Before You Get a Dog

  • Avoid purchasing your new dog at a pet store. Most pet store puppies come from “puppy mills,” large-scale commercial breeding kennels that often house dogs in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions, without adequate veterinary care, food, water and human companionship or socialization. By buying a pet-shop puppy, you’re likely supporting a cruel industry, and you run the risk of taking home a sick puppy. Dogs from puppy mills have been reportedly diagnosed with ailments such as respiratory infections and pneumonia, as well as hereditary defects like hip dysplasia. They may also be poorly socialized to people and other animals. In addition, your new “purebred” puppy might not actually be purebred. Dogs at puppy mills are often bred indiscriminately, and lineage records are sometimes falsified to misrepresent mixed breeds as purebred dogs. Responsible breeders do not sell their dogs through pet stores.
  • Consider hiring a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT) or Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (CAAB or ACAAB) to assist you in selecting a well-socialized dog of stable temperament that best fits your family’s lifestyle.
  • Adopt from a well-managed animal shelter whose staff and volunteers can fill you in on the dog’s background, her personality and her behavior in the shelter.
  • If you prefer to purchase a dog from a breeder, find a small-scale, reputable breeder who sells only one breed, breeds only once a year or less, and allows you to visit his or her home and kennel. The breeder should show you the mother and relatives of the puppy and provide a clean, loving home environment for them, including lots of handling, play and interaction with different people of all ages.
  • Avoid purchasing dogs through classified ads in newspapers or through the Internet. Many puppy mills and backyard breeders sell their dogs through newspaper and Internet ads. (A backyard breeder is a pet owner who breeds dogs on purpose or just allows dogs to mate on their own. Backyard breeders usually have little to no knowledge about breed standards, genetics, or proper puppy-rearing and socialization.)
  • Consider waiting until your children are older. Because so many dog bites happen to young children, waiting until they are at least 10 years old is recommended.
  • Educate yourself on dog care, raising a puppy and humane, reward-based training methods. Some of the books and DVDs that top our list of recommendations are:
    • Dog-Friendly Dog Training by Andrea Arden
    • PetsIncredible Complete Dog Training (DVD)
    • New Puppy, Now What? (DVD)
    • Maran Illustrated Dog Training
    • Your Outta Control Puppy by Teoti Anderson, Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson, Taking Care of Puppy Business: A Gentle Approach for Positive Results by Gail Pivar and Leslie Nelson
    • How to Teach a New Dog Old Tricks by Dr. Ian Dunbar
    • Before You Get Your Puppy and After You Get Your Puppy by Dr. Ian Dunbar
    • Positive Perspectives: Love Your Dog, Train Your Dog by Pat Miller.