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Thursday, October 7, 2010

New Mutt

One of things I promised my wife we'd get if finances allowed was a new dog. We hadn't had one for over a year. I did not feel right about getting a dog when our finances were extremely tight. Vet bills can get darn pricey. If you can't afford the vet bills, you can't afford the dog.

Today we picked out a new dog. My cousin's dog had a litter of pups to find homes for and wasn't having much luck. The same litter produced a lot of variety. That's the way of mutts sometimes. We chose one that looks mostly like a small scale beagle.

Training is going to be interesting. The dog is about 5 months old and has been in mostly kept in a kennel with its litter mates. She's lacking in the inside skills. However, she appears smart and good natured so I'm hoping this doesn't go too badly. The dog hasn't suffered any abuse, but has lacked somewhat for human contact. I did forbid my wife from getting a new couch until the dog is fully trained. I'm a big believer in positive reinforcement. Lot's of praise and the occasional treat work better than hitting with a newspaper.

One of the reasons for getting a smaller dog is ease of travel. While more places allow dogs, many have a weight limit. A dog, even a small one, is good security. It's not the dog's teeth that provide security, but his ears, eyes and bark. Mr. Ruger can provide teeth.

-Sixbears

2 comments:

  1. Congratulations, beagles are great dogs! I've got a couple of small dogs myself. I've got a bad back and can't handle the weight of a big dog, and a lot of places have limits on the size of dog you can have, i.e. under 20 pounds.

    With small dogs, the food consumption is lower, the crowding in the car is less, and like you say, they are the early warning system, and I've got the teeth.

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  2. Post a picture of the new family member.

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