Choosing A
Dog or Puppy
PUPPY OR ADULT DOG?
The first thing to think about is whether a puppy or an older dog is best suited to your life style.
PUPPY
Puppies are great fun and you can train them to be an adult that fits in with your daily routine but they
are also time consuming, hard work and exhausting. It is vitally important that you have ample time to
spend with them during the early days, a puppy can’t be trained if you are working full time or have a
busy social calendar.
Domestic training starts from the moment your puppy arrives home and is vital during those first few
weeks. It’s all too tempting to leave it till tomorrow but, before you know it, puppy is an unruly teenager.
It’s much harder to correct bad behaviours than to teach good behaviour in the first place.
Remember also, if you have very young children at home, it is unfair to allow the puppy to be carried
about like a toy. The pup may well be frightened by having this done and could learn to use its teeth as
a way of discouraging it. Puppies have teeth that are like needles and sharp scratchy claws and can be
very frightening for very small children.
RE-HOMING AN OLDER DOG.
There are many older dogs in rescue. If you are thinking of going down these lines you have the
option of one of the larger rescue societies or a smaller, privately run rescue. Most breeds also have
their own rescue societies so, if you have a particular breed in mind, it is well worth investigating
these. Give us at Mimram Vets a ring on 01438 712300 and we can give you the telephone number
for your chosen breed.
Make sure you find out why the dog is in the rescue home. It may be there due to entirely genuine
reasons such as family break up or relocation or perhaps the death of an elderly owner, if so this may
be the only reason for the dog being put into rescue. However rescue dogs may come with behavioural
issues such as separation anxiety or more serious problems (the original owner may not have been
entirely honest about the reason for rehoming the dog) so if you don’t have the time, patience or
experience to deal with these it is best to look elsewhere.
Retired greyhounds can make very good pets, they are gentle, have been trained not to pull on the
lead and actually, contrary most people’s thinking, don’t need much exercise.
CHOOSING THE BREED THAT IS RIGHT FOR YOU.
There are a huge number of breeds to choose from, these are divided into 7 main groups. Toy, Terrier,
Working, Pastoral, Gundog, Hound and, the one that everything else comes under, Utility.They all have
their own characteristics, broadly speaking these are :
Toy. e.g. Papillons/Chihuahuas. Tiny or small dogs that need to be treated like big dogs with the
same house-rules they are, after all, dogs not animated toys. They can be great lapdogs but, if
allowed, can become fussy eaters. They can also be harder to house train. Don’t be fooled into
thinking they don’t need much exercise!
Terrier. e.g. Staffordshire Bull Terriers/Border Terriers. These can be tough, determined killing
machines (it’s what they were bred for). They must have firm handling if they’re not to become
snappy, not always brilliant with other dogs. Having said all that, they can make brilliant pets if
brought up properly and, for example, a West Highland White or Cairn Terrier would be much less
“terrier like” than say, a Jack Russell or a Patterdale.
Working. e.g. Boxer/Giant Schnauzer. Many dogs in this group originally worked but haven’t done
so for generations although some still do. Generally a group with nice temperaments but they may
need a lot of exercise and training, some of which should reflect what they were originally bred for.
Pastoral. e.g. Border Collie/German Shepherd Dog. These are the herding or flock guarding dogs.
They are very trainable but need mental stimulation as well as physical exercise.They can tend to
“herd” small children and sometimes “nip” at their heels to “round them up”. Some of the breeds in
this group can be “one person dogs’.
Gundog. e.g. Irish Setter/Labrador. They are perhaps the best group if you’re looking for a family
dog. They’re generally amenable, friendly, happy-go-lucky breeds. Wide ranging in size and most
of them love water. They are very trainable though can be a little stubborn sometimes.
Hound. e.g. Whippet/Beagle. These have good temperaments generally. When out walking they
can be prone to put their nose to the ground and follow a scent, sometimes for miles. So, if you
haven’t got hours to spare, an on lead walk is best unless you’ve done loads of recall training.
Utility. e.g. Bulldog/Dalmatian. As said previously this group covers all the rest so there is nothing
that applies to all the dogs in it. It is a good idea to research each breed separately.
The above is, however, a very brief overview and a total generalisation.
You can find out a lot more if you visit Crufts Dog Show held in Birmingham in March or Discover Dogs
held in London usually towards the end of the year. Or go to http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk and
click on ‘Getting a Dog’ where amongst other things you can find out which breeds are best for your life
style.
CAN YOU AFFORD A DOG?
It’s worth considering the financial implications associated with owning a dog. Over the lifetime of your
furry friend the cost of keeping a dog runs into thousands. Feeding, training, grooming, none of these
are cheap. The larger the dog the higher the costs involved, this does not just apply to food but also vet
bills (anaesthetic and medication doses are measured by the weight of the dog, a giant breed needs
larger amounts of anaesthetic or medicine).
Whatever the size of dog, if you are on a limited budget insurance is a must, but don’t forget to read the
small print!
WHERE TO GET YOUR NEW PUPPY.
Once you have decided on your breed do your homework and find out which conditions or diseases
your chosen breed is prone to. A useful site is www.dogbreedhealth.com
The best place to find your new puppy is from the Kennel Club Assured Breeders Scheme. These
breeders will have had health tests done on the mother and father and on the puppies. There are many
hereditary diseases in breeds, a responsible breeder will have had all possible tests done for these.
Even if a breeder is not a member of the scheme they should still have had these tests done. Ask to see
the paperwork, the breeder should be proud to show you.
If you are choosing a cross breed such as a Cockerpoo or a Labradoodle, a responsible breeder will still
have had these health tests done. Don’t forget Cocker Spaniels and Poodles both have conditions that
they are prone to. These popular cross breeds are proving to be very profitable for puppy farmers so
beware!
DO NOT BUY A PUPPY OFF THE INTERNET! A responsible breeder will have a waiting list and will
rarely use the internet to sell puppies, puppy farmers do!
Ask to see Mum (Dad may live some miles away if not owned by the breeder), don’t be fobbed of by
“she has just been taken for a walk” no Mum no sale! Check to see if she has recently had pups, she
should have large teats. Watch her interact with her pups. Some puppy farmers pass another dog off
as the pup’s Mum. Mum should be happy for you to handle her pups, if she isn’t go elsewhere. She
will have passed her worries about strangers onto her pups.
Never, ever arrange to meet at a motorway service station or meet the “breeder” halfway. This is a typical ploy by a puppy farmer to ensure that you don’t go and see the squalid conditions these poor pups
lived in.
Pups from puppy farms are very often poorly, riddled with worms and sadly, many never reach their
first birthday.
It is worth remembering that a paper pedigree is no more than a family tree, anyone can write out a
pedigree, it is not a certificate of good breeding or proof that you are actually buying a pedigree dog.
PICKING YOUR PUPPY.
Now you’ve decided on your breed, seen and checked the paperwork and been thoroughly interrogated
by the breeder (as any breeder worth their salt would do) the time has come to pick your pup. If you have
a particular characteristic in mind, it is definitely worth asking the breeder which puppy, in his/her opinion,
is nearest what you are hoping for. A good breeder spends loads of time with the pups and gets to know
each one’s character really well.
As a rule of thumb, don’t go for the one that greets you first or the rather more hesitant one that is hanging
back, go for one in the middle. Don’t buy a pup if they have runny noses or eyes, very extended pot
bellies or seem generally under par. They should have bright eyes, a coat that looks healthy, bundles of
energy and have been wormed frequently.
It is a good idea, if at all possible, to go and see the litter more than once. The bouncy active pup you
see today may be the sleepy ploddy one another day, it depends on whether he has had a sleep and is
now full of beans while the others have been awake longer and are now feeling tired. The reverse could
be true next time.
GIRL OR BOY.
The other factor to bear in mind when choosing a pup is whether to go for a boy (dog) or girl (bitch).
Bitches can be very soft and sweet but if you have one that’s “a little madam” there is not much you
can do about it, neutering doesn’t make any difference. Bitches sometimes have their own agenda and
people who work dogs often say bitches that are less “honest” than their male counterparts. Bitches
will generally come into “season” every 6-8 months. This can be a rather inconvenient and messy time
but spaying (neutering) after the first season can put an end to seasons as well as having health benefits.
We generally recommend allowing bitches to have one season, as they mature during this time rather
than staying eternal puppies.
Dogs (male ones) can be very affectionate if a little “pushy”. They can be rather inclined to think about
sex a lot (unless neutered)! Male dogs will sometimes try to “mount” small children (which can be
distressing for both child and owner), pee on furniture and pick fights with un-neutered males or not
come back when called. Most of these characteristics can be sorted out by early castration at or just
after 6 months. Once hormones are out of the way males can be super, no nonsense softees. What you
see is what you get with boy dogs, they are very uncomplicated.
It comes down to personal preference
MULTIPLE PUPPIES.
Don’t be tempted to buy more than one puppy they will bond to each other and not to you. They may
be extremely difficult to house train and train generally unless you have boundless time and energy
to take them out separately and give them individual training sessions. We very often see one pup
re-homed eventually, with all the ensuing heartbreak in this situation. So, even if there is only one pup
left-don’t do it!
Having read this hopefully we will have given you some useful dos and don’ts and pointers to ensure
you end up with the right dog for you.