It's important to start your new dog and human duo off right by choosing the pup that best fits your needs.
When it comes to finding a new dog to bring home, there are some initial factors to consider. Do you adopt an older or rescue dog and risk behavioral quirks? Or perhaps the sweet ball of fluff you visited at eight weeks is now a wild 12-week-old chewing machine.
Remember that when you open your home to a new furry family member, regardless of age, you welcome a living, breathing, thinking, independent creature into your world. And if you’re lucky, they’ll stay part of your life for at least a decade.
Before you bring home a new puppy or dog, have a realistic conversation with yourself.
Check in on your lifestyle and daily structure before committing to a dog. Are you working all day, heading downtown for cocktails and craft beers all night, and having no desire to make adjustments? Try a goldfish first.
Are you already stretched thin with work, kids, and the house? Does the idea of waking up and stepping in a puddle of puppy pee make you want to cry? It might not be the right time to bring home a dog.
If you feel ready to start making whatever life adjustments are necessary to welcome your new puppy into your home, congratulations! Let’s make this process as enjoyable and stress-free as possible.
Dog Breed Research: who will you choose, and where will you get them?
Dogs’ personalities are not all about how you raise them. Every dog will have inherited traits based on their genetics. You can save yourself a lot of stress by choosing a breed of dog whose personality matches your lifestyle.
You can use search tools online to research the breed you’re considering. However, you can go one step further and reach out to different breed-specific rescue groups. They’ll have a lot of knowledge and appreciate you doing your due diligence. Plus, they may be able to point you in the direction of where to get your puppy. If you think you’ve settled on a breed, don’t be afraid to join Facebook groups about those dogs and ask lots and lots of questions.
Breeder or Rescue Dog ?
Many people choose to get a very young puppy with the idea that by starting off with an 8-week-old, they’ll be able to control what they get versus dealing with a 6-month-old puppy who may have behavioral issues.
I’m here to tell you that puppies are not always a safe bet.
You have no idea what that dog’s personality will be like as it ages, and you’ll need to adjust your training and expectations based on the dog you have, not the dog you think you want.
You can do things throughout the training process to help strengthen excellent parts of your puppy’s personality and diminish more challenging aspects. However, you will still have a creature with its own genetic coding.
My Belgian Malinois isn’t a silly, goofy dog. She’s not interested in people that aren’t part of her circle. She likes to work and train, and was very serious even as a puppy. If I had brought her home without understanding the breed and being willing to train the dog I have, it would have been a total nightmare. It still was a complete nightmare during plenty of her more challenging phases. But I selected this dog breed for a reason and knew what I was getting.
If you know you want a dog with specific characteristics, like being friendly toward people or other dogs, a good option is to reach out to dog rescue groups that work with your desired breed and ask them to help you find a young dog who is good with x, y, and z.
You’re more likely to get the right dog for your family and lifestyle if you find a pup who is a little older and already demonstrating its personality.
If you choose a breeder, pick a responsible and ethical dog breeder who does proper health testing, can tell you about the dog's parents, and sets you up for success by ensuring your new puppy has a safe and stable foundation before you bring them home.
If you’re purchasing a puppy for a working dog/dog sport, be sure to get proof of past performances of that dog's parents.
Unsure if a dog or puppy is right for you? Foster First!
Have you considered a specific breed and think you want to bring a ball of fluff into your home but are a little nervous about the commitment, the breed personality, or anything else?
Reach out to different rescue groups, and foster first. You might fall in love with your foster dog and end up as a foster failure. Or you learn that the breed is too high energy, sheds too much, barks too often, and so on.
The Pound Pup
So many dogs end up in the pound for reasons completely unrelated to the dog itself: allergies that develop, a loss of income, death or illness, irresponsible pet ownership, a new pup and an old dog not getting along, a new relationship taking priority over a companion, and on and on.
Please don’t think that just because a dog is in the pound, they’ve done something to make them an unstable pet.
If you’ve decided you want a dog and are comfortable providing training (remember, this step will need to happen no matter where you get your dog from), head to the pound and see if you can help a pup create a brand new life!
Do you have questions about dog breeds or want advice on starting your pet search?
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