Choosing Your Most Compatible Puppy

So what do I mean when I say choosing your most compatible puppy? This simply means picking the puppy that best matches you, your personality and your lifestyle. Now it is well known and understood that the different dog breeds were bred to carry out different tasks and to that end they exhibit very different genetic or hereditary characteristics.

Thus taking the retriever dog breeds for example, as their name suggests they were bred for, among other things, to retrieve. This trait was honed and sharpened through selective breeding over time; this explains why dogs from this breed are ever so happy and willing to play catch.

Taking another dog breed group as an example, let us consider livestock herding dogs. As the name of the group obviously suggests, such dogs were selectively bred to herd livestock. In other words those individuals that excelled at herding livestock were bred amongst themselves (as well as outsiders to minimize the inherent problems with inbreeding) to accentuate the desired traits.

Thus it is not uncommon for such selectively bred herders in today’s urban environment to express their natural tendency to herd by rounding up the kids of their family in place of the livestock they were originally bred to herd. Right those are enough examples methinks.

Now back to the most compatible puppy issue. The thing that most people don’t take into account is that puppies from the same litter (just like kids from the same family) have widely different personalities and characters. And typically most people pick the puppy that rushes up to them first before its siblings under the presumption that it has chosen them and must be the one. Truth be told that puppy is simply the most boisterous, dominant and aggressive one. This may not be an issue when the puppy is small, but trust me, it will certainly blossom into one when the puppy matures (especially if it is from a large dog breed).

By Seven Weeks Old A Puppy Has Attained Its Adult Dog Personality & Character

But here’s the really great news. There’s a scientifically proven method to determine the personality and character of a puppy at just 7 weeks old. Yup! It is now well understood and accepted that by seven weeks old a puppy has already attained its adult dog character.

So in simple language what does this mean to you? Well it means that if you’re looking for a laidback dog from a particular breed you can choose that dog when it is still a puppy. I’m not going to go into details behind the procedure of puppy selection but suffice it to say it is very straightforward.

If you truly wish to learn all about this procedure and how to use it to select the puppy that most compliments you go ahead and download my free guide covering the topic and entitled: The Secret To Choosing The Perfect Puppy.

When Should You Pick Up Your Puppy?

Although you should pick out your puppy at seven weeks after carefully assessing the one that is most compatible with your personality a good breeder would recommend that you pick up your puppy when it is at least 8 weeks old. How come?

Well, the reason why a puppy should not be prematurely separated from its mother and litter mates is because before then it would not have learned sufficient social skills and language comprehension from both its mother and interaction with its litter mates that would allow it to function as a wholesome well rounded canine individual later on.

One of the consequences of premature separation from mum and litter mates is that when that puppy matures into a grown dog he/she will be incapable of playing with both humans and fellow dogs without inflicting damage! Why? Because as a puppy he/she never learned how to interact with his siblings in play where he would have mastered the skill of bite pressure and force restraint, thus preventing serious injury during play as an adult dog.

So You Want To Get A Puppy

Before I continue I am going to make a number of assumptions here, the main one being that you already know the type of dog breed that you wish to get. This article is about choosing the right puppy so I really won’t delve into depth about the various dog breeds.

However suffice it to say that out of all the hundreds of dog breeds, there most certainly is one that is just right for you. Finding that right puppy though requires an honest assessment and evaluation on your part such as…

…you already have in mind the role your dog will play; a role which will most likely fall under any of the following:

• Playmate for the kids
• Companion
• Protector
• Show performer
• Herder
• Hunter

Furthermore I am going to conclude that since you have already mentally designated a role to your dog then you have already settled on a breed.

This part shouldn’t be hard at all because the various dog breeds were bred and developed to carry out these functions. Some of the dog breeds are more capable than others at performing the various tasks (indeed some dog breeds are able to perform all of them [the so-called muti-taskers of the canine world; e.g., the German Shepherd] ).

Now all you have to do is decide which dog breed covers your needs.

Oh…one other thing, your homework also requires an honest unbiased assessment on how you and your furry friend are going to co-exist. In other words you need to ensure that:

• Your lifestyle and personality complement your dog’s genetic heritage
• You can devote enough time to your dog
• Your living arrangement is suitable for both you and your dog
• The climatic conditions will not make your dog’s life a misery

Okay now that we have ascertained that you have carefully decided on the type of dog breed you wish to get and also that you have covered other important parameters such as living arrangements, climate etc., let’s tackle the topic at hand.

How To Choose Your Best Fit Puppy

Just like siblings in a given family tend to have widely different characters so do puppies from the same litter.  So in the same litter of puppies it is not uncommon to find a boisterous, rowdy outgoing puppy as well as a timid, shy puppy that is literally scared of its own shadow!

So why is it important to be able to tell which puppy is which? Well consider the following:

• By 7 weeks of age a puppy has attained its adult dog character!
• Most abandoned dogs become so because their owners are at their wits end and can’t cope with them any longer; a situation they could have avoided had they chosen the right puppy!
• Puppies from the same litter have different dispositions; some are sweet and some will become overly dominant menaces!
• Some puppies are easy to train while others are downright difficult!
• Some puppies love human companionship while others are outright anti-social!
• Some puppies will mature into dogs that are way too difficult to handle by the 1st time dog owner!

Those are some very good reasons to be determine the character and nature of your dog while it is still a puppy.

At 7 Weeks Of Age You Can Tell How Your Puppy Will Behave As An Adult Dog!

Did you know that as far as puppies go what you see is what you get by the time the puppy is seven weeks old. In other words if you know what you are doing you can tell precisely how your puppy will behave as a mature dog!

It is important to remember that though your puppy is now an adorable, cute bundle of joy, in the not so distant future he/she will become a lot bigger and a lot less manageable; unless of course he/she is amenable and compliant to your instructions.

Having a great relationship with your dog means having a well trained dog but unfortunately this is not possible with some dogs for the simple fact that they are either too anti-social or are either downright stubborn.

There’s no doubt that the different dog breeds are characterized by specialized behavioral traits, but the truth of the matter is that within each and every litter of puppies from a given dog breed, those puppies are going to exhibit very different personalities.

If You Wish To Have A Great Relationship With Your Dog…

Then you’ll most likely want to choose a puppy that:

• Matures into a dog that is easily trainable
• Is sociable and loves being around people
• Will follow your lead and obey your instructions
• Won’t become a overly dominant alpha male that is a menace to everybody
• Becomes a dog with a sweet disposition that is a delight to everyone

Remember earlier on I said that by seven weeks of age your puppy has already developed its adult personality? Well not only has the puppy developed its adult personality by then but it is also exhibiting it!

All you need to be able to do is interpret the signs that puppy is exhibiting at 7 weeks and in effect you can choose the precise dog personality that you desire!

There’s actually a simple and straight-forward procedure to establish the future personality of a dog by testing it when it is a puppy; anybody can perform this simple test.

If you wish to learn how to determine the personality and character of any dog while it is still a puppy please ensure you get your very own free copy of my Guide entitled The Secret To Choosing The Perfect Puppy.

• Protector
• Companion
• Herder
• Hunting
• Play buddy for the kids
• Dog show performer

Luckily the various dog breeds were developed to carry out those functions shown in the list above. Some of the breeds are more than capable of performing all those functions whereas others are restricted in their ability to carry out just one or perhaps two of them. But no matter because breed functionality and ability is not what we are here to discuss. We are here to discuss how you can pick out the puppy that bests compliments you as an individual from a litter of sibling puppies.

How To Identify Your Puppy From an Adorable Warm Fuzzy Heap of Cuddlies

Okay I am going to make a number of assumptions here about you and they are:

1. You have made an honest assesment of your lifestyle and personality;
2. You have calculated the amount of time you will be able to devote to your warm furry bundle;
3. You have a good understanding and knowledge of the climatic conditions where you live;
4. You have no delusions about your living abode (yeah it’s true that a home is the owner’s castle but let’s be real…a two bedroom apartment really does not a mansion make!

Puppies

So why are these assumptions important?

They’re important because it means that you have done enough research to ensure that you can readily identify the dog breed that will perfectly compliment you and your lifestyle. In other words your new dog won’t be tossed out to a shelter any time soon because of a clash of personalities!

Individuals In The Same Family Have Widely Different Personalities…So Do Puppies!

You know how kids from the same family can be very different? Like the shy nerdy kid who’s always curled up somewhere reading a book or on the computer as compared to a super popular sibling who’s always the center of attention!

Well dog families have exactly the same thing! In any given litter of puppies (no matter the breed of dog) you’re gonna find that one puppy who is always the first to do anything and always the center of attention. Furthermore some puppies will bebe more aggressive than others, some will bask and glow in your attention…

…and then there”ll be that one puppy who sits alone to one side unimpressed by your attempts to get it to join in the fun activity of licking your hand like its siblings!

By The Tender Age of 7 Weeks Your Puppy Has Already Developed Its Adult Dog Personality!

Okay this may not seem like earth shattering news especially as far as puppies go but here’s the thing though…

Do You Really Want To Struggle With An Unruly 150lb Dog That Has Its Own Idea Of What Is Best?

A puppy is fairly easy to control and master because it is small but always bear in mind that one day that furry bundle of joy is going to morph into a 150lb canine freight train (depending on the breed of course) with a totally different opinion from yours of what is good and polite canine behavior! Are you up to the task to handle that…or perhaps more importantly would you even want to?

And if your dog happens to be one of the more massive breeds with a genetic predisposition to aggression then boy are you gonna be in trouble when things get out of hand!

But luckily you can avoid all that without having to sacrifice the dog breed you have set your heart on.

How?

Well because there is a well researched, much used and extensively proven procedure that can identify the most compatible puppy for a new owner.

Article on puppies written by Kayye Nynne

This seems pretty obvious but I think it really has to be said. Make an honest and objective assessment of the kind of person you are and then do your due diligence (homework/research) to match your personality type to the appropriate dog breed. Another aspect to seriously consider here is your lifestyle.

Do you live in an apartment in the city or do you live in a house that has a yard in the country? All these questions and their accompanying answers factor in your quest for the perfect dog! Some more pertinent questions include the following:

• Does your job allow you to spend enough time with your growing puppy or is there someone else in your abode who can cover that base?

• Are your living arrangements suitable for both you, your future dog and your neighbors. Remember if you live in an apartment a dog breed that is prone to barking will sour any goodwill you may have with your neighbors!

• What kind of dog are you really looking for? Do you want a needy touchy-feely companion (the Weimeraner dog breed excels here) or are you in search of a more independent four-legged canine friend who won’t pine away when left to his/her canid self?

Okay, look here’s the deal. There’s a dog breed out there that is perfect for even the wackiest and fussiest of us. Just remember you gotta actually love dogs and don’t forget to do your research!

The most important thing to never lose sight of is the fact that a dog or a puppy is not a toy or something you can just dispose of or get rid of when you’re bored or the going gets tougher than you anticipated.

Oh yah…one other thing. That cute furry ahhhh-isn’t-he-so-cute puppy is invariably going to grow up one day. Obviously depending on your choice of dog breed that puppy could become a 150lb (or more) juggernaut!

So just to be a bore lemme repeat it again so it really sinks in:  DO YOUR RESEARCH…RESEARCH…RESEARCH!

Get Your Puppy From The Right Source!

I’m going to assume that you’re getting your puppy to become a companion or pet rather than a show dog.

That said no matter your future plans for your puppy the one thing that you should never do is get your puppy from a puppy mill or pet store!

Puppy mills are essentially what their name suggests; mills designed to churn out puppies for profit to pet stores! Typically puppy mills house their dogs in deplorable conditions with the sole objective of harvesting as many litters as possible from the unfortunate female dogs!

Here’s why you should…

Resist The Urge To Buy That Cute Adorable Puppy In The Pet Store Window!

Unless you are prepared to pay the extremely high price of heartbreak and other costly, undesirable and attendant emotions that are sure to accompany a troubled, anti-social puppy that grew up in a pet store…resist the urge to save that unfortunate canine soul!

Yes! I know it’s hard and you’re probably thinking you are accomplishing some good deed by apparently saving that cute puppy in the window but you aren’t!

You’re just setting yourself up for a world of hurt…here’s why:

PET STORE PUPPIES ARE ALMOST ALWAYS PSYCHOLOGICALLY DAMAGED!

Puppy mills don’t care about the welfare of the dogs and puppies they trade in; what they care about is the bottom line which is profit! So to that end they separate the puppies from their mothers much sooner than they should.

As a matter of course puppies should not be separated from their mothers earlier than 8 weeks and in fact for some dog breeds the separation should not occur before 10 weeks.

The reason why a puppy should not be prematurely separated from its mother and litter mates is because before then it would not have learned sufficient social skills and language comprehension from both its mother and interaction with its litter mates that would allow it to function as a wholesome well rounded canine individual later on.

Puppy mill puppies are not only prematurely separated from their mothers more often than not they spend way too long isolated from either human contact or canine contact whilst in the pet store awaiting some good Samaritan to rescue them.

One of the consequences of premature separation from mum and litter mates is that when that puppy matures into a grown dog he/she will be incapable of playing with both humans and fellow dogs without inflicting damage!

How come?

Because as a puppy he/she never learned how to interact with his siblings in play where he would have mastered the skill of bite pressure and  force restraint, thus preventing serious injury during play as an adult dog.

Moreover by being separated from both human and/or canine company while waiting in the pet store for his/her new home that puppy would have undergone psychological damage tantamount to that of a person being detained in solitary confinement for prolonged periods.

They eventually go nuts don’t they?

Dogs are social creatures so solitary confinement is certainly going to leave psychological scars. The severity of the psychological damage is dependent on a number of things which include:

• duration of isolation
• breed of dog
• severity of isolation

Bottom line…do yourself a favor and avoid that cute puppy in the pet store window. Behind those big sad soulful eyes is a ticking psychological time bomb ready to shatter your world into an explosion of heartbreak!

Article on puppies by Kayye Nynne

Before you go puppy scouting you first need to do some research on the type of dog breed that best compliments your personality. Another point to consider is that if you are getting the puppy for a child most of the responsibility of taking care of that puppy is going to fall on your shoulders, your child’s promises and good intentions to the contrary.

Choosing Your Puppy

Choosing the right puppy for you and for your home requires a certain degree of insight to yourself. If you intend to have a long and happy relationship with your dog then you need to get a dog breed that will fit into your lifestyle and match your character. Thus you need to ask yourself a number of questions and be prepared to answer them with nothing less than stark naked honesty. Such questions include:

• Are you an energetic active person
• Are you a couch potato
• Is the dog going to primarily be a companion or pet
• Do you live in an apartment
• Do you have a backyard
• Is the dog going to be a playmate for kids
• Is the dog primarily for protection
• Do you intend to exhibit your dog at dog shows
• How does having a dog fit into your work schedule
• How much time are you prepared to spend on grooming
• Do you want a super affectionate dog

The above list is by no means all encompassing but certainly tackles some of the questions you should ask yourself before you eventually get your puppy. Think of these questions as primers to your quest for the perfect puppy dog!

Get A Dog Breed That Compliments You And Your Needs

The great thing about getting a dog is that there are well over 200 different breeds to choose from; and it gets better. Over a span of many hundreds of years (in some instances thousands) man has bred every and any type of dog to cater to practically any need he so desired. That means that somewhere out there is the perfect dog breed for you. Hence if you are little inclined to indulging in long arduous walks or are loathe to bouts of daily exercise, it makes no sense at all to get a dog that belongs to the sporting group of dogs, because such dogs invariably need a lot of exercise.

In other words if your nature leans towards couch-potato hedonism then get a puppy that compliments your couch-potato lifestyle. Fortunately there is no shortage of dog breeds that possess such qualities. In a somewhat similar vein if your intended dog is for protection, guarding or some other form of service, it makes sense for you to choose a dog from the working dog breed group.

Probably the single most common mistake that would-be dog owners tend to make is to base the appearance of a dog as the ultimate criterion for their selection. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with initially basing your choice of dog on the breed’s appearance but remember that looks tell you little if anything about any dog breed’s inherent character and nature.

Take the Poodle for example; most people think that the Poodle is nothing but a show dog. However what they don’t know is that the Standard Poodle (this is the big variant which attains a weight of 65lbs plus and grows to a height of 21 inches and more) actually makes a very capable watchdog with a pretty convincing bite to remind you and anyone else inclined to forget that it is more than just a pretty face in a doggy world!

Where To Get Puppies From

There are a variety of places that you could get your puppy from, some highly recommended while others you should avoid at all costs for a number of reasons that will be explained shortly.

1. Puppies From Reputable Breeders

These are people who raise dogs because they actually love dogs and are not in it for the money. Such a dog breeder:

• Raises their puppies in close proximity to people and in a warm, safe comfortable and protected environment. The reason why it is essential that puppies be raised in close contact with people is so that they get accustomed and socialized to humans from an early onset which makes for a better pet.

• Never breeds more than a couple of litters each year and restricts any one female dog to a single litter per year.

• Screens their puppies and dogs for genetic or hereditary disease and other ailments and will supply you (the end-owner) with the relevant registration papers and certificates proving so

• Would as a matter of course inquire about your lifestyle, where you live and what kind of experience if any that you have with dogs. They’ll ask you such questions not because they are nosey but rather to ensure that you are truly compatible and well matched with the dog that you are about to introduce as the newest member of your family. Remember, as stated before, reputable breeders are concerned about the welfare and well being of their dogs and want to ensure that their puppies don’t end up being abandoned by a negligent owner.

Getting your purebred puppy from a reputable breeder will initially cost you more money upfront but will pay off in the backend because in effect what you are paying for is a guarantee of a puppy that:

• Is well socialized

• Has been screened for health defects and possible genetic disease

• As an adult dog will exhibit the positive attributes and characteristics typical of the breed and not the unwanted traits that appear in poorly developed purebreds as a result of over breeding along the same generational lines

2. Dog Rescue Shelters

Every year millions of dogs are euthanized in the United States alone, many of them being abandoned pets that cannot be housed in foster homes in a timely fashion before funds for their upkeep run out. A lot of those dogs in rescue shelters are purebred dogs that have been abandoned for some reason or other by their previous owners.

Good Reasons To Get A Dog From A Shelter

There are actually a number of advantages in getting your dog from a rescue shelter and such reasons include:

• You will pay much less for your new pet even if it is a purebred dog (typically you’d just pay the adoption fee which helps to keep the shelter open and is about $50. Getting your purebred dog from a reputable breeder would set you back anywhere from $500-$1500.

• Most dog shelters have some degree of veterinary facility on their premises ensuring that dogs are neutered/spayed (commonly but not always) as well as treated for any ailments/diseases and screened for problems. All this is done at no extra cost to you, having been incorporated in the miniscule adoption fee.

• The average dog from a shelter has undergone some level of housetraining which is a huge weight off the shoulders for any new prospective dog owner.

Where Not To Get Puppies From

There are two places you should avoid getting your puppy from at all costs and those places are:

A. Puppy Mills: as the name suggest such places are devoted to churning out puppies in volume without due consideration to their welfare and well being. Puppies from puppy mills are raised in horrendous conditions, rarely if ever in contact with people and are removed from their mothers prematurely at the tender age of 5 weeks (which is much too soon).

A consequence of such horribly conditions and a deprived puppyhood is that these dogs make for very poor pets. Moreover such puppies are far more likely to suffer from undiagnosed genetic disease as well as other ailments because it is a good bet that the puppy mills are certainly not bothered with such trivialities as the good health of their wards!

B. Pet Stores: Next time you see that cute but sad-eyed puppy in a pet store brace yourself and walk on by. Why? Because pet stores are actually the sole reason that puppy mills still exist. Pet stores get their puppies from puppy mills or from for-profit backyard breeders, two types of establishment that aren’t concerned with: the pedigree purity, genetic disease, or emotionally and mental well being of the dog.

Puppies from pet stores typically get there at about five weeks of age and are finally placed with an owner around 12 weeks of age. Conditions in the pet store may be better than those of the puppy mill but only marginally so. Much of the time the puppy is in isolation and has little if any human contact, which means that if you do break down and get that sad-eyed puppy in the window you are getting a dog that has next to no socialization skills and is almost invariably emotionally and mentally scarred! Besides by getting your puppy from a pet store you are in effect perpetuating this horrible cycle of canine misery.

Article on puppies written by Kayye Nynne