Steps to Getting a Dog

1The first step, before the specific breed is contemplated, one must first consider getting a dog. There is plenty of information available on the responsibility, time, equipment and costs associated with owning a dog and this applies to all dogs, regardless of breed or size. All dogs require training and all training requires effort, repetition, consistency, time and patience. All dogs and children should be supervised, especially young children and puppies. All dogs require regular veterinary care for yearly inoculations, heartworm medication, occasional teeth cleaning and most dogs, over a life time, run into some sort of situation, illness or injury, which requires a trip to a vet clinic. All dogs deserve time, attention and inclusion in the family.

2The second step is to honestly evaluate ones life style to help determine what type, size, characteristics, temperament, or breed of dog would likely be most suitable. It is best to do an evaluation on how you actually live your life now and not plan to change your lifestyle to suit a breed that you may be smitten with - for example, if you do not spend a lot of time outside hiking, jogging, don't assume that you are going to start because you have a dog that would benefit from that amount of activity. Don't put that much pressure on yourself. There are lots of dogs, lots of breeds of dogs - find one, or the ones, that suit you or your family, just the way you are.

3The third step is to find a puppy of your breed of choice. Do not purchase a puppy from a pet store. As tempting as it is, you are not saving a dog; you are perpetuating the business of puppy mills. An ethical breeder will not sell puppies to a pet store or a third party. Locate breeders and visit them or contact them. Ask questions and be prepared to answer some. It's an important relationship. Keep looking until you feel comfortable - the breeder should offer you support for the lifetime of your dog and should you be unable to keep your dog, for whatever reason, a conscientious breeder should want that dog returned to them. Find a breeder that offers a written health guarantee, that has the pedigree for a purebred dog and who sells pet puppies on a spay/neuter agreement. That is all a part of responsible breeding.

4The forth step is to meet the breeders dogs. Are they friendly, clean and interested in people? Do you like the way that they behave? It is not always possible to meet the male, they are often off site, but ask what he is like, not just what he looks like. Most importantly, meet the female and spend some time with her. If you don't like the mother, don't buy a puppy. The puppy's greatest influence in their first weeks of life is their mother. If the female is of good temperament, sees the world as a good place and interacts with people in a positive fashion, she will pass this attitude on to her litter. If the mother is distrustful or ill tempered, this is the attitude she will pass to her puppies and you are not off to a good start.

5The fifth step is to share as much as you can about you and your family with the breeder. Each puppy in each litter is different. Within the generalization of each breed is a wide range of temperament and activity. Breeders spend hours watching and evaluating their puppies. By seven weeks, each puppy has a distinct personality and the breeder is in the best position to determine which puppy is most appropriate for each prospective household. Some breeders pick which puppy will go to each home. Some breeders try to offer a choice of two puppies to pick from, but few breeders will allow first pick from an entire litter. Trust the breeder - if they recommend one puppy over another, it is usually for good reason. It is in the breeder's best interest that the right puppy goes to the right home and that the match is successful. Breeders do not want that relationship to fail and have a puppy returned to them. Do not assume that if there is one puppy left that it is the least favourable of the litter. Breeders often keep their first choice as the last to sell, should they decide to keep it. Puppies that are going to be sold as breeding and/or show prospects will be sold separately and for a different price than puppies being sold for pets.

6The sixth step is to take your puppy to a reliable training class. Group lessons are typically most effective as they give your puppy the opportunity to learn how to behave around other dogs and with lots of distraction. Dog training costs money, but less money than having to replace a chewed couch and it takes less time and energy to correctly train a dog than to fix problems that could have been prevented.