Things to Ask
Big Decisions

Things to Ask Before Getting a Dog

Getting a dog is easy to imagine as walks, companionship, and a new family member. The real decision also includes training, veterinary care, food, grooming, exercise, boarding, barking, shedding, damage, travel limits, housing rules, and years of daily responsibility even when work gets busy or life changes.

Before adopting or buying a dog, ask whether your current household, schedule, budget, and long-term plans fit the needs of the animal you are considering. The right dog is not simply the dog you find cutest.

Things to Ask About Your Schedule

Dogs need daily care regardless of weather, workload, travel, or mood. Puppies and some adult dogs require much more time than people expect.

Be realistic about the hours the dog will be alone.

  1. How many hours would the dog be alone on a normal weekday?
  2. Who handles morning care?
  3. Who handles evening care?
  4. What happens when work runs late?
  5. How much time can we realistically spend walking or exercising a dog?
  6. Can someone come home during the day if needed?
  7. How often do we travel?
  8. Who cares for the dog when we are away?
  9. What schedule change in the next few years could make dog ownership harder?

Things to Ask About Cost

The adoption fee or purchase price is only the beginning. Routine care and unexpected veterinary costs can be significant.

Build an annual estimate based on the size and needs of the dog.

  1. What will food cost each month?
  2. What will routine veterinary care cost?
  3. What vaccinations or preventive medications are expected?
  4. What will spay or neuter care cost if not already done?
  5. What does grooming cost for this coat type?
  6. What will training cost?
  7. What does boarding or pet sitting cost locally?
  8. What emergency veterinary expense could we handle?
  9. Would pet insurance make sense for us?
  10. What supplies need regular replacement?

Things to Ask About Housing

A dog must fit the place you actually live. Lease rules, breed or weight restrictions, yard access, stairs, elevators, neighbors, noise, and local regulations all matter.

A yard is convenient but does not replace exercise or training.

  1. Are dogs allowed where we live?
  2. Are there breed or weight restrictions?
  3. Is there a pet deposit or monthly pet rent?
  4. How easy is it to take the dog outside several times a day?
  5. Is there a secure yard?
  6. Are fences adequate?
  7. How close are neighbors?
  8. Would barking create a serious problem?
  9. Can the dog safely handle stairs or elevators?
  10. What happens if we move?

Things to Ask About Energy Level

Breed labels can give general tendencies, but individual dogs vary. Ask about the specific dog's current energy, exercise needs, play style, and ability to settle.

Do not choose a high-energy dog because you hope it will force you into a lifestyle you do not currently maintain.

  1. How much exercise does this dog need each day?
  2. What type of exercise works best?
  3. Can the dog settle indoors after exercise?
  4. How does the dog behave on a leash?
  5. Does the dog need a fenced area to run?
  6. How much mental stimulation does the dog need?
  7. What happens when the dog is bored?
  8. Does this energy level match our normal life?

Things to Ask About Training

Every dog requires some training. Puppies need house training, bite inhibition, socialization, leash skills, and basic cues. Adult dogs may arrive with habits you need to understand.

Training requires consistency across everyone in the household.

  1. Is the dog house trained?
  2. Does the dog know basic cues?
  3. How does the dog walk on leash?
  4. Does the dog guard food, toys, or space?
  5. How does the dog respond to being handled?
  6. Has the dog had formal training?
  7. What training problem should we expect first?
  8. Who in our household will do the training?
  9. Will everyone use the same rules and cues?
  10. Can we afford professional help if needed?

Things to Ask About Children

If children live in or frequently visit the home, the specific dog's history and comfort around children matter.

Supervision and education are necessary even with a friendly dog.

  1. Has the dog lived with children?
  2. What ages?
  3. How does the dog react to sudden movement or noise?
  4. Does the dog guard food or toys?
  5. How does the dog respond to hugging or handling?
  6. Can children reliably follow dog-safety rules?
  7. Where can the dog retreat when it wants space?
  8. Who supervises interactions?
  9. What happens if the dog becomes uncomfortable around a child?

Things to Ask About Other Pets

A dog that loves people may not be comfortable with other dogs, cats, small animals, or livestock.

Introductions should be planned rather than assumed.

  1. Has the dog lived with other dogs?
  2. How does the dog respond to unfamiliar dogs?
  3. Has the dog lived with cats?
  4. Does the dog chase small animals?
  5. How does the dog behave around food with other pets?
  6. Can pets be separated during introductions?
  7. What would we do if the animals never became comfortable together?

Things to Ask About Health

Ask for available veterinary records and known medical history. Some conditions are manageable but affect cost, activity, medication, or long-term care.

A general checklist cannot replace veterinary advice about a specific animal.

  1. What veterinary records are available?
  2. Is the dog current on recommended vaccinations?
  3. Has the dog been spayed or neutered?
  4. Is the dog taking any medication?
  5. Are there known allergies?
  6. Are there known orthopedic problems?
  7. Are there known dental issues?
  8. Has the dog had recurring ear, skin, stomach, or urinary problems?
  9. What health issue is most likely to require ongoing care?

Things to Ask About Breed and Coat

Size and appearance do not tell you everything, but breed tendencies, coat type, shedding, grooming, and climate tolerance can affect everyday care.

For mixed-breed dogs, treat breed guesses as approximate unless there is reliable history.

  1. How much does this coat shed?
  2. How often does grooming need to happen?
  3. Does the dog tolerate hot weather?
  4. Does the dog tolerate cold weather?
  5. What behavior tendencies are common for this breed or mix?
  6. What health concerns are common?
  7. What adult size should we expect if this is a puppy?
  8. Does the dog's likely size fit our housing and transportation?

Things to Ask a Shelter, Rescue, or Breeder

The source should be willing to answer questions about history, health, behavior, return policies, and support after placement.

Be cautious when important information is withheld or when there is pressure to decide immediately.

  1. How long has the dog been in your care?
  2. Why is the dog available?
  3. What do you know about the previous home?
  4. How has the dog behaved here?
  5. Has the dog been in foster care?
  6. What did the foster home observe?
  7. What behavior concerns have you seen?
  8. What veterinary care has been completed?
  9. What happens if the placement does not work?
  10. What support is available after adoption or purchase?

Things to Ask About the Next Ten Years

A dog's life may span moves, jobs, relationships, children, illness, aging relatives, financial changes, and travel. You cannot predict everything, but you can identify foreseeable conflicts.

The question is not whether your life will stay the same. It is whether the dog remains part of the plan when it changes.

  1. Are we likely to move?
  2. Are we likely to have children?
  3. Could work travel increase?
  4. What if one person in the household leaves?
  5. What if the dog develops expensive medical needs?
  6. What if exercise needs become harder for us to meet?
  7. Who is responsible for the dog if the household changes?
  8. What would make rehoming become a risk?
  9. Are we prepared to care for an aging dog?
Choose for your ordinary life, not your ideal weekend.

The right dog fits the schedule, budget, home, energy, and responsibilities you actually have most days.

Things to Ask About Travel and Vacations

Travel becomes a recurring logistical and financial question once you have a dog. Some dogs board easily; others need a familiar sitter or have medical, anxiety, or behavior needs that make care more complicated.

Price realistic care before assuming friends or relatives will always be available.

  1. Who could care for the dog when we travel?
  2. Would boarding be appropriate for this dog?
  3. What does boarding cost locally?
  4. Would we need a house sitter?
  5. Can the dog travel safely with us?
  6. Will owning this dog change how often or where we travel?
  7. What happens if our usual caregiver becomes unavailable?

How to Use These Questions

Choose the questions that would genuinely change your understanding or decision rather than trying to complete the page from top to bottom.

When an answer matters, ask for a concrete example, what changed, what the person means by a particular word, or what would make the answer different. Specific follow-ups usually produce more useful information than simply moving to the next prompt.

  1. Can you give me an example?
  2. What part matters most?
  3. What changed?
  4. What would make your answer different?
  5. What important question have we not asked?

Things to Ask About Your Household's Agreement

A dog can become one person's responsibility even when everyone enthusiastically agreed to get one. Before bringing the dog home, divide routine tasks and decide which rules everyone must follow.

Children can participate, but adults should assume responsibility for ensuring the dog's needs are met even when a child forgets or loses interest.

  1. Who is the primary adult responsible for the dog?
  2. Who handles feeding?
  3. Who handles walks?
  4. Who schedules veterinary appointments?
  5. Who handles training practice?
  6. What furniture is the dog allowed on?
  7. Where will the dog sleep?
  8. What rules must everyone enforce consistently?
  9. What happens when someone does not do their assigned task?

Things to Ask About the First Month

The first weeks can be more demanding than the long-term routine. A newly adopted dog may need time to decompress, learn the household, establish bathroom habits, and become comfortable with people and animals.

Plan for a quieter adjustment period instead of immediately filling the calendar with visitors, dog parks, travel, and new experiences.

  1. Who can be home more during the first few days?
  2. What routine will we establish immediately?
  3. Where will the dog eat and sleep?
  4. How will we introduce other pets?
  5. When will the first veterinary appointment happen?
  6. When will training begin?
  7. How will we handle accidents or destructive behavior without panicking?

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I consider before getting a dog?

Consider time, cost, housing, exercise, training, children, other pets, health, grooming, travel, veterinary care, and how the dog fits foreseeable life changes.

Should I get a puppy or an adult dog?

Puppies usually require intensive training, supervision, socialization, and frequent bathroom breaks. Adult dogs may have more established behavior and energy patterns. The better choice depends on your household and time.

What should I ask a shelter or rescue before adopting?

Ask about history, foster observations, behavior, health records, interactions with children and animals, training, known concerns, and what happens if the placement does not work.

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