It’s been calculated that one female dog and her offspring will produce 67,000 puppies during a six year period. Considering that shocking number, it’s not hard to understand why animal shelters are always filled with animals waiting to be adopted. However, before making the final decision to adopt, you must consider a number of things.

A large number of dogs in shelters have had very rough beginnings. Some were abused, some abandoned, and some were turned in because the owners didn’t have time for them. Many of these dogs were left alone for long periods and some were never properly housetrained. When you adopt a dog, you must be willing and able to work with him. It could take some time and effort on your part to teach your dog good behavior and to build up his confidence.

The dog may come to you cowed or with feelings of trepidation. He may be overly sensitive to your tone of voice. You will need to be patient, calm, and loving. When your dog finally realize that he is safe and you can be trusted, he will reward you with more affection and loyalty than you can imagine.

Adopting a dog as a means of entertaining a small child is not recommended. A dog is not a toy and should not be treated as one. If feeding and exercising the dog is going to be the responsibility of a child, an adult must make sure these things are getting done. The dog must not suffer for the child’s lack of responsibility. In reality, most parents perform a majority of dog care tasks, even when the dog supposedly belongs to the child.

All children should be trained to understand dog etiquette. In other words, animals are never to be hit, dragged, ridden or teased. They should understand that being aggressive with a new dog, especially one recently adopted, could cause the dog to react by biting or running away.

Prospective owners should expect that their new canine family member may not be completely housetrained. Teaching your dog where to potty is not a complicated job and should not deter you from adopting. Get a good book on the subject, follow the directions, and you will soon have a housetrained dog. Here are some resources to help you train your dog quickly.

Adopted dogs are subject to the same behavioral problems as any dog. These include digging, jumping up on people, jumping fences, barking and nipping. There are proven ways to correct all of these issues. Here are some resources to look at.

Visiting an animal shelter can be a moving experience for an animal lover. You see the dogs in cages and you have the urge to take them all home with you. Such feelings are perfectly understandable and commendable. Just be sure that you think about all aspects of adoption before bringing a dog into your household.