
Discover the real cost of dog ownership and how to budget for a dog—from purchase prices to vet care, food, and emergencies—with an average total around $15,000.
Identify puppy mills by checking if breeders cannot show the parents, maintain multiple litters or breeds, lack medical records or vaccinations, and keep deplorable cage conditions.
Identify signs of a puppy mill by evaluating the puppies' environment, cleanliness, and the dogs' behavior and socialization, and avoid sellers offering puppies before eight weeks.
Explore the Australian Shepherd's high trainability, intelligence, and lively personality while considering grooming, family suitability, cataracts risk, and outdoor exercise needs.
Investigate clicker training for dogs and review a Lina Sen study comparing control, food, and food-plus-clicker groups; find no clear advantage to the clicker, only personal preference.
Choosing the wrong dog can create years of frustration for both you and your pet.
Many people fall in love with a dog's appearance without fully understanding its energy level, exercise needs, grooming requirements, temperament, training demands, or long-term care costs. The result can be a poor match between the dog and the owner's lifestyle.
This course is designed to help you make a more informed decision before bringing a dog into your home.
Whether you are considering a puppy, adopting a rescue dog, purchasing from a breeder, or simply researching the best dog breed for your family, this course will help you evaluate important factors that many first-time dog owners overlook.
You'll learn how to compare popular dog breeds, assess your lifestyle, understand common breed characteristics, prepare for a new puppy, and build a foundation for success from day one.
In this course, you'll learn:
• How to choose the right dog breed for your lifestyle
• Questions every prospective dog owner should ask before getting a dog
• How to evaluate space, budget, family needs, and long-term commitments
• The differences between adopting a dog and purchasing from a breeder
• How to identify and avoid puppy mills
• Common breed-specific health concerns and risk factors
• The characteristics of many of America's most popular dog breeds
• Which breeds may be better suited for families, active owners, and different living situations
• How to prepare your home for a new puppy
• Essential puppy supplies and nutrition basics
• Foundational crate training concepts
• How positive reinforcement can encourage desired behaviors
• Basic puppy training principles for new dog owners
As a lifelong dog owner and educator with more than 100,000 students enrolled in my courses, I understand how important it is to choose a dog that fits your family, schedule, personality, and long-term goals.
This course is designed to provide practical information that helps prospective dog owners make informed decisions rather than relying solely on appearance, popularity, or impulse.
By the end of this course, you'll have a clearer understanding of how to evaluate dog breeds, compare common characteristics, prepare for dog ownership, and choose a dog that is a better fit for your lifestyle.
If you're asking questions like:
"What dog breed should I get?"
"Which dog breed is best for families?"
"Should I adopt a dog or buy from a breeder?"
"How do I prepare for a new puppy?"
"How do I choose the right dog for my lifestyle?"
Then this course was created for you.
Enroll today and gain the knowledge you need to make one of the most important decisions a dog owner will ever make: choosing the right dog.