At this time of the year, I normally advise people not to impulsively buy a puppy as a Christmas gift.
However, I am addressing this December column to all those people who are going to ignore my advice and buy a puppy from a breeder anyway. Sadly, this is the season when many future shelter dogs are created by new puppy owners who don’t know how to raise them.
Please bear in mind that when choosing a puppy at eight weeks of age, you might bring home a well-socialized, housetrained, chewtoy-trained puppy that knows how to come, sit, lie down, and rollover on cue, or you might bring home a lemon — an unsocialized, unhousetrained, chewing, yapping puppy with little if any manners. The puppy’s behavior and temperament depend almost entirely on how the breeder has raised him.
Make sure that you choose a puppy who has been raised in a home environment so he will be prepared to live in yours, and with plentiful human contact and guidance so he will enjoy living with people. The breeder will most certainly ask you lots of questions to determine whether you are a suitable potential puppy owner. You want to ask the breeder lots of questions in return, to check on the puppy’s education and behavioral development. You especially want to ascertain whether or not the breeder has raised the puppy according to Open Paw’s Minimal Mental Health Guidelines.
First, check the puppy’s living area to make sure that there is a toilet area in the corner opposite from the sleeping area and that the puppies have been using that area exclusively. If your puppy has been urinating and defecating anywhere and everywhere, that’s exactly what he’ll continue to do when you take him home. Needless to say, it’s a good idea to purchase or adopt a house-trained puppy and to continue the errorless housetraining procedure at home.
Second, check that there are numerous chewtoys in the puppy’s living area that have been stuffed with moistened kibble. Young puppies should be fed only from chewtoys to make sure that food is apportioned fairly (that one bully puppy doesn’t get more than his fair share) and so they all develop early chewtoy habits. Puppies lie down calmly and quietly while chewing. If the breeder has not chewtoy-trained them, most likely they will destructively chew anything and everything in your home and will become recreational barkers, to boot, prone to developing home-alone problems and separation anxiety.
Third, ask the breeder to demonstrate that, at the very least, the puppy has been taught to come, sit, lie down, and roll over on cue. If the breeder says that he hasn’t taught the puppy to sit because he is a “show dog,” leave him with the breeder because he certainly has not been trained to be a companion dog.
The most important thing to observe is whether or not all of the breeder’s puppies appear confident and friendly, approach people happily and readily, and enjoy being handled by all family members. Be sure to ask the breeder how many people have played with and handled the puppies. Puppies need to be handled by at least 100 people (especially children and men) before they are eight weeks old and then meet another 100 people during the first month in their new homes. The Critical Period of Socialization is almost two thirds over by eight weeks of age, and the puppies must be fully socialized before attending puppy classes at three months of age. (Rest assured that inviting people to come and socialize with the puppies before they have completed their vaccinations is perfectly safe, as long as outdoor shoes are left outside. Parvovirus is spread via feces.)
Before you are seduced by an adorable puppy, it’s a good plan for all family members to first meet and “test drive” his parents, grandparents, and any other adult dogs at the kennel in order to gauge how the puppy will likely behave as an adult.
For more information about puppy selection, raising and training, download the free books BEFORE You Get Your Puppy and AFTER You Get Your Puppy from http://dogstardaily.com/free-downloads. Raise and train your puppy well so you both can look forward to a good life for life — enjoying your home together forever. Please don’t create another shelter dog!
Ian Dunbar is a veterinarian, canine behaviorist, and puppy-training pioneer. He is the founder of SIRIUS® Puppy Training and Scientific Director for www.dogstardaily.com.
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