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Irish Water Spaniel
breed data
Buying a Puppy from a breeder
If buying a puppy the best place always to buy is directly from a reputable breeder.
The advantages of buying from a reputable breeder is that breeding has usually been carefully planned and thought through with regard to producing robust, healthy dogs of good temperament. Many breeders will also offer some form of guarantee contracting to take the dog back if not suitable. Unfortunately the same cannot always be said for puppies sold in pet shops or those that have come from "puppy farms" where dogs are bred in mass numbers for the pet market.
Many breeders of pedigree dogs also show their dogs and so breed towards producing a good healthy show dog with a view to keeping one or two themselves so quality and temperament is of vital importance when planning the breeding.
Although breeders of show dogs specialise in breeding pedigree dogs, there are also owners who have bred their pet dogs and produce cross breed or pedigree puppies. These may be the result of a planned or unplanned pregnancy but the pups have usually been well cared for and brought up in a family environment and so most often make very suitable pets and will be less expensive to purchase than a pedigree show dog.
Buying a dog direct from the breeder means that there is the opportunity to see the parents and know the date of birth of the puppy that it is intended to purchase.
Irish Water Spaniel
Dog Rescue National Animal Welfare Trust
Members of the public who want to adopt a dog or puppy from one of the Trust’s Centres must first satisfy the Trust that it is likely to be a successful relationship, and that a lasting partnership will be established between the dog and it's new owner
Matching details of the home and family as well as their expectations of their proposed dog or puppy is a must. This information is compared with the characteristics of the dogs that the Trust has available.
The homing process may take up to three weeks before the dog will be able to leave with it's new owner. During this time, owners and their family will be expected to visit, spending time with the dog or puppy to form a bond.
Every potential new home is carefully vetted by a team of volunteer home-checkers before being re-housed. The ‘homing’ procedure is only complete when they are certain that there is a very good match. Before being homed, both puppies and dogs are vaccinated, micro-chipped and neutered.
New owners take the dog on the understanding that if things don't work out the dog must be returned to the Trust. Where they have no history of a dog, they will not normally re-home dogs to families with young children.
Inevitably some dogs are with the Trust for a long time, some even for the rest of their natural lives. An absolute rule of the Trust is that no healthy dog is ever put to sleep.
Irish Water Spaniel
Dog Books
The Dog's Mind: Understanding Your Dog's Behaviour
Synopsis
"Quite simply this is an excellent book. It is well-written, with snatches of
dry humour. It should be mandatory reading for anybody who keeps a dog or has
intentions of so doing." R. W. F. Poole, Daily Telegraph How do dogs perceive
the world about them? How do they see, hear, learn, relate to their owners? How
large are their brains, what is their emotional makeup? Why do they suffer from
stress and how can it be coped with? Over the last few years a substantial body
of knowledge has been built up about the psychology of dog behavior. Combining
more than twenty years of practical experience as a veterinary clinician with a
personal knowledge and understanding of the latest international research, Dr.
Bruce Fogle has written the most inclusive and relevant book on how the canine
mind works. From the Back Cover The Dog's Mind "Quite simply this is an
excellent book. It is well-written, with snatches of dry humour. It should be
mandatory reading for anybody who keeps a dog or has intentions of so doing."
--R. W. F. Poole, Daily Telegraph How do dogs perceive the world about them? How
do they see, hear, learn, relate to their owners? How large are their brains,
what is their emotional makeup? Why do they suffer from stress and how can it be
coped with? Over the last few years a substantial body of knowledge has been
built up about the psychology of dog behavior. Combining more than twenty years
of practical experience as a veterinary clinician with a personal knowledge and
understanding of the latest international research, Dr. Bruce Fogle has written
the most inclusive and relevant book on how the canine mind works.