Welcome to the wonderful world of dogs!

I'm going to get a dog in a few months, maybe next year, and need 2 know everything I need 2 take care of one. I'm looking for a fairly small dog, but not 2 small, like the size of a cocker spaniel. What do dogs eat. I know dog food, but which kinds are...

best, overall, considering that I haven't chosen which type I want.some dogs eat dry food, but I heard that young dogs, have 2 eat that mized in with like canned food (wet food). Wut kind of shots do they need? How do I choose which type of dog I shud get? How do I train him/her? Is it better 2 get a female or male dog? Are they less energetic when they get fixed?(I heard that once) any and all advice wud help.

By the way, I know some about dogs, but I want 2 b prepared. I read a dog book, but it's fairly old. Lol thanx people!=d

Well, the first thing I'd do if I were you, is go to the library and check out a couple of books on Puppies...the care and feeding of all puppies is pretty much the same...they get the same shots, and eat puppy food. By the time you get them, they can eat dry kibbles, it's better for their teeth, and there are some very high quality kibble feeds out there.

As for the breed...while you're at the library, check out a book on ALL breeds...the kind that shows you a picture, tells you the size, how much grooming is needed, how much exercise they require. The hard part is being TOTALLY honest with yourself about your own lifestyle (or your families lifestyle), so you don't end up with a dog who either drives you crazy, or one who seems too lazy.

When I say honest...I just mean, if you take a walk around the block three times a week, don't consider yourself active...If you jog 5 miles a day, THAT is active...see what I mean?

phrannie

well I sugest always give them dry food because trust me wet food can cause a big mess and cood make them sick! just by dry puppy food...as for the breed ..it depends on YOUR lifestyle because if you get a super hyper dog you want to make sure you can take it on a lot of walks and stuff like that...if its a male dog get it fixed as soon as possible because trust me its a pain if there not fixed...if its a girl get it fixed to because honestly dogs can b REALLY annoyin when there in heat lol ..I have 4 dogs and nun of them are fixed (all males..u dont want to noe wut thats like) so I woodnt noe if there less energetic when they get fixed..hope I cood help!

well if you are looking for a small dog then I would go with a beagle daschund. [mini]

puppies dont nessarily have to have wet food and dry food mixed first. I would say iams or science diet are the best food brands. gender depends on what you want, bot are about the same so pick what you would prefer. it depends how old the puppy is as to what shots will be needed. usually they need vaccinated against certain illnesses around 12 and 16 weeks, and 8 weeks, but the breeder should have had that taken care of. ithink mixes are best, I have 2 purebred labs and I will have a purebred pug in 3 weeks, andi used to have a purebred dashhound, so I've never actually had a mix, but I know that they are supposed to be the best. choose type based on where you live, like if you are in an apartment, dont get a dog that needs tons of excercise. choose a dog based on your own activity level as well. dashhounds, for example, have fragile backs, so if you are extrmemly active and want to rough play with your puppy, a dashhound probably isnt for you. also base it off of any other pets you have, (cats, etc.) choose a dog who's tempremnt is suppoed to be better with cats, which can be any dog if trained correctly and from a young age. you should try a rescue dog, as they are very much in need of homes. try http://www.petfinder.com, I found my soon-to-be pug on there, its great and you can specify gender, location, size, and breed, so youll only get dogs you are interested in. plus, those dogs are much more needy than dogs from a breeder. my dogs were just as energetic after spaying and neutering as they were before. training depends on the dog, just google training and then the name of the breed (or most outlying breed if a mix). it should give you tons of sites with great training tips.