Are you considering buying a puppy?

If you are considering buying a puppy, do your research.Don't buy a puppy just for looks or you feel sorry for it.

Where you get your puppy from is the most important to take into consideration.

In my mind the personality of the puppy is far more important than the breed.

Most importantly, ask yourself why you want a dog. What you will do when you go on holiday. How much does it cost per month, include insurance, vets, food, bedding, daycare if you work etc. What size of dog is appropriate for your family, home and lifestyle?

I see a growing number of owners with biting and over exuberant puppys and by 8 months old they are biting hard. The common denominator seems to be that when they met their puppy it was not brought up in a home environment or was with people who spent little time gently handling them from day one.

The most important socialization time is when they are at the breeders with their mother. It needs to be that they are looked after in the home, become familiar with the normal comings and goings of a family. The drone of the washing machine etc and above all the gentle kindness of a cuddle and the human touch.

I'm shocked at the number of puppies that bite and nip excessively when they get to their forever homes.This is down to the environment they were born into.

Please do not buy a puppy if you don't see the parents.The mother should be well covered and not thin, for the breeder to say , "well she had a big litter and it's taken it out of her" is a sign that they put little effort in and even less food in. How many stick thin human mothers do you see? They eat more and invariably are plumper.

Please do not buy the puppy if it is dirty and smelly.

Please do not buy the puppy if it has runny eyes or faeces or no sparkle in it's eyes.

Please do not buy a puppy if the breeders keep them away from the home environment.

If you have children it is beneficial if the puppy has been born into a family with children who have cuddled it and played with it under supervision and gently.

Please do not buy the puppy if it has not been vet checked.

Please do not buy a puppy if it sits back away from the others looking worried.

The big bumptious puppy will be a struggle for the novice.

You should be able to cuddle the puppy in your arms (whilst you sit on the floor) and it sleep and relax.

Take a professional with you who knows about choosing puppies and who can personality test them.

Sit back and watch the puppies play with one another, are they gently playing or over the top.

DO NOT BUY A PUPPY OVER THE INTERNET OR FROM A BREEDER WHO BREEDS EVERY YEAR FROM THE SAME BITCH.

It takes a lot of time and commitment to have puppies and breed. Even if you have had dogs before never be persuaded to take the puppy before 8 weeks of age, this is the first time this puppy has been a puppy and they miss out on vital sibling and mother tuition. 

Take time talking to the breeders, interview them, they should be interviewing you too. Ask them about the personalities of each individual puppy, have they been in cars and been exposed to the sights and sounds of everyday life. What is the mother like, is she relaxed in your presence and the owners presence.

Don't let your children pressure you into getting a dog for them, you're the one that has to take on the responsibility commitment.

Get a dog for the right reasons, they take a lot of time and need a lot of your time.