Practical Dog Training Tips

So You're Gonna Buy a Puppy, Huh?

A few things to consider before bringing home a new puppy.

That cute puppy will only be a puppy for a few short months.

After that, you can look forward to ten plus years of life with an adult dog. As an adult he'll be operating on about the same level as a young child and require about the same amount of supervision and attention.

Do you know any three year old child you could leave unsupervised in the yard and trust not to venture onto the road? No? Then you don't know any dog that can be trusted to stay in the yard unsupervised either.

They don't come cheap!

The initial expenses involved in buying a puppy are just a drop in the bucket compared to what he'll cost you over the span of his lifetime.
Feeding a toy poodle might not break the bank but a large breed can gobble down fifty or sixty dollars worth of groceries a month and still be looking for more.

Licenses, travel expenses, fencing and housing, and vet bills; Oh my!
Your family veterinarian, like your family doctor, can be a lifesaver, literally. Veterinarians are experts in the fields of preventive medicine, trauma, and just about everything having to do with your dogs health. They are also extremely accomplished when it comes to billing for their services.

If you're still in the market for a puppy, let's look at ...

Lifestyle ???

Own a black suit? Not anymore, you don't. That black suit will mysteriously take on a different hue, suspicously like the color of your dogs coat. Even a black dog can magically transform a black suit.
Speaking of hair, hopefully, no-one in the family is going to jump off a cliff just because they find a hair in their sandwich or muddy paw prints on their favourite chair.

Planning a vacation? What will you do with the dog? If you're going to Grandma's, then maybe you can take him along. But then, maybe it's the dog you'll need a holiday from.
Never mind, you can just bring him along to our place. We'll be glad to board him for you. We've learned how to bill almost as well as the vets.

If I haven't changed your mind yet about getting a puppy ...

Let's be serious for a moment.

Please don't get a dog unless everyone in the family is enthusiastic about the prospect.
If you're about ready to drown your spouse in the bathtub ( just kidding ), better wait 'till you've served your time.
If you bring a puppy into your home, you should be committed to having him as a family member, living with you, in the house, for the rest of his life.
You need to consider his well-being exactly as you would consider the well-being of the other members of your family.
You need to dedicate the time to socialize and train him so that he will be a pleasure to have around. You can't accomplish this by chaining him to a doghouse in the back yard for the rest of his life. He can't learn how to behave around people unless he's around people.

And now ...

If you're the type of person who would abandon a dog, or send him to the pound, or dump him off on unsuspecting strangers, because he had become an inconvenience, then do dogs and dog-lovers everywhere a favour and forget about puppies. Get yourself a stuffed toy or a football to kick around. They're cheaper and they're much easier to dispose of when you get tired of them.

And finally ...

If I still haven't deterred you; if you've thought it through and you're still determined to have that puppy; if you have a reasonably stable lifestyle, with lots of time and patience; then go for it! You're the type of person breeders always hope to place there puppies with.

Next we'll take a look at the right kind of dog for your interests and how to find a good prospect

Good Luck ... Neil

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