Him Vs. Her

Now that we have studied so hard all the online materials and also pored over so many books in OnePage we have "shortlisted" a few breeds:

1. Black Mini Schnauzer - My fav breed, hardly shed any fur so its easy to keep the house fur free, looks absolutely adorable




2. Beagle - the man's choice. I have nothing against Beagles except that they shed and are know to be pretty stubborn.

3. Corgi - we both love the cute face and short body but again this breed sheds, end of arguement.

4. Husky - oh lovely lovely huskies. needs to consider high exercise needs AND they blow their coats twice a year....hmmph

5. Cocker Spaniel - the black CS is so nice, we saw one at Pets Movers and selling only at 400. However CS sheds too.

6. AKK - our very initial choice due to the resemblance to Husky but the price makes it not very feasible really and they shed too =(

ok the above is kind of biased and by now you should have guessed that I have a major issue with shedding. the man does help to clean the house but many a times he has to travel and me satu orang will have to do the extra cleaning alone. ya some say if you love the dog you should not consider this a chore but i just want to be realistic and knowing myself well, i will be pretty stressed out if i walk into fur balls all the time. i rather spend more time playing with the dog then gappling with the mop.

we were willing to consider small or medium breeds since its not fair for big dogs such as Husky to have only a small area to roam.

I searched and sent many as many black schnauzer pics as i can to the man hoping to sway him into believing this is THE one. oh yes has to be black. He likes medium-big dogs basically and was not very open to the idea. Then he chanced upon standard schnauzers farms in aus and nz. he emailed them asking when the next litter will be, price etc etc. I had to jump up and pull him back onto the ground. $5000 approximately including air fare etc ! sorry darling the last time i checked, the tree outside our window does not have $$$ growing on it. so i started diverting his attention to mini schnauzers that are of the correct size as opposed to all the real "mini" toy versions that are so in the rage now as people go for smaller size pups. Slowly.......he agreed =D

we visited pet shops and listed ourselves on the waiting list for a full black mini schnauzer. Few places offer full blacks but we are adament. patiently we waited.....

Next we will cover where to get your dog and how to select from a litter....

Man's Best Friend

The man and i have always loved dogs. Our family though were pretty against this so now that we have our own den, we decided to go look for our best friend.

getting a dog is a bigger commitment than buying say a car. dogs depending on the breed can live typically 10-15yrs generally. so we are looking at a long term deal. yah you can "early terminate" but come on you do not want to do that to your best friend now do you? thus comes the daily debate on which breed to get. let me tell you this process is much much much more complicated than looking for a boy/girl friend!

everyday we search the net for info on all types of dogs. we read forums local and overseas, to find out temperaments, charcteristics and needs of each breed. If you are looking to get a best friend too the following is what you should consider first:

1. Size
the most basic point to consider. if you are staying at a HDB flat you are restricted to small breeds. I will do a list of common breeds available in singapore later. If you have the flexibility as you stay in a private property, consider your personal preference, space available (some dogs are ok with apartments/condos, others need gardens etc) and also the tolerance level of other family members staying with you. The man likes medium to big breeds, however our apartment is only 88sm so the max we were willing to consider is medium breeds since its not fair for big dogs such as Husky to have only a small area to roam.

2. Temperament
this is especially important if you have elderly or kids living with you. remember we are talking about 10-15 yrs so consider your future commitments too. if you are newly weds, you may have kids during this 10-15 yrs so you have to think if you can handle powerful and strong dogs such as boxer, mastiff etc for both the dog's and your own good. some big dogs are also gentle such as golden retrievers. while it is argued that you can train a dog, generally the temperament of the dogs are very much inborn traits and we think its better to not think too highly of your own training skills!

consider also if you want a more independant dog or one who will like to stick by you all the time. a guard dog or companion dog? if you are planning to join competitions, look for dogs known to be easier to train or has traits for agility, herding, hunting etc.

3. Time
ok with this i am referring to the very practical aspects of cleaning the dog/house, grooming needs and exercise needs. Some dogs shed excessively, some blow their coats 1-2 a year, others shed so little it is manageable. If you have a maid to help or a garden so the dog will not really mess up the house as much maybe this will not be a big issue. However if like us, everyone is working, no maid and no garden, I recommend getting a dog that does not really shed. of cos this is assuming you are not a fan of having fur balls everywhere. do not underestimate this, particularly if you have kids since it may also cause allergy problems or nose irritation!

in terms of grooming needs, generally dogs should be groomed once every month or every 2 months. by this i mean professional grooming tha does the works plus clipping of coat. i believe in giving the dog a shower once every week in Singapore's weather to avoid foul doggy smells. note that some dogs are also know to me more prone to having doggy smells esp dogs that tend to drool such as bulldogs and long coated dogs. for dogs with long coat you have to have time to comb them regularly to avoid matted coats. if you think you have no patience or time for this, choose short coat dogs such as jack russells. take into account the cost of grooming and supplements too.

big dogs generally have higher exercise needs and you have to walk them daily preferably for at least an hour. this is for their well-being as well as to allow them to expend some of the energy as they will be calmer indoors. toy dogs being small in nature may need shorter walks since they can run around the house too. however some small dogs like jack russells have high energy and require more exercise. so check out energy levels of the dog too.

Dogs are social creatures like us and will not like to be left alone all the time so be sure you are willing to skip some clubbing, outings etc to spend time playing with them.

The above are what i deem the top 3 issues to consider. be a responsible owner ok, think before you leap.