At BEYOND Dog Training, I believe that bringing home the right dog for you and your family will be one of the most important decisions that you make. This one decision alone can determine the success or failure of how well your dog integrates into your family and how well your family embraces the dog into their everyday lives.
Give yourself and your dog the best opportunity for success by engaging the services of an experienced and professional behaviour assessor because it can be common for heartbreak to follow when the wrong dog is chosen.
There are many online ‘matching’ questionnaires that can help you to find the most likely dog match. But what these sites don’t offer you, which is just as important, is an individual assessment of a particular puppy or dog that you are considering and whether that individual is still the right match for you. It is important to consider such things as – How do you find out about the past history of the puppy and its parents? How do you predict if that history will change the expected behaviours of your ‘perfect match?’ This is where the advice of someone who has extensive experience and training in behaviour assessment can be the most valuable advice that you ever obtain when searching for the right dog for you.
I have seen it over and over again, where families have become disillusioned with the failure of their choice and this usually results in either the dog being isolated or surrendered. Other families with the same problem continue to struggle with the situation trying to make the most of it, but at the same time regretting that they didn’t take the time or seek the resources of an objective professional in order to ensure that they were more informed about their choice.
There can be so many variations within a dog breed and without considering these factors; you could still be risking a ‘hit or miss’ outcome. It is increasingly common for families to choose dogs that are currently ‘in fashion’ instead of considering whether these breeds are in fact a good match or not. Other important factors which can influence success include whether you obtain your puppy or dog from a breeder, a friend or welfare or rescue group.
There is one more factor to consider when choosing your correct match – and that is, whether you have the time, energy and motivation to provide your newly selected dog or puppy, with what he or she will need throughout their life. For example, high drive working dogs find it more difficult to adapt to urban environments particularly when their high energy needs remain unmet by their owners. This can then lead to the development of difficult behaviours or seriously problematic behaviours sometimes requiring re-homing or surrender to a welfare organisation.
Save yourself from the worry, the wasted time, the disappointment and the heartbreak of a bad match by seeking the services of BEYOND Dog Training to assist you and guide you to a smart and potentially perfect match with the ideal dog for you and your family.
You can contact me by going to the CONTACT page on this website.