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Picking a puppy

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Ask The Vet Home > Dogs > Dog Care > Puppy Care

Do you really want a puppy? Ask yourself long and hard questions BEFORE you even embark on picking a puppy. Dog shelters are filled with puppies that were spur of the moment purchases where people have launched into buying one just because it was cute at that time. A puppy is for life - it's not a toy, it's not something that you discard when it becomes inconvenient, it's a living thing and it demands a certain level of commitment on your part to care for it.

Pet store, dog shelter or breeder?
Petstores don't have ALL the possible breeds of dogs that you may want to look at, so I suggest you research and find out which breed suits your lifestyle best and then visit a breeder. There are AKC approved breeders so I suggest you start there. Take a look at tips in picking a good dog breeder to help you with your decision. Dog shelters are another source where you can get a puppy. Not all shelters have puppies though, some have an abundance of adult dogs - don't let that stop you though - dogs from shelters do require more attention on your part and a lot are 'special needs' type dogs so it will take extra time and patience on your part to get them to come out of their shell.

Should I choose a male or female?
Female dogs are smaller than males, they also tend to be more homebound and are less likely to wander off (in search of a mate), they are also less likely to be strong willed and are more docile. Neutering is essential if you don't plan to breed from the dog - there are more than enough dogs out there - there's no need for any more accidental litters so do the right thing please. This applies to BOTH male and female dogs - it takes 2 to tango - just because your male dog can't have babies doesn't mean that he won't decide to impregnate Molly up the road so neuter your male dogs too please.

Picking a puppy with a good temperament
Certain breeds are better suited for certain people. Whilst you will find that there are breeds of dogs which tend to have particular characteristics which obviously appeal to you, you can get differences within the breed. For example, not all Labrador retrievers are docile and suitable for kids. If you are unsure and you are picking the puppy from a breeder, then ask the breeder about the different personalities of the puppies and which he/she would suggest is likely to suit your circumstance. Good breeders love their puppies and want them to find suitable homes so they will be more than happy to help you make the right choice. If possible, ask to see the parents of the puppies, since temperament does tend to have a genetic component to it, chances are if the parents are lovely, so are the puppies.

On the other hand, if you don't have the benefit of having a breeder help you, then you will have to get a quick assessment of the puppies yourself. Call the puppies (best to kneel down, it's pretty intimidating for them to have a towering human calling them) - make sure your voice is jolly and happy, anything to get their attentions. What you want is a puppy that is confident and curious ie not fearful of people. Some puppies haven't been socialized properly during their critical socialization period. You will find that these puppies have no interest whatsoever in human contact and tend to make poor pets. It's hard to tell really just from a one time meeting, so most breeders will understand if you want to make a couple of visits to the litter to check out the puppies to make your final decision.

I know it's really hard NOT to pick a puppy based on looks. Pretty and cute puppies always get picked first. Make sure you don't let your eyes do the picking alone - temper this with your mind and pick the puppy that has the best temperament for you. Believe me there are a lot of cute puppies who are nasty and a ton of not so cute puppies that have the loveliest natures and I know which I'd prefer in my household.

Related Articles Raising Orphan Puppies - Caring For Orphan Puppies Caring for orphan puppies - nutrition, socialization, general guidelines Buying internet puppies Warnings about the internet scams that are prevalent when it comes to buying puppies over the internet. Newborn puppy care How to care for newborn puppies to ensure they get the best start in life Puppy crate training Is crate training a good thing for puppies? How do I go about ensuring my puppy adjusts to the crate? Puppy Housetraining Tips for housetraining your puppy. What to do and what not to do to ensure success.

Past dog health questions Puppy coughing I bought a puppy from the humane society. It is a lab mix male that was neuterd last friday. The vet noticed the puppy had a cough so he gave him some antibiotics to take for a couple of days. The puppy has finished the antibiotics but still has a cough and now a runny nose. He coughs so hard I think he is trying to throw up but doesn't. Is this normal or should I take him back to the doctors? He seems to sleep alot more that he did when I first got him home. He is 2 and 1/2 months old. Pay just $3.95 for the answer - click here Puppy born with eyes open My female had to have a c-section and one puppy came out with her eyes already open? what can I do to help the puppies eyes can they be glued shut to save them? other then that the puppy is very healthy and seems normal. Pay just $3.95 for the answer - click here Dog with lump under skin This dog (2.5 yo female neutered hound mix) has recently been picking fights with one of my other dogs, and sustaining minor injuries. While looking her over after one of these altercations, we discovered a hard knot under the skin of her upper chest. I would say it is about 3 or so inches across, and it moves with her skin. There was a small wound from a recent fight in that same general area, but it was only about as big around as a dime, if that. It does not seem to be affecting her behavior at all, and it doesn't hurt her to press on it or move it around. Any idea what this could be, and what I should do about it? Pay just $3.95 for the answer - click here Dog with lump near rump Last week after picking my dog (2yo Shih Tzu, male neutered) up from the groomer, I noticed a red lump above his left back leg, closer to bum. I brought him to the vet the next day and was told that it was not normal and was either a wart or a tumor. The vet gave me a cream to apply 3 times a day. It has been almost a week now and the bump is still red and seems to be a little bigger. I have been on the internet looking up lumps on dogs but have been unable to find any information on red lumps. I am very worried and was wondering if I should you had some information for me. Pay just $3.95 for the answer - click here Puppy that died Please tell me if we killed our puppy. She became very sick after having her for 4 days. she began vomitting. The vet said to treat her with different things and I took her to him 2 days later. I finally heard she might have parvovirus the day before she died. The place I bought her from says all the puppies are fine, none of them are sick. My question since we have 2 older dogs can they have given her the virus? Can the older dogs be carriers and have passed it on to the puppy? I don't think they have ever had shots for parvovirus. Or could she have come in contact with it where we walked her and became ill that fast? I have never heard of this virus and shouldn't my vet have checked her for it right away when she became ill? One site said to start treatment within 2 hours and we waited 2 days. PLease help I do not understand all this and does this mean I can not get another puppy? The vet did not test so we don't know for sure that is what she died from, he said we could do a tissue sample after she died but I was too upset. thank you. Pay just $3.95 for the answer - click here

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Last night  my 7yo female neutered maltese was scatching a little & I noticed that the day before she did a little too.  I rolled her over to look through her and found a flea...then 2 more a little bit later.  I immediately ran to the store and bought Sergeants flea control that you put on their back between the shoulder blades & put that on her immediatedly.  I washed all of her bedding & have vaccumed the house at least 3 times since.  We have a huge 2 level house and the dog is 99.9% of the time on our main level in our living room & dining room.  I found only 2 today...and that was early this morning...I have not seen any since...but am scared to death of how many fleas are in our house that I cannot see.  I am afraid they are crawling everywhere & don't know where to start.  The dog sometimes goes upstairs in our bedrooms.....I am afraid these pests could be in closets & etc....any advice would be greatly appreciated! - Click here to read the answer
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