Dog Lover Owners Guide - Owning and training your dog

Talk to friends who have dogs

. Believe us; they'll give you
more information than you care to know: Sometimes even more than what we know.
In case you didn't realize it, all of the breeds we listed above are purebreds

. This means that they are the product of parents of the same breed. To get a true
purebred worthy of being in a dog show, you often have to pay thousands of dollars.
Most people get mixes of some sort (the "cockapoo," a combo of a cocker spaniel
and a poodle, is quite popular), because rumor has it that purebred dogs can have
personality problems because the gene pool is so small (think of people who marry
their cousins). As a result, many people choose to go with a mutt , a mish-mash of different breeds. Mutts can combine the best of two or more breeds in a one-of-a-

kind dog. Having a mutt is like the canine equivalent of owning an original work of
art. Benji was a mutt. And who doesn't like Benji?

Is this all sounding like too much work? Then go back again to chapter 1 and reread,
because the work is just beginning. A dog is a living thing, but millions of dogs die every year because their masters didn't realize how much work caring for a dog
really is. We're not trying to bum you out, but this is nothing compared to how
bummed you'll be if you become one of those failed former dog owners.

Contents

Intelligent dogs
Dogs with little exercise
Good with kids
Good city dogs
Quiet dogs
Friendly dogs
..