Picking Out a New Puppy
A Guide to Avoiding Puppy Mills and Locating a Responsible Breeder
Feb 17, 2009
Purebred puppy regulations are different. First of all, locate reputable breeders through a veterinarian or the American Kennel Club (AKC). These reliable sources prevent people buying from puppy mills. This problem is more common with breeds in the top 10 of the AKC like Poodles, Bulldogs, Pugs and Cocker Spaniels.
Females in these mills are impregnated every heat cycle, and the mother does not have enough time to recover between litters. Incest often occurs causing temperament and health problems in her puppies. It is hard to imagine any puppy for sale in the pet store window could be less than perfect, but pet stores buy from puppy mills. These puppies are often prone to illness and difficult to train.
Finding a Healthy Puppy
With purebred adoption, research the breed since each has different activity requirements and specific personality traits. Choose about five places from vets, AKC, the paper or the Internet. Before adopting a puppy, ask the breeders these questions over the phone:
- How old are the puppies?
- Have the puppies undergone worming and vaccination?
- Will the puppies’ parents be available to meet?
A responsible breeder would never give a puppy up for adoption before eight weeks old. Puppies that are too young have not had adequate time to socialize with their mother and siblings and are not ready to be adopted by a new family.
In addition, the purebred puppies need to have a genetic defects test and available copies of registration papers for the mother and father. Also, ask questions about the breed and how long the breeder has been in business. The more questions asked will confirm that the puppies have not been shipped to this house from a puppy mill.
If the parents are friendly with people and each other, the puppies will have good temperament, too. If the parents are snappy, this may indicate that the mother has been bred too much or that she is not capable of socializing with her puppies. Also, this gives the opportunity to view the living arrangements of the animals. It is common for breeders to have the mother and father as indoor pets. If not, outside living arrangements must be checked to ensure they are clean and sanitary.
Help the Puppy Adjust
When taking the new puppy home, remember to always be gentle and soft-spoken. The family should handle the puppy often by holding or playing with him. This starts the formation of the bond between puppy and owner(s).
Prior to the puppy adoption, purchase a puppy crate, food, teething toys and puppy pads. Remember that a puppy needs to be placed on a pad or taken outside every hour during the day and every three hours during the night since they cannot successfully hold their bladders until about five months old.
Scolding after bathroom accidents only teaches the puppy that going to the bathroom is wrong and they must hide it in some way. This causes them to go in corners when you are not looking or cover it up with towels or shoes. Beware of this common mistake new pet owners make. Heavily praise good actions and pay no attention to bad ones. Before long, the puppy will only do what gets a positive reaction.
