My step-daughter, Sarah, and her boyfriend, Zach, just got a puppy from their local shelter. Poppy is an 8 week old Rottweiler/Shepherd mix and she is absolutely adorable....and I'm not just saying that because she's my granddog. She really is cute with her big paws and soulful brown eyes. I am one of those people who really does think that all puppies are cute, regardless of whether they are a smushy faced Pug puppy or a leggy, uncoordinated Borzoi pup. I just love puppies. As I am snuggling yet another puppy one of my newest clients brought home during this pandemic, I always find myself saying the same thing. It's a good thing puppies are so cute and come equipped with soft fur and puppy breath because otherwise we'd give up on a lot of them right from the get-go! Puppies are challenging. They don't sleep through the night, they have accidents in the house, they chew furniture and fingers, they vomit on car rides, they chew their leashes, and they whine in their crates. And that's just during the first week in your home...lol. You get my point. Raising a puppy is not for the feint of heart nor the impatient. You have to be in it for the long haul with your goal of having a nice, well-behaved dog on the other end. So why am I even bringing this up?
Dogs come in all shapes and sizes, with temperaments ranging from super-outgoing to painfully introverted. Some are easier to train than others with a great deal of that variability in training due to their personalities. One of my very experienced dog friends is already talking about her next puppy. She knows she wants a smaller dog than the ones she has now, but she doesn't want a terrier, hound, or toy breed. With her level of experience and the amount of homework she does before getting a dog, I'm really not at all worried about her next canine companion. I do worry though about some of my clients. Many have (unknowingly) gotten their puppies from puppy brokers who got the puppies from puppy mills. They've been told one thing and been sold quite another. Meeting a breeder halfway to pick up a puppy in a parking lot somewhere may seem convenient, but it often means you won't get to meet the parent dogs, siblings, etc. There is so much you can learn about a puppy from meeting the parent dogs and littermates and seeing where and how they were raised. And having said that, you need to be ready to pass on a puppy that doesn't meet your criteria, regardless of how cute they are or how much they tug on your heartstrings.
While I certainly have my favorite breeds of dogs, really my most favorite dog is the one who is well-behaved, regardless of breed. I've been doing this a long time (almost 30 years!), long enough to know that all dogs are different, even those from the same breed. While I think a lot of people feel that Golden Retrievers are some of the friendliest, most out-going dogs you'll ever meet, I myself am careful and reserve judgement. I've been bitten a couple of times, unprovoked, by Golden Retrievers. And while people have certainly steered clear of me when I've been out walking with Bella, my Rottweiler friend, what they don't know is that she is the nicest Rottie you will ever meet. She's a total love sponge, a 90 lb lap dog really. Just as you can't pick a puppy solely from a photograph, you can't pick your breed just from something you read on the internet or in a book. While it may be true that all Rottweilers have black fur with brown markings, large heads, and strong bodies, they don't all have behavior problems rooted in aggression as is so often assumed. Same goes for Golden Retrievers. They may all have that soft coat with feathers, ranging in color from cream to red, but not all are friendly, social butterflies. Each dog is an individual, the result of the interaction between genetics and environmental influences. So, what does this mean when you are trying to pick out a puppy?
Start out your search by making a list of all the characteristics in a dog that you value. How big as an adult? Does the dog require a lot of exercise/a big yard/a sport? Is the breed prone to health problems that could get very expensive? If you live in an apartment or you are renting, you need to take that into consideration when choosing a dog as well. Once you've narrowed down the breed(s) that could work for your situation, get out there and meet representatives of that breed. This is harder to do during Covid-19, but not impossible. Join breed groups on social media and follow people with the breed of dog you are interested in. Reach out to breeders and fanciers for information and to follow what they are doing in their breeding programs. You should interview them and they should interview you. You want to form a relationship with the breeder that will allow you to ask questions and get guidance all throughout your dog's life. A number of my new puppy clients don't feel comfortable speaking with their breeders at all and several have found their breeders to be completely unresponsive once the puppies were received in their new homes, and that's really unfortunate.
Even if you are getting your puppy from a rescue group or shelter, you still need to do your research. Ask the caretakers about their experiences with the puppy. Get as much information as you can about where the puppy came from, if it had littermates, what happened to the mother dog, etc. While it is certainly true that you can be quite influential in a dog's life if you get them as a puppy and raise them yourselves, it is also true that genetics plays a big role as well. Knowing as much as you can about the genetics and history of the puppy you pick is incredibly helpful. While I can definitely help you get your puppy off to a great start and support you and guide you in your journey to that well-behaved adult dog, having as much information as possible at the start of our process is key. I'm still going to think your puppy is cute as I inhale all that puppy breath, but then I'll be ready to get to work. Hope you are ready too!
As always, if you have questions about your pet's behavior, you know where to find me.
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