Volhard

Puppies

Select a Breed for Your Lifestyle by Wendy Volhard © 2000

Selecting a breed

Getting a dog or puppy on impulse is rarely a good idea. Remember that dogs, like cars, were designed for a particular function. You need to decide what you want, a Ferrari or a Pick-up, a Border Collie or a Saint Bernard.

The various breeds were originally developed to do a certain job, such as herding, drafting, guarding, hunting and other work related tasks. The emphasis was on the dog’s ability to work. First find out what the dog you would like was bred to do and then ask yourself "Will this dog be compatible with my lifestyle in term of temperament and exercise needs?"

You’ll need to decide on why you want a puppy in the first place.

a companion
a playmate for the children
a protection dog when he grows up
to become involved in sports such as hunting, agility, obedience or showing in conformation
purely as a status symbol, or a
a combination of the above?

Some breeds of dogs can fill all of your expectations, but most of them cannot.

Popular breeds such as the Labrador Retriever, #1 in AKC Registrations, are popular for a reason. They are usually good with people, children and other dogs, and make good companions and working dogs.

Dogs are social animals and don’t do well in isolation and you need to be realistic about how much time you can devote to a pet.

Selecting a breeder

Once you have done your research and you have decided which breed is most suited to your lifestyle and expectations, it is time to choose a breeder. You can meet breeders at dog shows, through any of our Camps, through the local newspaper, or popular dog magazines, such as The American Kennel Club Gazette, Dog World or Dog Fancy.

Here are some of the criteria you want to follow in selecting a breeder:

Choose an experienced breeder, one who has had several litters and who knows his or her breed.
Choose a breeder who has shown his dogs and has done some winning, which is a fairly good indication that his or her dogs conform to the standard of the breed and will grow up looking like the dogs you saw that attracted you to the breed in the first place.
Choose a breeder who is using our Puppy Aptitude Test (PAT). If he or she hasn’t heard of it, show it to him or her; avoid one that says "I don’t believe in that."
Choose a breeder whose dogs are certified by the applicable registries against breed-related genetic disorders, such as eyes, hips, etc.
Choose a breeder where you can interact with adult dogs, and get some idea how long they live.
Choose a breeder where the dogs are well housed and everything is clean.

Whatever you do, don’t try to pick a puppy by having the entire litter together - you will not be able to pick the right one for you. Always interact with a puppy individually, away from its litter mates.

Getting a puppy or older dog from a shelter

Don’t overlook an Animal Shelter as a source for a good dog. Not all dogs wind up in a shelter because they are bad. After that cute puppy stage, when the dog grows up, it may become too much for its owner. Or, there has been a change in the owner’s circumstances forcing him or her into having to give up the dog.

While you can’t use the entire Puppy Aptitude Test (PAT), there are some tests like the restraint test, that will give you a good indication of what to look for.

Selecting the right puppy for you

To help you pick the dog you want, we have devised Volhard’s Puppy Aptitude Test (PAT), a test that is amazingly accurate in predicting inherited behavioral tendencies and show how the puppy will turn out as an adult. This is not a pass fail test. PAT evaluates the following traits:

Social Attraction - degree of social attraction to people, confidence or dependence.
Following - willingness to follow a person.
Restraint - degree of dominant or submissive tendency, and ease of handling in difficult situations.
Social Dominance - degree of acceptance of social dominance by a person.
Elevation - degree of accepting dominance while in a position of no control, such as at the veterinarian or groomer.
Retrieving - degree of willingness to do something for you. Together with Social Attraction and Following a key indicator for ease or difficulty in training.
Touch Sensitivity - degree of sensitivity to touch and a key indicator to the type of training equipment required.
Sound Sensitivity - degree of sensitivity to sound, such as loud noises or thunderstorms.
Sight Sensitivity - degree of response to a moving object, such as chasing bicycles, children or squirrels.
Stability - degree of startle response to a strange object.

The Do's and Don'ts.

Do be nice to your dog every time he comes to you.	Don't do anything your dog perceives as unpleasant when he comes to you.
Do get into the habit of using only one command. If your dog doesn't respond, reinforce the command.	Don't nag your dog by repeating commands - it teaches him to ignore you.
Do use your dog's name to get his attention and then tell him what you want him to do.	Don't use your name and then expect him to read your mind as to what you want.
Do eliminate the word "no" from your training vocabulary.	Don't expect your dog to know what the exercise "no" means.
Do use a normal tone of voice when you give a command.	Don't yell at your dog.
Do be consistent in your actions and expectations.	Don't confuse your dog by inconsistent expectations.
Do provide an outlet for your dog's energies.	Don't try to suppress behaviors that need an outlet.
Do keep your dog mentally stimulated by training him.	Don't let your dog stagnate.
Do understand that your dog is a social animal. Train him so he can be a part of the family.	Don't lock your dog up or put him out because you haven't trained him to behave.
Do socialize your dog with people and other dogs.	Don't isolate your dog.
Do become your dog's pack leader.	Don't expect your dog to obey, if you are not his leader.
Do make learning fun for your dog.	Don't get too serious in your training.
Do reward the behaviors you want.	Don't reward undesirable behaviors.
Do spend plenty of time with your dog and give him lots of exercise.	Don't make him a neurotic by neglecting him.
Do keep trying and your dog will reward you by getting the message.	Don't give up when the going gets tough.
Do get outside help when you get stuck.	Don't blame the dog.

Sit on command. Use only one command, then reinforce	Teach your dog to sit with a treat. Hold treat slightly in front of dog’s head, say "Sit," and bring hand slightly above his eyes. Give treat when he sits. Use a treat in one hand, and apply some upward pressure on the collar with the other as you say "Sit." Say "Sit," and apply a little upward pressure of the collar. Lots of praise when dog sits. Without touching your dog, or showing him a treat, say "Sit." When he responds correctly, reward him with a treat. If not, review Step 3.
Down on command. Use only one command, then reinforce	Teach your dog to lie down with a treat. With your dog sitting at your left side, put your left hand on top of his withers. Show him a treat, held in the right hand. Say "Down," and lower the treat to the ground between his feet and slide it forward so he has to lie down to get the treat. With the treat in your right hand, and your left hand through his collar, say "Down," lower the treat and apply downward pressure on the collar. Say "Down," and apply a little downward pressure of the collar. Lots of praise when he lies down. Without touching your dog, or showing him a treat, say "Down." When he responds correctly, reward him with a treat. If not, review Step 3.
Recall - coming when called Play the Recall Game as often as necessary. Be sure you can touch your dog’s collar every time he comes to you and before you give him a treat.	On leash, inside. Off leash, inside. Off leash, outside in a confined area. On leash with distractions. Off leash with distractions.
Safety - yours and his Practice having your dog stay before he can	go in or out of a door, go up or down stairs, or get in and out of the car
Sit Stay - not jumping on people Use the Sit-Stay exercise to teach your dog not to jump on people.	Teach him to stay on leash with you directly in front. Increase the distance to 3 feet in front and introduce distractions. Practice until your dog will stay on and off leash around distractions. Reinforce the sit stay every time your dog greets you.

Want to learn how to train the Motivational Way?
If you can give your dog a cookie, you can teach him anything. Take a vacation with your dog where you can both learn, have fun and relax all at the same time.
Come to our Training Camps and meet people just like yourself who enjoy being with their dogs.

Follow up questions should be directed to the following discussions groups created by Jack and Wendy Volhard
Volhard Nutrition List or to the VolhardTraining List

© As long as the material used is correctly credited with the authors' name,
a link to this website, the publication where it was printed from and the copyright,
Jack and Wendy encourage people to use their material.
Updated: May 10, 2007

Questions should be directed to the respective discussion groups
created by Jack and Wendy Volhard
Volhard Nutrition or VolhardTraining