The difficult and delicate choice of a puppy

Choosing to acquire a puppy of a specific breed, or deciding on one of the neighbor's bitch's little mongrels... In any case, this choice will be a commitment for several years, and can't be made on a whim or a crush on a pretty “plush” animal spotted in a shop window or a pet “super market”.

Asking yourself why you want a dog will help you choose the companion of your dreams, whether you live alone, with a partner or a family, with one or more children.
The important thing is not to choose just any dog, in any way, anywhere and at any time, for the sake of everyone's comfort and the harmony of your relationship with a dog.

Making your choice means taking into consideration

- your lifestyle: relaxed and busy, or sporty and more available for long walks, better suited to certain types of dog.
- your character: easygoing or authoritarian, with some breeds requiring a firmer, more rigorous master.
- where you live: city, country, small or large apartment, house with or without garden. Some breeds really need a lot of space and/or to live absolutely outdoors, while others are more afraid of heat, sun or cold and bad weather.
- your age and marital status: single, married with or without young children, as some breeds don't cope well with hectic environments.
- your other dogs or pets: if you own any, some males are more or less comfortable living with other dogs or animals.
- your priorities when it comes to leisure activities and vacations: some breeds suffer from escapades or vacations in the heat, while larger breeds may put off some hoteliers or rental companies, and beware of regulations on molosses that vary from country to country within the European Community.

Some breeds, whose subjects mature late, will require a longer, firmer, more rigorous and constant training than others. They may, dare I say it, have a slightly less “sense of humor”, so overly permissive masters should refrain ... especially with males!
Other breeds will be more athletic, and if you're not a fan of jogging and long walks, and you live in an urbanized, concrete area, neither you nor your pet will be very happy. Choose a dog that's more at home and needs less exercise, like certain giant breeds for example, but only if you have a large living space... otherwise turn to miniatures!
Breeds with pendulous whisker pads or long, full coats are unsuitable for people who are meticulous about keeping their house and car clean. If you're one of these people, look for dogs with short, wiry coats or those that don't shed.

Choosing a pedigree puppy

The criterion of aesthetic choice seems obvious, because we can be more sensitive to one dog's “face” than to another, and that's normal. However, you should be aware that the puppy you choose often looks nothing like the dog he's become a few months later! So find out about the adult's morphology.
And now, male or female?
Females are often more “flexible” than males, less competitive for dominance, sometimes more fearful, and more sociable with children. All these characteristics can be well tempered with proper training.
There remain the inconveniences caused by the sexual characteristics of males or females, which each individual can appreciate according to his or her own sensitivity, bearing in mind that veterinary medicine offers sterilization and castration to eliminate or attenuate these manifestations.
So, if you'd like to have “that dog”, ask yourself the following question: is this the right dog for me? Find out about the breed standard that appeals to you, relying first and foremost on the morphological description.
Talk of a particular breed's personality being more suited to children, for example, or of this one being more aggressive, is unfounded.
There are no scientifically-conducted studies observing the relationship between race and behavior. It's better to talk about dispositions or aptitudes in a breed of dog. Originally fighting dogs, shepherds, cattle dogs, hunting dogs or retrievers, today they can all be perfect companion dogs, because it's the education you give them on a daily basis that makes the dog you'll have.

Where to buy?

Some pet shops don't guarantee the origin of the animals they sell. So beware of puppies of unknown or dubious origin and transported in questionable conditions. Often raised in battery cages, not socialized at all or not socialized well enough, they may even be carriers of diseases that you don't detect until it's too late.
In addition to these unknown factors, these puppies' sometimes lengthy stays in confined boxes don't prepare them for life in a family (with subsequent difficulties in potty training, for example).
To make a well-considered purchase and get the best advice, choose a serious professional or family kennel, as a family kennel often ensures good primary socialization. Breed clubs can help you find the right addresses.
Take the time to visit the kennels that offer the breed you're interested in. Talk to the breeders, ask questions, ask to see the puppies with their mothers.
In addition to basic animal hygiene care, make sure that the breeder has provided the puppies with the quality socialization that can never be stressed enough, and that prepares them for their future life in a family.

Crucial point: socialization
Breeders (or the birth family) must offer puppies the richest possible stimuli necessary for optimal sensory stimulation. To achieve this:
- They must leave them with their mother for at least 8 weeks (the minimum legal selling age) to learn the first things they can only do with each other: group living and hierarchy, bite inhibition and self-control.
- They must take care to impregnate them with human beings (by meeting men, women and children), as well as with animal species commonly encountered by a puppy in its future family life (e.g. cats).
- familiarize them with an interior and all its appliances (vacuum cleaner, washing machine, etc.)
- and, if possible, at least one car trip with city noises (horns, motorcycle backfires, etc.).
It's the rich stimuli of this early life that prepares a well-balanced puppy, ready to continue learning life in his adoptive family without undue fear.
Unfortunately, there are still too many puppies for sale who haven't received this choice “preparation”, deprived of stimulation because they've been isolated in kennels or removed prematurely from their mothers.
They are obviously bought by families unaware of the puppy's basic deficits.
These distraught masters don't understand why they fail to get their little companion to do the slightest learning, the slightest discovery, which only triggers agitation, fear and even aggression... It's very difficult (sometimes impossible!) to recover from these deficiencies.
So give yourself time to choose and compare, especially if it's your first dog: your whole future relationship with him depends on it.
In return, the breeder may be just as demanding and ask you if his puppy is really the right one for you, and that's normal. In this way, he can help you avoid making the wrong choice of breed, or at least warn you against it.
A behaviorist can be called in even before you purchase a puppy, to provide personalized guidance in choosing a breed, breeding, litter size and, of course, establishing a harmonious relationship.

Duties, obligations and costs

Welcoming a puppy requires time, money and sometimes even a few changes to your life and home. Being aware of this means you won't find yourself embarrassed by an animal that you may have to leave alone for too long during the day, that causes dirt and increases cleaning time, that irritates you because you have to take it out several times a day, or that gets in the way at weekends and vacation periods.
The various activities, pleasant or otherwise, of feeding, walking, training, cleaning and caring for your dog can be shared out between family members, taking into account the age, skills and availability of each.
A dog's daily well-being:
- First of all, it means feeding him at regular times (3 times a day for a puppy).
- It also means taking him out several times a day, in all weathers, even if he has a garden. The discovery of the thousand smells that punctuate a walk is an enormous distraction for the dog in a day he may have spent waiting for you. Walks for natural needs, as well as leisurely strolls and games, are the perfect opportunity to meet and socialize with other dogs and people. Please note that for optimum socialization, puppies should be taken out even before their final vaccinations.
- Veterinary expenses are to be expected, with compulsory annual vaccinations, not to mention scaling, sores, scratches, indigestion, diarrhoea, etc., which may require consultation.
- You'll also need to plan for the cost of the dog's minimum equipment: collar, leash, muzzles (for some mastiffs), bowls, toys, chew bones, outdoor basket or kennel, transport box (sometimes useful).
- You may also need to allow for babysitting during vacations.
- Some breeds require regular grooming.
- Review the layout of your puppy's living space: in the kitchen or garage, don't leave dangerous cleaning products within his reach, or simply arrange books or stacks of CDs a little differently, as they could be affected by a puppy's natural “devouring curiosity”! Like certain house plants, which he could play with and poison himself.

In short, all the precautions that common sense would dictate with a very young child!

- If this is not the case, it's imperative to provide fencing, and consider new equipment such as an enclosure in the garden, both to prevent further poisoning by toxic plants, and to prevent the puppy from trying his hand at amateur gardening.

- Think about possible cohabitation with other animals.
Good socialization (once again!) of the puppy in his kennel will be crucial here.

Precautions with children

The puppy, and then the dog, must be respected by children, when he sleeps, when he eats, and don't think that this little animal can be used as a cuddly toy, because he has teeth! A child's relationship with a dog can be marvellous if it is well and responsibly supervised by adults, who are fully responsible for the care and education of the little animal. Conversely, this relationship can become a nightmare if child and dog are left to their own devices, without education or supervision (a dog/child cohabitation is never without risk, with one breed or another, large or small).