Getting a Puppy? - Things You Should Think about First.

by Scotty Valadao

Getting a new puppy is an exciting event for an individual or family. However, so often far too little thought is put into the decision. When we bear in mind that we could spend the next 14 odd years (or more) with this dog, it puts a whole new perception onto the decision.

If you were looking for a new car and wanted it to be a VW and red in colour, would you just look in the paper, phone the owner, ask its age, the price and then ask for it to be delivered? Of course not, you would go and look at the car, check the condition, look at the service booklet and get as much history on it as possible, check the tyres, take it for a test drive, etc and you may even get a mechanic to look at I before you part with your cash. After all this vehicle needs to take you from A-B in a reliable manner with good petrol consumption and so on. Then why is not as much research put into getting a dog that will live with you and your family for well over a decade? Simple, people just haven't thought about it.What new owners need to ask themselves is why do they want a new puppy and what do they expect from that puppy – what is the aim of getting it?

1. If it is to replace a dog that has passed, the owner needs to realize that as you can never replace one child with another, neither can you replace a dog that has passed over with another dog. Dogs, as people, are individuals. I have so often seen families who are constantly comparing the new edition with one that they had before. This just doesn’t work, is unfair to the dog and often a good bond is never built up.
2. What are the families expectations of the new puppy. It is a good idea to get the family a list of what they want from the dog. If you have a husband who wants a watch dog, a mother who wants something small for company, one child who wants the dog to go running and playing with him and another who want to do agility and showing with the dog, they will soon realize that they have a potential problems on their hands!
3. If you have always had a particular breed, such as a Rotti and now decide to get another one, have a look at how your own life may have changed since you last had a puppy - can you handle this type of dog at your current age, do you have enough garden for one etc.
4. Once the family has decided on their expectations, they now need to ask themselves further questions.

1. The dog will need exercise and regular walks, who is going to do it?
2. If it is a large breed, the food bills will be higher, can the budget cover this?
3. If the dog requires a lot of grooming, can they afford this?
4. Is somebody at home during the day to care for the puppy initially?
5. Who will take charge of house training?
6. Who will feed the dog?

 Owning a dog nowadays can be an expensive affair:-

1.  Are there sufficient funds to cover the veterinary fees for inoculations, de worming, medical problems etc?
2.  Are you going to have a canine medical aid?
3. If you are going to crate train, can you afford the crate?
4. What will the equipment (bowls, beds, toys, lead, collar etc cost?
5. What is the cost of puppy socialization and who will take the puppy?
6. What is the cost of further obedience training and who will take the dog?
7. Will the dog be boarded if you go on holiday, or perhaps a house sitter is obtained, what are the costs of this?

I am not trying to put people getting dogs, to me at least, I feel that every family should have one, but we do need to be realistic especially in the tougher financial times we are all facing. Another point to consider is are you thinking of immigrating? If so, what will happen to the dog/s? If we all took a bit more time to consider the implications of owning a dog instead of 'emotional purchasing' there could well be a lot less dogs in rescue shelters.

Breed:
Once the family has decided on their expectations, this is the time where research needs to be done on breeds. What type of breed fulfils most of their needs? The next step is to research the breed itself. What was it bred for, what are the physical problems that are common to that breed. With the internet at our disposal this is now a relatively easy task. Speak to people who already have your chosen breed and ask them questions - did they experience problems and if so what were these. Ask your vet about the health issues concerned with that particular breed. Ask a behaviourst, trainer, groomers etc, the same questions.

Breeder:
Now is the time to find a breeder, and this too should be researched very carefully. Thinking that because the dog is registered it is a 'safe buy', it is not always correct. A dog that is registered is simply that - registered - you are supplied with a certificate that lists all its ancestors. This does not guarantee quality, health or temperament in any way whatsoever!

Then why on earth do people choose a puppy from the newspaper, pet shop, side of the road, etc? Do they know the dogs breeding? Do they know if there are any physical problems - certain breeds are prone to specific genetic, health conditions, such as HD, CEA, epilepsy, etc and a reputable breeder will undertake that their puppies have a health test to determine that they are free from any genetic problems, and a copy of same will be given to the new owner. Have you seen the parents? What kind of temperament did the parents have? How old is the puppy? How was the puppy brought up – in a puppy farm, in a house with access to the family and so on. This type of purchase is normally an emotional one - the kids loved the dog - don't take the kids!

Remembering that every puppy has parents, I would insist on seeing the parents as well. By watching and interacting with them you will get a good idea of how your puppy may mature. If you cant see and interact with the parents (and a number of excuses may be given), walk away!

I always feel that it is a good idea to visit several breeders that I have researched or been recommended too (your best bet), and look at all of them before making up my mind. A word of warning again, leave the kids at home. They will fall in love with every puppy seen and you may not get past the first breeder! I personally prefer a breeder who is totally involved with their dogs and puppies, where the puppies have been exposed to as many people as possible and if possible, where the puppies have already been exposed to a household and seen vacuum cleaners, children etc. Really good, responsible breeders, whose main aim is to improve the genetics of the breed as well as the health and temperament aspects, may have a waiting list for the next litter - good! Have a look at what you will be getting and book your puppy. Ask the breeder for names and phone numbers of previous purchasers and phone them. There is always the chance, even with good breeding that something may go wrong with one of the pups, but at least the chances are greatly reduced of this occurring.

Choosing your puppy
Once you have found your breeder, now comes the excitement of choosing your puppy. The puppy should never be taken home at younger than 8 weeks of age and you should never buy two puppies at the same time, especially from the same litter - this situation tends to make puppies bond more with each other than their owners and may end up with fighting as the same things are important to the dogs. So often people that I go to help with behavioural problems will tell me one of two things – "he just sat at the back of the enclosure and looked so sad that we had to take him", or, "he choose us, he just ran up to us in front of all the other puppies and threw themselves into our arms and chewed my sons ears". Well, truth be told, the puppy who sits far away from the others, who is hesitant about approaching is a puppy that may already have fear issues and very little confidence in himself. On the other hand, the puppy that charges up and chooses you could well be the bully of the pack. Now which one would you choose? Me, neither of the above, they are both potential behavioural problems. I would choose a puppy from the middle – one who was happy to come and say hello, but my presence was not all important to him, one who played and interacted happily with the other puppies. I would spend time looking at the puppies and trying to get an idea of their character. After all, this little bundle of fluff could well be part of my home and family for the next 14 odd years and I want to give myself a good chance of success. Many good breeders insist that their dogs are given temperament tests from experts before homing them. This gives the breeder a good idea of what kind of home the puppy would benefit from more.

Home Time
Once you have chosen your bundle of joy this is the time to research a good puppy socialization class close to you. This will give you time to go and watch and see how they work before you bring your puppy home at 8 weeks of age. After all, you wouldn't take your child to a nursery school without first inspecting it, would you? Research has proven that the period between 3 – 16weeks is the age where a pup can be exposed too, and accept virtually any situation. This gives the puppy excellent coping skills to take with it in life. This can be likened to a child going to nursery school, it really is essential. At the puppy class you will be given the tools you need to ensure your pup is a well behaved member of your family. These will include exercises such as bite inhibition (teaching a pup how to have a soft bite), handling, socialization skills, noise desensitizing and some very basic exercises such as the sit, down and lead walking. You will also be given information on jumping up and basic canine behaviour problems as well as being taught how children should interact with dogs.

At the risk of sounding anthropomorphic, children and dogs are very similar in that they both need to understand the house rules, have consistency, and know the boundaries - so putting your house rules into place is a necessity. An example of this is that the dog is taught to sit and greet people, jumping up is not allowed. Human body parts are not chew toys and neither is the furniture. Examples such as these are so easily taught, especially when you have a puppy. If we consider that the rescue centers are often full of dogs between the ages of 8 to 18 months, the adolescent stage, we can then understand that if we had done more research and put in more time and energy teaching the pup properly, there would then be a lot less dogs ending up unwanted and euthanized.

Please, think and do your homework before you buy!