How to Pick the Right Puppy for You

Picking the right puppy for your family can be a daunting task! How do you know which puppy is the right puppy for you? Where should you start? There is a lot more to consider when picking a puppy than which is the cutest of them all. We'll go over everything you'll need to know when it comes to this task. Things like lifestyle, breed, age, training, and where to find one! Let's start by talking about your lifestyle and finding a dog that fits your day to day activity.

Lifestyle

Let's start off by asking ourselves a few questions about our lifestyle. Am I an active person? Am I a home body? Do I like to travel?

Do I enjoy taking my dog to restaurants? Dol have a busy work schedule? Do I have time to dedicate to a new puppy? What is my housing situation? These are all things we should ask ourselves before getting a puppy in order to choose one that fits your daily lifestyle. For instance if you are an active person a big lazy dog might not be your best bet. On the opposite end of that if you are a home body an incredibly athletic Malinois might not be the best fit for you. Remember the most important thing you can do before getting a puppy is doing your research on that breed!

Breed

Now that we've talked a bit about our lifestyle lets take some time to go over the right breed.

By now we should have examined our situation, and now its time to pick our puppy!

There are so many breeds out there how wil you know which one is right for you? Well to start I always tell my clients to pick your top 5 breeds. We all have our favorites whether it be from past experience or we've just always dreamed of owning one. If you don't have breeds in mind talk to a local trainer or hop on google search dog breeds for an active lifestvle or type in lazy dogs for a home body. Once you have your list its time to do our research!

We need to know about any health issues we might come across, activity level of this dog, temperament, the amount of training this dog is going to take wether that be obedience or house breaking. Take your time in doing your research this is the most important step before choosing a breed!

Training:

We finally have our breed how exciting! Now what do we do with our new family member?

When should training start if at all? Training starts the moment you bring your puppy home! As soon as 8 weeks old we should start working on our basics that being sit, down, come, potty training, and crate training to name a few. Don't waste any time! The sooner you start training the better relationship you'll start to form with your new puppy. There are so many things we can train our puppy to do outside of iust the basic things. If you live an active lifestyle, and enjoy doing things physical activities with your pup start to research different doggy sports that you, and your new fury member can enjoy together! Research is key! Google is your best friend when it comes to your new best friend.

I want to take a second to discuss adoption vs buying from a breeder. Both have positives and negatives. Let's start with adoption, the obvious positive is you are rescuing a dog in need. There is something special about a bond with a second chance dog, and it is an awesome thing to do! On the other side of that you get wrapped up in the unknown. Majority of dogs at shelters have a tough history that of which a lot of details are left out. You kind of have to just figure it out as you go kind of thing. You're giving a dog a second chance that they deserve, but that doesn't come without risks both behaviorally and health wise. When considering adoption its best to take this process slowly, and visit your dog of choice multiple times. As well as putting your dog of choice in different situations if you have kids or other animals in your house making sure the dog is ok in every situation. There are multiple shelters, but there are also breed specific rescues. When it comes to rescue organizations the adoption process can be a little extensive, but you might in some cases have more information on the dogs background and the situation it came from.

So what are you getting when you buy from a breeder? For starters you know exactly what you're getting. You'll know the breed, and the history of the dog since you'll have it from puppyhood. You'll be able to pick out your dogs temperament whether vour want the more active of the bunch or the most calm. Buying from a breeder doesn't come without risk though! It is very important to do your research and go through a reputable breeder. Beware of back yard breeders or breeders that have poor living conditions. Asking to visit the breeder is a good place to start. Just because it came from a breeder doesn't mean that your dog wont have possible health risks. again research is so important when it comes to picking the right dog.

Conclusion

With so many things to consider don't be afraid to reach out to local people in the dog industry. Trainers, vets, groomers, doggy day cares if they don't have the answers 9 times out of 10 they know someone that does or can point you in the right direction.

Remember research, research, research!!! Take your time it's a process a fun one at that, if you do it right. Researching all your options and taking your time will help you to ignore getting into a situation that you might not be able to handle. The last thing we want to see is another dog getting rehoused due to lack of research. Weigh out all your options, talk to others, and have fun in the process! I'm already excited for you to begin the process of finding your new fury member! I wish you the best of luck here's to your new journey full of a life time of memories and happiness!