The following points should be kept in mind before Selecting a Pet Dog:

Age

The ideal time to acquire an individual puppy is between six and eight weeks of age, in order to permit normal psychological development, since neither physical nor behavioral development is complete at this time. The best guide to the puppy"s future is its parent, and buyer should if possible select a puppy from known breeding stock. The puppy should be normally plump, lively and free from obvious physical defects and extreme timidity. For establishing a breeding stock, the prospective owner will often do best by acquiring a pregnant female of proven fertility.

Sex

Whether the owner chooses a male or female will depend on his personal preference. Males are usually larger than females, more active and tend to wander more as adults.

Being less in demand, females are less expensive. Sexual cycles can be eliminated by spaying. The most desirable time to spay a female is after the first heat period as this will assure normal physical development.

Breed

The choice of dog breed depends on the use of the dog and, again, on the owners preference. All- dogs require some kind of training and there is no breed that will make a satisfactory animal without it. The hounds and bird dogs are generally quite gentle with children and rarely get into fights with other dogs.

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