11,828 answers about dogs
From a puppy’s first feeding schedule to a senior dog’s comfort care, dog owners ask it all — this page gathers the dog library of KinsLe Answers in one place. Browse by topic below, from feeding and training to health, grooming, safety and travel. Every answer is original, written by KinsLe, and tied to a real KinsLe feature.
2,117 answers in Choosing & Adopting — page 56 of 89
Leonbergers are a giant breed with a comparatively short lifespan, typically in the region of eight to ten years, so ask the breeder what ages the puppy's parents, grandparents, and close relatives reached and what the older dogs died of. On joints, ask for both parents' formal hip and elbow scores, how puppies are…
An Australian Cattle Dog needs a working day, not just a walk: expect around two hours of combined physical activity and focused mental work, split between exercise, training, and a job-like task such as herding-style games, scent searches, or carrying and fetching with rules. This breed was built to make decisions…
The Toller scream is the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever's signature sound: a high, piercing, almost yodelling cry the dog makes when excitement peaks, especially around water, retrieving, and lively play with other dogs. It is an arousal sound rather than aggression or distress, and most Tollers do it most during…
A first-generation Labradoodle is a direct Labrador and Poodle cross, so each puppy mixes the two breeds afresh and coats in one litter can range from near-Labrador straight to fully curly, with shedding just as variable. A multigenerational Labradoodle comes from Labradoodle parents bred on for several generations…
Fair questions stick to what the rescue can actually know: the surrender reason in the previous owner's own words, how long the dog lived in that home, what a normal day looked like, and whether the reason was about the dog's behaviour or health or about the people's circumstances changing. Ask what the rescue and any…
Both Goldendoodle parents should have formal hip and elbow evaluations, an eye examination by a veterinary ophthalmologist, a heart evaluation, checked kneecaps, and DNA screening for inherited conditions carried by Golden Retrievers and Poodles, including progressive retinal atrophy and von Willebrand disease. Verify…
A Pointer breeder should show you scored hip results for both parents, current eye examination certificates, and evidence they have considered the breed's other known concerns, including thyroid health, elbow condition and any history of epilepsy or deafness in the line. Ask to see the actual dated documents rather…
The screening that matters most for a Cavapoo flows from the Cavalier parent: ask whether the Cavalier parent was heart-checked for mitral valve disease by a specialist and screened for syringomyelia, alongside eye examinations and checks relevant to the Poodle parent such as patella and eye health. A breeder who can…
Keep a Cavapoo mat-free by brushing to the skin with a slicker and then combing through, concentrating daily on the friction zones — behind the ears, in the armpits, under the collar and harness, and where the legs meet the body — because the soft wavy coat felts exactly where it rubs. Work in short sessions on a…
A Bernedoodle adolescent needs more than a long walk: combine daily physical exercise with training in short bursts, sniffing games, puzzle feeding and supervised social play, because a Bernese and Poodle cross grows big, clever and boisterous at the same time. Protect growing joints by favouring varied, moderate…
Expect an Old English Sheepdog to need a solid daily ration of exercise and company, and to express herding instinct at home by circling, shadowing and gently bumping family members — especially excited children — to gather them together. Give that gathering drive a legal outlet with structured play, training games…
Living with a Bloodhound means accepting copious drool that flies when the head shakes, a strong natural hound odour that lives in bedding and soft furnishings no matter how clean the dog is, and long, heavy ears that need regular cleaning and drying because their folds trap moisture. Build the realities into the…
Daily life with a Leonberger in winter means a standing routine of paw and leg rinses, thorough drying of that dense double coat, and regular brushing to stop damp undercoat matting, alongside drool wiped from walls, floors and your clothes as a matter of course. Keep a wash station by the door with towels, a paw…
A responsible breeder's waiting list starts with a detailed application and a real conversation, not a deposit taken from a stranger, and places are offered in an order based on fit for each puppy rather than simply who paid first. Expect to be asked about your home, work pattern, experience, other pets, fencing and…
During a Keeshond's twice-yearly coat blow, expect daily line-brushing down to the skin in sections, because the soft undercoat leaves in clumps and mats quickly behind the ears, in the mane and around the hindquarters if it is only skimmed over. Work in short, kind sessions, clear the loose undercoat before any bath,…
A good match meeting feels unhurried: the dog can approach or move away freely, staff share what they know about history and behaviour honestly, and you get time outdoors together without pressure to decide on the spot. Walk away if staff rush you, discourage questions, minimise known problems, or push a dog who is…
Beyond the purchase price, budget for a full first-year pattern of veterinary visits for vaccines and parasite prevention, food that changes as the puppy grows, insurance, training help, and gear the puppy will outgrow or chew through. Put money aside separately for the surprises no list predicts, such as an…
Choose a dog who is calm around movement, steady on a loose lead, and comfortable staying clear of wheels and footrests rather than crowding or startling at rolling sounds. Test this before committing by walking the dog beside the chair indoors and outdoors, watching for pulling, weaving in front, or anxiety around…
Bernedoodles inherit their coat from both sides — the Bernese Mountain Dog's thick, shedding double coat and the Poodle's non-shedding curls — so a single litter can produce straight, wavy, and curly puppies, and at eight weeks a breeder can usually predict each puppy's adult coat only approximately. The straighter…
A Lagotto's single, woolly, curly coat does not shed its dead hair the way most coats do — loose hair stays trapped in the curls, and left alone it felts into mats, which is the problem owners warn about. The prevention is unglamorous: comb the coat through to the skin in sections at least weekly, so trapped hair is…
A Chesapeake Bay Retriever's coat is supposed to feel oily: the harsh outer coat and dense woolly undercoat carry natural oils that shed water and protect the dog in cold bays, so the goal after swimming is to preserve that system, not wash it away. Rinse off salt, mud, and lake residue with clean fresh water, let the…
A Boykin comes out of the water with a medium, wavy coat that holds burrs and seeds in its feathering and spaniel ears that trap warm moisture against the ear canal, so post-swim care has two halves: comb the coat out once it dries, and dry the ears every time. Rinse off pond or salt water, check between the toes and…
A Papillon's coat is a single, silky layer with no thick undercoat, so it tangles less than many long coats — but the long ear fringe, the hair behind the ears, and the friction spots in the armpits and under a harness mat readily if they are left alone. Comb the fringe with a comb a few times a week, working from the…
Flat-Coated Retrievers are a breed where cancer appears more often, and at younger ages, than in many other retrievers, so a good breeder expects direct questions about it. Ask how long their dogs typically live, what the parents, grandparents, and older siblings of this litter died of and at what ages, and what…
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