Gonna get on my soap box here , Ok So you want a Dog , understand first its a liability any breed of dog has the potential to be aggressive.
1) You don't buy a dog because you like what it looks like , all pure bred dogs where bred for a reason ,every pure bed dog has what is called a Standard
READ the Standard for the breed you have in mind before purchasing , Why because it will tell you more than you think you know about what you are getting yourself into.
2) When you decide on a breed of dog you want , Do not buy from a pet store, do not buy from the guy around the corner that just had a litter
Why because the same reason you don't grow bag seed,( GENETICS).You buy the best seeds for growing to smoke top quality buds,
Well breeding dogs and breeding weed is the same in very real sense.
3) choose a breeder that has been breeding that breed of dog for at least 10 years, why because like weed he has the genetics there on his property (Kennel).(the mother plant) An established line that takes many year to prefect (sound familiar thought so)
4) any good breeder worth his salt will offer you a guarantee on health and ,temprment, top quality breeder will have cerf cert = (eyes ) and also at least 3 generations of OFA cert = Hips
5) visit at least 3 breeders ,see his stock , the best thing you can do is if the breeder has the grand parents at the kennel ,this is the dog or both you want to see ,because phenol and geno traits tend to skip a generation in dogs , another word the litter you are looking at will most likely turn out like the the grand dam or grand father.
6) choosing the puppy ok so there is a way to choose the perfect companion (puppy) , but most really good breeders will choose the puppy for you,and it all depends on your lifestyle. this gets a little deep but understand how dogs derive from wolf and they live there life in a pack (pecking order)
So if you are a family you want the most submissive puppy in the litter you are looking at. there is a simple test to find this out, when that litter of puppies is released on you and your family to choose one , you simply play gently with each one petting and general play as the puppy gets comfortable with you roll him over start with rubbing his belly slowly work your way up to his withers (neck) now just gently pin him down by his neck not much force just enough that he feel you have control , the longer he deals with the submission the more submissive the dog will ,a puppy who can hold that position for you for more then 30 to 45 seconds will become a dog that is easy to train and will no his place in your family his or her entire life
a puppy that will have none of this hold my neck down belly up is a dominate dog ,and more than likely will be harder to train and will try to move up the pack in your family witch can lead to aggression on your children first then your wife then you. you think that male puppy you bought home 8 months later starts humping your wife or kids means he wants to have sex , NO this is a true sign of I am going to be the boss.
I bred , showed, trained and judged dogs most my whole life ,and I always enjoyed how people who owned dogs with saying thing like my dog protects my newborn if any one come in to the baby room he will growl at them. Dogs do not react and think like people. what the dog is really saying and thinking is I am jealous and I want attention and I am not happy with this new person in my household .
7) A dog that shows more dominate should be owned by a single person they tend to do better in a one on one situation , and also a single person should get a puppy between 7 and 8 weeks of age as a family should get a submissive puppy at 10 weeks of age, the reason why is at about 5 week a litter will establish the pecking order, but socialization with littermates has really not started to develop till 6 weeks of age , a single person getting a puppy a 7 weeks mind you this is a dominate dog and that age he will bond with you like a brother or sister and be much easier to train.
8 to 10 week puppies start socializing with each other a puppy taken a 8 to 9 weeks will be more adapt to living with a family and also it will socialize netter with other pets. But a submissive puppy taken out of a littler a 10 weeks of age benefits from its mother. this is a very important thing for a submissive pup because at 10 weeks a mother will take one puppy at a time first by its head and taunt is till it learn how to defend them selves ,once it fights back then mom moves on to the next puppy.
what does this do well in short it makes for a very well rounded dog , remember this is a submissive pup and if taken before week ten you will end up with that skidish dog we all see from time to time that wants nothing to do with socialization.
So a dog is a companion that should be able to go anywhere you want it to go and listen to your commands . So training and socialization is key to have a great dog , but you must first choose the right breed and personality that will make a great dog.
And remember the most effective way that your dog understands who is the boss is you never ever let your dog eat before you ,you always eat first then feed him ,this sets the rules in his world and he understands what that means.
Sorry got out of hand with this post ,.but dogs and people are so misunderstood
