Choosing A Puppy

Choosing a puppy is so exiting! You're full of anticipation and it's hard to be patient. It's so tempting to rush out to the local pet store or check out the classifieds and dash off to buy the first little furball that chews on your shoelaces.

Honestly, I know it's hard but stay with me! Here are the basic issues you need to consider before you bring little Fido home.

Your Personality & Lifestyle

For example, a Border Collie will want (no, make that need) to herd things and, unless you just happen to have a flock of sheep in your backyard, he will most likely focus that attention on your children, cat or whatever else he can find. His original purpose required him to be super-responsive to his owner and have the ability to work tirelessly. That makes him a great choice for an active person who wants to train him in obedience or agility and will take him for a long walk and a game of fetch every day. But not such a good match for an easy-going guy who just wants to watch the ball game with his pooch.

Obviously if you live in a tiny apartment in the city, choosing a puppy that is big and boisterous, may not be the best choice - but take your time to look at the options and choose a puppy you really like. It'll save you from buyers remorse later.

Recent years have also seen the creation of Designer Dog Breeds. These are new breeds created by breeding two already recognized breeds, the resulting puppies are called 'designer dogs'. A well-known example of this is the Labradoodle, a mix between the Poodle and the Labrador, originally designed as a way to supply hypoallergenic dogs to act as service dogs for people with allergies.

Last but not least, don't forget about the mixed breed dog. When you're choosing a puppy it can be a bit more difficult to figure out exactly how big Fifi will get, or what inborn characteristics she may possess if you don't know who her parents are. But don't count her out.

Quite often a puppy of mixed backgrounds proves to be healthier and more robust than a purebred (due to the lack of genetic and breed-specific illnesses or weaknesses).

Their personalities and temperaments are often equally well-balanced. Of course, there are always exceptions.

If you're choosing a puppy who is a mixed breed, it is even more important to make sure you spay or neuter your new companion. There are already way too many puppies in shelters and dog pounds who aren't able to find good homes. Don't add to the problem.

Children

Certain breeds are better suited to homes with children than others, and it may surprise you to know that when you're choosing a puppy, size is not all that matters.

Some little dogs can be extremely snappy and intolerant towards children, while some of the larger breeds are truly 'gentle giants'. When choosing a puppy it's also important to pay attention to the individual temperament of a puppy, as well as to the temperament of it's parents. Personality can vary as widely in dogs as it does in humans.

If your children are still of the 'rugrat' variety, then size does need to be considered. Even if an individual large breed dog has a calm, gentle and loving nature, his or her sheer size can be dangerous to a small child. It's perfectly possible for a toddler to get knocked over by the exuberant greeting of his furry friend.

Note: This size issue also applies to the elderly or to people who are physically frail. Injury can occur totally unintentionally and without malice on the part of the dog.

If your children (or anyone else in the family for that matter) have allergies, you may want to consider Hypoallergenic Dog Breeds. Although there is no 'allergy-free dog', and different people will react differently to individual dogs, certain breeds have been proven to produce a reduced level of allergic response in sensitive individuals. You may even be one of the lucky ones who find a breed that doesn't trigger their allergies at all!

Male or Female?

Firstly, once they've reached sexual maturity female dogs come into season between one and three times per year (depending on the breed as well as the individual dog). This is not a problem for the dog, but it can be for you! Her 'season' will last approximately three weeks, and for at least part of that time she will bleed. If you have nice carpets and furniture, and/or she will be sleeping on your bed, it can be quite a challenge to keep your possessions from being ruined.

There are 'doggy-diapers' that she can wear specifically for this purpose, but she will need to get used to them early on or she's likely to rip them off before you can say 'carpet shampoo'. Then there's the problem of repelling (and protecting her from) all the neighborhood Romeos who will be vying for her attentions. Dogs (of both sexes) can get very creative when it comes to finding ways to satisfy their natural urges - it is not unheard of for females to be impregnated through chain-link fences!

When you're choosing a puppy bear in mind that it's not just the females that have issues. Male dogs come with their own set of problems. One of which is the fact that an un-neutered male will get the urge to visit any fertile female within walking distance (and you'll be surprised how far he can walk when Fifi is sending her pheromones his way!). Intact males are also far more likely to get into dog fights as the attempt to prove to all contenders that they are, indeed, 'the man' (or at least 'the dog').

If you have a mixed breed dog, or if your purebred is not destined for the dog show ring (and perhaps a momma or daddy), I strongly recommend that you spay or neuter your pup.

Another problem is the male dog's habit of 'marking' or 'spraying'. This is when a dog sprays urine on anything he considers to be his property. In the dog world, this is a clear signal to other dog to stay away, and Fido may feel it necessary to spray every tree, rosebush, fence-post and corner of your house in order to make his point.

This is OK outdoors, but can cause problems if he decides to treat your sofa, bedframe, dining table and front door the same way! However if you housetrain him early (spraying doesn't really surface until adolescence or early adulthood) you have a good chance of reducing or eliminating the problem when it arises.

Showing him, both kindly and consistently, that this behavior is not OK with you should get the message across - and confine his macho display to your yard (and the occasional fire hydrant or lamp-post of course).

At the moment I have loud, bossy females (with one notable exception) and teddy-bear males, but on many occasions it's been the exact opposite. Before choosing a puppy take a look at our tips on evaluating a puppy's temperament for advice in this area. More often than not your tiny puppy will just grow into a bigger, more defined version of her puppy self.

When choosing a puppy, it's important to know how to pick a healthy pup

Find out what to look for (and what to avoid) on our
Choosing A Healthy Puppy page

And if you have any puppy health questions, our
Puppy Health Q & A
page holds the answer!

Okay...that's it!!

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