WOOF! Barks! I began pawing a series of posts about considerations for adopting a dog a few months ago. Barkingly, it's been a pawnderfully busy few months with Thanksgiving, Christmas, a pawsome visit from a friend, New Years and all so I have neglected to continue my series of articles. I apawlogize for that. I will continue my writings more frequently! If you would like, you can read the first post here, "
Size Matters! Small Dog Adoption!"
Last September, I introduced you to the thought of adopting a small dog. Small dogs are great and have many advantages, but they are not for everyone, just like the other sizes are not for everyone. It’s not a one-size-fits-all thing! Barkingly, which is a good thing as I am a medium breed dog!
The popular medium dog breeds include Afghan-Hound, Airedale Terrier, Australian Cattle Dog, Australian Shepherd, Bassett Hound, Beagle, Border Collie, Boxer, Brittany, Bulldog, Chow-Chow, Cocker Spaniel, Collie, English Pointer, German Pinscher, Keeshond, Labradoodle, Norwegian Elkhound, Norwegian Elkhound, American Pit-Bull Terrier, Plott Hound (that’s me!), Shetland Sheepdog, Siberian Husky, English Springer Spaniel, Staffordshire Bull-Terrier, Welsh Springer Spaniel, and Whippet.
Barkingly, these dogs cover the gamut of groups from Sporting to Herding to Hound to Working to Non-sporting. It’s impawtant that you research these groups so you’ll have an understanding of what they mean. Further, when you decide on a dog, make certain to determine which group it belongs. Paws, this is important because you need to have an understanding as to why the dog was bred. Barkingly, and to understand its behavior. You probably don’t want to have a herding dog if you have a family with several children- the dog would be constantly herding the kids- well, uh, maybe that’s not a bad thing! WOOFS!! This is impawtant for all dogs, but as you get to the medium and larger ones, I think it’s especially important to understand the dog's group so you will be prepared to handle him or her properly.
My human learned while photographing for a rescue group that I am part Plott Hound. He went and researched "Plott Hound" and learned all about me. He studied how we could get along better, though we were already doing great. He knows that I am in the Hound Group and one of my strongest traits is to hunt, sniff out my prey, to go after it. Also, he learned that I was bred to hunt large game such as black bear, there went our camping trip (drat!), and wild boar.
Medium dogs are less portable than small ones. Here’s where a leash, and maybe a harness, comes in handy and you can’t carry them in your bag, backpack, or hoodie to go places. This doesn’t mean they can’t go places, just not as easily. In most cases, stores and shops will not allow dogs in, though some local garden centers where my human buys his annuals welcomes dogs.
These dogs usually enjoy playing with toys, like ropes or plastic squeaky things you can get at a local pet store. They like to run and jump and get into stuff. Some are so full of energy that if you don’t fulfill their exercise requirements, they can become “destructo dog” without intent or even trying-. Just ask my human about Plott Hounds and how easily they get into stuff when a “walk” is missed.
And, the bigger the dog, the bigger, well, the "gifts" can be. WOOFS! What "gifts?" Well, let’s just say, “think about it.” Usually, you will need two or three good-size bags to take care of getting rid of the product! WOOFS!
Barkingly, the medium dog will require more food, water, treats than the smaller dog. You’ll need to consider that when it comes to your budget.
The medium dog can add security to your home and property as they can get to a size that could be threatening to someone wanting to break into your home or property. They can become possessive and protecting toward one or more of the family members. Keep an eye on this trait to find what you need in this area.
Paws, of course, if you get a mixed breed and can find out which is what and what is which, you’ll be able to figure out the traits and the groups!
Barks, woofingly, an outstanding quality of the medium size dog is that it’s great for people who do not want on the smaller breeds but don’t have room for or can’t handle a large dog. Or, maybe someone who is disabled who really does not want a small dog, they can’t handle the large breed so a medium dog is perfect!!
