'll need to learn how to discipline your pooch and set limits, and you'll need to be honest with yourself about your capability to enforce them. Even if they're arbitrary, boundaries are important to help keep your canine comfortable with you being in charge. With larger doggies, if you struggle to create boundaries and maintain disciplined habits, they could end up being a very major problem.
Training Pups around Children
It can be very difficult to train a pooch if you have kids. Our pup was incredibly well-behaved around food items before we had our lad, but now he'll loot food from plates near the floor (a mortal sin in my house). Getting this under control with a newborn that tosses meals as a recreation is demanding.
Dealing with Death
As depressing as it is, your pup will pass away and you'll probably be the one to determine when that will be. You'll also quite likely be there throughout the final moments. I've had nightmares about this myself. I prefer the terminology of "adopting a pooch" to "buying a dog" because this is more about family and love than it is about an ownership. This is a lifetime-- your pup's life commitment and I know I didn't fully grasp what that meant until I had a pooch of my own.
I think the theme of what I'm expressing is go into it counting on it to be challenging. If you're ready for a challenge, you'll be far more prepared to handle it and you'll be mindful of the parts that go well.
I don't often agree with his style, but Cesar's Millan show on the NatGeo channel is a good way to learn more about pups. It unveils the conduct problems you can create if you do not go into dog ownership well prepared. Watch it and ask yourself how you would handle the situations the dog owners experience. You'll see that a common point is that the owners not the canines are usually the issue.
Why AUSTRALIANS LOVE BULLDOGS
With more than 65 percent of Aussie households home to a dog, one of the highest rates in the world, there's no doubt we're a country of pet lovers.
And there's also no doubt that we see them as a memeber of the family rather than just a pet, with a study by Pet Industry Association of Australia showing that only 15 percent of pet owners would reduce spending on their pets if their income fell.
The report also revealed that before reducing on their pet's expenses, forty five percent of pup owners would look at strategies to reduce their electricity usage; 49 percent would reduce their own essentials, 34 percent would use more affordable products and seventeen percent would ever consider applaying for a second job.
So, it doesn't matter how you look at it, family pets are big business, and small companies are cashing in. Gone are the days of feeding your pup 50 cent cans of chicken, or throwing your dog a dried up bone as a treat.
The last couple of years has seen an entire new breed of small companies stocking, pooch clothes, great Australian LED pet collars, doggie spas, and even high-end dog accessories.
One such extravagant store is Melbourne small business, Aussie Pet. An online-only shop, Aussie pet has a range of designer dog collars for your four-legged friends including Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and more!. They also have high-tech products such as Fiber-Optic LED dog collars and GPS tracking gadgets, and no stink water-proof dog collars.
And the dog industry keeps on growing too, from basic and handy items such as balls, slow feeding bowls, and rainproof crates, to the downright extreme; a $2000 18K gold-thread dog collar; Swarovski crystal leads that can cost up to $900, Roberto Cavalli-designed pooch clothes and $100 bottles of canine perfume called Naughty Puppy.
And there's also no doubt that we see them as a memeber of the family rather than just a pet, with a study by Pet Industry Association of Australia showing that only 15 percent of pet owners would reduce spending on their pets if their income fell.
The report also revealed that before reducing on their pet's expenses, forty five percent of pup owners would look at strategies to reduce their electricity usage; 49 percent would reduce their own essentials, 34 percent would use more affordable products and seventeen percent would ever consider applaying for a second job.
So, it doesn't matter how you look at it, family pets are big business, and small companies are cashing in. Gone are the days of feeding your pup 50 cent cans of chicken, or throwing your dog a dried up bone as a treat.
The last couple of years has seen an entire new breed of small companies stocking, pooch clothes, great Australian LED pet collars, doggie spas, and even high-end dog accessories.
One such extravagant store is Melbourne small business, Aussie Pet. An online-only shop, Aussie pet has a range of designer dog collars for your four-legged friends including Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and more!. They also have high-tech products such as Fiber-Optic LED dog collars and GPS tracking gadgets, and no stink water-proof dog collars.
And the dog industry keeps on growing too, from basic and handy items such as balls, slow feeding bowls, and rainproof crates, to the downright extreme; a $2000 18K gold-thread dog collar; Swarovski crystal leads that can cost up to $900, Roberto Cavalli-designed pooch clothes and $100 bottles of canine perfume called Naughty Puppy.