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Before You Grow Your Family with Puppy Love

by Sylvia Dickens

You’ve talked it over with the family and made a decision. You’re going to get a puppy. Everyone is overjoyed at the prospect of adding a romping, fun-loving and adorable pet to the household.

You spend the next week strolling past cages at the local pet store admiring all the cute offerings. Your youngest falls in love with that blonde curly-haired pup that’s reaching up at her through the bars and wagging its tail. Your daughter insists this is the one she wants, and won’t take no for an answer.

As you watch the happy relationship between then, your natural instinct is to let her have her wish. After all, the puppy is cute, active, happy and apparently healthy.

Wait! Have you taken everything into consideration?

There are many concerns involved in the process of getting a new puppy. When overlooked, the result can be devastating for the dog and for the family.

It’s worth noting that many dogs between 7 and 14 months of age end up at the pound because the owners have become frustrated with the situation. Perhaps no one had the time or the ability to properly raise and train the puppy, or maybe the breed was just too much to handle.

Either way, it is an uncontrollable dog or one with behavioral problems and is taken to the local shelter. Inevitably, the dog spends a long time in a cage waiting to be adopted by another family, or it is euthanized because either because it has become dangerous or no one wants it.

It’s a sad and disheartening situation for everyone and it is repeated all too frequently. Yet it’s one that can be avoided if the owners take the time to investigate before choosing a dog to introduce into their midst.

Certainly, finding a happy healthy dog is extremely important, but you also must decide whether you have the time and patience to take care of the puppy when it arrives home. During its first year, will you be committed to the lengthy training process? Are you ready to accept the consequences of having a puppy? Are you prepared to make changes in the family routine to accommodate it? Will you be committed to the concept of owning a dog?

Holidays and outings can be a problem when you own a dog. Will it come with you to enjoy romps in the country or will it spend time waiting for you in a dangerously hot vehicle? Or will you ship it off to a kennel for two weeks or a month, which is a highly distressful experience for any pet?

Separation anxiety can be devastating to a family dog that suddenly feels you’ve abandoned him or her.

What about the environment? You must evaluate where the dog will live, whether it needs a yard or if your house is big enough.

You must find out how big the dog will grow, whether the breed has any particular genetic or health problems. What is its personality type?

For example, Rottweilers are physically and mentally strong, with dominant personalities. Careful training is required to avoid aggressive, dominant behavior.

Golden Retrievers, on the other hand, make excellent family pets but need plenty of attention and exercise. Border Collies, surprisingly, are not suited to small living areas and often require a lot of training.

These are just a few of the things you need to consider before making that ultimate decision.

You can research your options through dog breeders, books at the local library, or at dog shows. The internet is an excellent place to network with dog owners for first-hand feedback.

When you’ve done your research and come up with several options that best suit your family’s needs, it’s best to seek out a reputable breeder. There, you will be provided with certificates and paperwork relating to the dog’s breeding, pedigree, registrations, and vaccinations.

Be extremely cautious of puppy mills. These are unscrupulous people who have no interest in the welfare of the dogs. Their only interest is to make money. Dogs obtained through puppy mills can have diseases, infestations, and festering illnesses. In addition, puppy mills don’t provide any information on parentage or temperament of the breed. You don’t know what you’re getting or what to expect during the crucial training and socialization aspects of the puppy’s growth.

Many people prefer to get a dog from a rescue center or their local humane society. For the most part, the animals there will have been examined by the center’s staff. In some cases, they will give the dogs their first vaccinations, which you’ll have to maintain throughout the dog’s life.

Pets found in shelters are often abandoned or abused, so keep this in mind when you make your decision. That’s not to say you can’t find a good dog there, but just be prepared to spend the time training and socializing it. These dogs could have become timid or aggressive because of their prior treatment, so it could take some work to rehabilitate them.

On the other hand, they might be quite accepting of your love and kindness, ready to obey at your command. After all, dogs do love to please. Your warm and comfortable home might be just what they need.

It’s possible you’ll find a dog that ended up at the shelter because its owners died leaving it without a caregiver, or they might have moved or got married and they couldn’t take the dog with them.

When you finally make your choice, load the little pup into your car and take him home, you’ll want to start its training as soon as possible.

Done with the right methods and on a regular basis, your training will soon show positive results. Before long, your family will be enjoying its new addition and looking forward to a lengthy, happy and healthy relationship.

For tips on training your dog, go to Dog Obedience Training.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Sylvia Dickens is an author, book reviewer and affiliate marketer. Going somewhere? Her travel magazine, The Sundowner, will give you ideas for your next family vacation. Sylvia also operates a diamond site at http://www.diamondhaven.com where you can learn about precious gemstones and fine diamonds and buy diamonds from one of her recommended online jewelry stores..