Buying Puppy
Buying a puppy is a hugely exciting time. Dogs can add so much to our lives, they are loyal companions, brilliant company and can provide a huge amount of fun!
There are however some things that should be considered before buying your new furry friend:
Can I afford a puppy/dog, taking into account not only the initial cost of purchasing the dog, but also the ongoing expenses such as food, veterinary fees and canine insurance?
Can I make a lifelong commitment to a dog? - A dog’s average life span is 12 years.
Is my home big enough to house a dog?
Do I have the time to exercise a dog every day?
Will I have time to spend with the dog? - Dogs get lonely just like humans....
Will I find time to train, groom and generally care for a dog?
If you have answered 'YES!' to all the above questions then read on......
Finding a good breeder.
Finding a good breeder is essential as your puppy's early experiences can affect if for the rest of its life. Early experiences and socialisation have been proven to impact on the dogs temperament and ability to cope with different situations when it is older.
Ideally puppies should be bred in the family home where there will be a wealth of early experiences for the puppies including the sounds of everyday life, visitors, other dogs, experience of different surfaces and different objects including toys.
Puppies reared in isolated outdoor buildings may have an increased chance of becoming fearful or aggressive later in life. They may also find it much harder to
'settle' in the family home, with housetraining and general social occasions being more difficult.
If you are lucky your breeder will have introduced the puppies to 'chew toys' including filled kongs which will teach the puppy to chew on chew toys rather than your kitchen furniture!
A responsible dog breeder should give new owners written information regarding the socialisation and training of the puppy and will be there as a point of contact
throughout the puppy’s life to ensure that the dog and owner have a happy and fulfilling relationship. If a breeder doesn’t follow these guidelines and if the
puppies do not appear happy and are not kept in good conditions, then look elsewhere.
Things to remember:
Beware of breeders that sell several breeds of dog as they will tend to be a commercial breeding establishment rather than someone who is breeding a litter in their home.
Beware of breeders advertising more than one litter at once, it is unlikely that multiple litters will get the same attention as one litter.
Beware of websites that advertise puppies all year round, who advertise their stud dogs but do not mention their bitches at all. It is likely that they have too many breeding bitches to mention them individually.
Puppy farms are common and the breeders are very clever at disguising the fact that their puppies are bred on a puppy farm.
For more information on puppy farms please visit:
http://www.puppylovecampaigns.org/index.shtml
or http://cariadcampaign.wordpress.com/how-c-a-r-i-a-d-was-born/
There are however some things that should be considered before buying your new furry friend:
Can I afford a puppy/dog, taking into account not only the initial cost of purchasing the dog, but also the ongoing expenses such as food, veterinary fees and canine insurance?
Can I make a lifelong commitment to a dog? - A dog’s average life span is 12 years.
Is my home big enough to house a dog?
Do I have the time to exercise a dog every day?
Will I have time to spend with the dog? - Dogs get lonely just like humans....
Will I find time to train, groom and generally care for a dog?
If you have answered 'YES!' to all the above questions then read on......
Finding a good breeder.
Finding a good breeder is essential as your puppy's early experiences can affect if for the rest of its life. Early experiences and socialisation have been proven to impact on the dogs temperament and ability to cope with different situations when it is older.
Ideally puppies should be bred in the family home where there will be a wealth of early experiences for the puppies including the sounds of everyday life, visitors, other dogs, experience of different surfaces and different objects including toys.
Puppies reared in isolated outdoor buildings may have an increased chance of becoming fearful or aggressive later in life. They may also find it much harder to
'settle' in the family home, with housetraining and general social occasions being more difficult.
If you are lucky your breeder will have introduced the puppies to 'chew toys' including filled kongs which will teach the puppy to chew on chew toys rather than your kitchen furniture!
A responsible dog breeder should give new owners written information regarding the socialisation and training of the puppy and will be there as a point of contact
throughout the puppy’s life to ensure that the dog and owner have a happy and fulfilling relationship. If a breeder doesn’t follow these guidelines and if the
puppies do not appear happy and are not kept in good conditions, then look elsewhere.
Things to remember:
Beware of breeders that sell several breeds of dog as they will tend to be a commercial breeding establishment rather than someone who is breeding a litter in their home.
Beware of breeders advertising more than one litter at once, it is unlikely that multiple litters will get the same attention as one litter.
Beware of websites that advertise puppies all year round, who advertise their stud dogs but do not mention their bitches at all. It is likely that they have too many breeding bitches to mention them individually.
Puppy farms are common and the breeders are very clever at disguising the fact that their puppies are bred on a puppy farm.
For more information on puppy farms please visit:
http://www.puppylovecampaigns.org/index.shtml
or http://cariadcampaign.wordpress.com/how-c-a-r-i-a-d-was-born/
