Читать книгу The Dog Owner's Handbook - Graham Meadows - Страница 40

You may hear of an adult dog that needs a new home. Check the reasons for this. They may be genuine: for example, a family may be emigrating and unable to take the dog with them, or the owner may have become ill or has moved into a much smaller home, and can no longer look after the dog. On the other hand, though, the owner could want to part with the dog because it has behavioural problems; in this case it would be better to look elsewhere.

A mongrel can make an ideal companion, although it is wise to take it home for a trial period of a month or so, to discover its true temperament.

Some Greyhounds become available for adoption when their racing days are over. These are usually docile and fit well into a family environment, but because they have been trained to chase a moving, furry object, they can be a danger to certain household or neighbourhood pets.

Individual Foxhounds and Beagles from hunting packs may also be advertised. If you decide to give a home to one of these, remember that they are very vocal and are not house-trained. In the kennel conditions under which they have been kept they have learned to urinate and defecate within the territory of their kennel compound. They have not learned substrate preference and will need immediate training to avoid accidents in the home. (For further information, see pp74–6, House soiling.) Some of these dogs never learn, so be warned. If in doubt, talk to your vet.

The Lhasa Apso was originally bred in Tibet as an indoor watchdog, kept by Buddhist monks.

If you don’t want your personal grooming equipment to be snatched by your puppy, don’t allow it to play with its own grooming tools.