Planning on getting a dog for the first time? Well, it might be time for you to get a puppy so that you will learn to grow together while you also get to learn how to become a more responsible person. But getting your first puppy might not be as easy as you think it is because of how there are actually some things you need to take note of before you choose one that’s best for you. So, now you might be asking yourself what to think about when buying a puppy.
What to think about when buying a puppy? When you’re thinking about buying a puppy, the first thing you need to know is knowing what kind of dog fits your lifestyle and whether or not you can also fit the needs of that breed. And a consideration that is just as important as the breed of the puppy is the breeder where you got it from.
While those are merely some of the more important factors you have to look at when you are deciding on a puppy to buy, you still have a lot of things that you need to know and consider before you should actually buy your first puppy. And that is where we are here to help you as you are on your way to becoming a dog parent.
Things to know when buying a puppy
Those who want to get their first dogs might want to start out with a puppy. The reason is that puppies allow you to learn a thing or two about what it is like being a dog parent because of how you should be able to learn a lot of responsibilities that come with taking care of a puppy. While it might be ideal to adopt an adult dog to rehome it and give it a second family, it should be better for first-timers to start out as puppy parents before they think about adopting dogs later on.
However, while it might be great for you to start out as a puppy parent, taking care of a puppy can be quite challenging depending on the type of lifestyle you have and on other factors such as your location and on the type of environment you are planning to raise it in. But what you really have to consider is that there are plenty of things you need to know before you actually get your puppy. After all, you need to be prepared both in knowledge and in equipment when you are about to embark on your quest towards being a dog parent.
Ask yourself why you want a puppy
The first thing that you probably need to learn before you get a puppy is the reason why you would want one in the first place. Different people have different reasons for wanting a puppy. It really depends on the person and on the needs of his or her family.
In your case, what you may want to do first is to sit down and assess why you want a puppy. Think about the first reasons that come into your head when you decided on finally getting a puppy. Any reason can do as long as you are doing it for a good purpose. It could be for companionship, for business as a future breeder, for service, or for taking care of your property.
As long as your intentions of getting a puppy are noble and that you are not doing anything that could possibly harm the puppy, your family, or other innocent people with your reasons, then there shouldn’t be any problems with getting a puppy for yourself or for the entire family.
Do you have time to take care of it?
Puppies are like your children. If you don’t have the time to take care of them, then you shouldn’t have them in the first place. In that sense, ask yourself if you have enough time to actually take care of a puppy.
Like it or not, puppies need a lot of supervision because they are still learning the world and they are still not capable of taking care of themselves. On top of that, if you want your puppy to be obedient and well-behaved when it turns into an adult, everything starts from when it was young. The way you treat it and the things you teach to it when it is still a puppy will all be carried over to adulthood. That’s why it is necessary for you to have enough time to take care of the puppy.
There are also some dog breeds that require more time and attention compared to others especially if they are extra active or if they are sociable dogs that really require to be around their owners. So, in that regard, the time you have to take care of a puppy should also depend on the breed you are planning to buy.
The type of dog that fits your lifestyle
After assessing what your reasons are for getting a puppy and whether or not you have the time to take care of one, you should very well try to assess your lifestyle and think about what kind of dog fits your needs as an owner.
You need to think about the time when buying a puppy! Busy people who are always out of the house may not be able to properly take care of their puppies especially if they live alone. Such persons may be better off not getting one in the first place. Meanwhile, those who are very active in the sense that they love the outdoors and that they love doing physical activities should think about getting a type of dog that is just as active and as they are.
For those who have kids, it is necessary to think about getting a puppy that is actually safe to be around children because there are some breeds that may not be as safe as others when it comes to dealing with kids. If your family’s safety is your concern when you are looking to get a family dog, then choose a breed that is loyal and protective of its family.
And those who prefer to stay indoors should get a puppy that isn’t as active as other dogs but still is just as lovable and as affectionate.
Assess yourself first and look at the way you live your life so that you can choose a puppy that truly fits the type of lifestyle you are following. If your puppy doesn’t fit your current lifestyle, it might not be able to grow up healthy and happy. But if you really want to have a certain breed even though it doesn’t fit your lifestyle, then it might be best to make a lifestyle change.
The needs of the dog breeds you are considering on getting
What to think about when buying a puppy? After assessing what kind of dog is best for the kind of lifestyle you are living, you actually have to consider thinking about the needs of the dog as well. Different breeds have their own unique needs. And that is why it is very important for you to actually get to know the breed first and to look at its needs before you think about getting a puppy.
For example, a Goldendoodle puppy requires a lot of attention and playtime from its owner due to how active and sociable this dog is. So, if you are unable to meet those needs, then you should re-assess whether or not you want a Goldendoodle. The same should be done with all of the other dog breeds, like German Shepherds, for example, have other requirements, that you need to consider.
What to think about when buying a puppy? If you realize that the dog breed you are thinking about getting has needs and requirements that you probably won’t be able to meet even though the dog breed actually fits your lifestyle, then you should try to think about looking at other breeds instead. Don’t merely look at the breeds that fit your lifestyle but also look at the ones with needs that you can actually meet. You and your puppy should be able to meet halfway through in terms of your lifestyle and its needs.
Timing
Timing plays a huge role in a lot of things especially when you are already thinking about getting a puppy. While you may have the type of lifestyle that fits the puppy and even though you may be able to meet the needs of your dog, you should also try to think about the timing.
What to think about when buying a puppy? In some cases, you may not be able to properly take care of the puppy because of certain events that are happening in your life and in the world around you. For example, you may be transitioning into a new job or a new environment and you might not have the time and energy to take care of the puppy at first before you get used to your new lifestyle. In some cases, your work might require you to travel a lot during a certain period.
As such, you need to look at the timing first instead of simply looking at how you and your puppy fit each other from a long-term standpoint. The short-term standpoint is also necessary because of how anything can happen in the first few months after you bought your puppy.
In that case, make sure that the timing is right and that there is nothing that will hinder you from providing the puppy with a smooth transition into its new home at the time you decided to purchase it.
Your home and the environment around it
It is also essential that you think about your home and the immediate environment around it because of how the puppy’s home can also play a huge role in its development.
First things first, check whether or not you are allowed to keep a puppy. If you are in college and you are living in a dorm, check the rules first. For those who are already working and are living in apartments, clear things up with the landlord first because there are certain apartment buildings that don’t allow dogs and other types of pets.
If you are allowed to keep a pet where you are living, assess the place and check whether or not it is large enough for the kind of dog you are planning on getting. And even if your place is large enough, make sure that there are no health hazards that can potentially harm a curious puppy. This includes sharp objects, garbage, or breakable things that can injure your dog if it gets too curious and playful.
The immediate environment outside your house also plays a huge role. Some puppies might not like the big city life in case you are living in the center of a large city such as New York. Meanwhile, there might also be dogs that aren’t used to the kind of weather and climate conditions where you are living. That means that you should not only check your environment but also the type of dog you are planning on getting.
The breeder
Of course, one of the more important things to know when you are getting your puppy is the breeder itself. That is because a lot of things can depend on the type of breeder you choose. The very temperament and health all depend on the breeder and on what kind of conditions it bred the puppy in.
As such, those who really want to be responsible dog owners should first check the breeder and see to it that he or she is not only reputable but is also breeding the puppies in an environment that is fit for them and with standards that are up to par with the ones required of a good and responsible breeder.
The importance of where you are buying your puppy cannot be overstated because of how a lot of breeders are actually becoming more and more irresponsible nowadays just so they can make a quick buck out of their puppies. So, in your case, it is highly advisable that you choose the right kind of breeder and one who knows what he or she is doing.
If you are not too careful with the breeder that you chose, you might end up wasting your money on a puppy that is sickly and unhappy due to the irresponsible and unethical practices done by its breeder.
How to choose a breeder?
What to think about when buying a puppy? One of the most important parts of choosing a puppy to buy is choosing the breeder to buy your dog from. That’s why it is essential that you also have to be able to check the background of the breeder and make sure that you are buying from a reputable source if you want a purebred puppy that is not only healthy but also happy.
But, first things first, we highly suggest that you avoid purchasing your dog from puppy mills. In case you didn’t know, puppy mills are places where dogs are bred at high volumes and low standards. Those running puppy mills are still breeders, in some way, but they are too caught up in making a profit that they are trying to breed dogs at high volumes while forgetting about the standards required to keep these puppies healthy.
As such, you can say that puppy mills have sub-standard health and environmental conditions that will affect the quality of the dog you are getting. You might even get erroneous pedigrees and genetic backgrounds of the puppy you are planning on buying as they might have been falsified by the breeder running the puppy mill.
So, in that case, make sure that you are also doing your part in making a background check of the breeder. Here are some guidelines you might want to follow when you are choosing the right breeder to buy your puppy from:
Assess the breeding facility
The first thing you need to do when you want to personally assess and check the breeder you are planning on getting your puppy from is to check the environment in which they are bred and raised during the first few weeks of their life. You should always see to it that the breeder uses a clean and sanitary facility that allows the puppies to stay healthy.
Make sure that the breeder you are planning on getting the puppy from allows you access to his or her store or facility so that you can inspect it yourself. If not, you can check photos or go online to confirm with other dog lovers regarding the sanitary practices followed by the breeder. But it always is better to see the facility yourself because only you can confirm as to whether or not the environment is clean enough for the puppies.
You may also want to ask the breeder if you can check the mother or father of the puppies. This is important because the puppies will carry the genetics of their parents. If the parents are healthy and happy, you can also expect the puppies to be just as healthy and happy as well. So, in that regard, try to gain access to the parents of the pups to confirm their condition and also their pedigree.
It could also be a good idea to ask how many liters the mother has in a single year. This is an important question because puppy mills usually try to milk the mother’s ability to give birth to the point that both the mother and the puppies end up becoming unhealthy. This is an irresponsible practice on the part of the breeder. But if he or she limits the number of times the mother gives birth in a year, then you can be sure that the breeder is a responsible one.
Asking for references should also be a part of your routine checks. The purpose of asking for references from the breeder is to confirm the reputation of the breeder with other sources. Make sure that the references themselves are reputable in the dog breeding industry or else their word won’t really matter to you.
Ask for documentation of the sale
If you have confirmed that the breeder is following proper health protocols, you should also make sure that the sale comes with the proper documentation in case something happens along the way. There may be some breeders that appear to be reputable even after you checked their background but their puppies might come out less than ideal later on.
Always make sure that the bill of sale includes all the pertinent details such as the date of the sale, your names, the description of the dog, and all other things that you think are necessary to include. It is also important that the breeder also lists down the things that are expected of you such as getting the pup checked by a veterinarian as soon as it is possible for you to do so.
When the breeder himself does not hesitate to document the sale, that is a mark of a responsible and experienced breeder who knows what to do and has already been dealing with different customers for a long time already. That is when you would know that you probably don’t have to worry a lot.
Is the dog breed the right dog for me?
If you are thinking of getting a puppy, you might want to check whether the breed is the right choice for you because of how this dog combines the best of the golden retriever and the poodle.
Here is a checklist to know if a puppy is a right breed for you to buy:
- Can you keep up with the energy and playfulness of the dog breed?
- Do you have enough time in your hands to bond and socialize with the dog?
- Are you active enough to give your dog the much-needed exercise time it needs?
- Are you responsible enough to train your puppy or have it trained?
- Can you keep up with the expenses you will incur when keeping a dog?
- Does your family love a dog that is affectionate and sociable?
If you answer the positive in any of those questions, then there is a good chance that the dog breed is the right one for you to get if you are shopping for a new dog.
How do you tell if a puppy is healthy before you buy it?
Before you buy a puppy even if it comes from a reputable breeder, there is also a need for you to inspect the puppy to truly tell if it is healthy or not. After all, you don’t want to end up with the runt of the liter or with a sickly puppy that isn’t quite as healthy and as happy as its parents and its brothers and sisters are.
Here are some things you need to check:
- Look at the disposition of the puppy to know how it views the world and how it refers to the other dogs around it. You wouldn’t want to get a puppy that bullies its siblings or the one that tries to hide from all of the other puppies. As much as possible, go for the middle-of-the-pack puppy that has a disposition that is similar to the rest of the liter.
- It is easy to check the overall health of the puppy because puppies that are ready to be sold are usually happy, vibrant, and very lively. Otherwise, the puppy might have health problems that weren’t dealt with as early as possible.
- Check the puppy for signs of poor health or unsanitary living conditions such as fleas, lethargy, pot belly, coughing, or excessive discharge from the eyes and the nose.
- Always make sure that the breeder provides you with copies of the health certificates of the puppy you are getting.
What to think about when buying a puppy?
What to think about when buying a puppy? Before you get a puppy or bring one home, here are some of the essentials that you should always do:
- Puppy-proof the house to make sure that there are no dangerous things that can potentially harm the dog. Puppies are quite curious and will try to bite their way through almost anything. That means that you should keep them away from anything that can be harmful to them when eaten. Also, see to it that there are no health hazards such as breakable objects that can potentially harm or injure the puppy if it gets too playful.
- Secure the proper equipment and supplies for your puppy before purchasing it. This includes getting a bed or a crate for it or looking for a harness or leash that will fit it later on when it gets older. Secure a doggie bowl for its food and water as early as you can so that you don’t have to use a makeshift bowl that doesn’t fit your puppy when you bring it home. Of course, the supplies include the food and vitamins it needs as a puppy.
- Go get some dog toys because puppies are quite playful and curious. They will also undergo teething, which forces them to excessively chew on anything. As such, secure dog-safe toys as early as you can so that your puppy can have something to chew on or play with when you are not playing with it.
- Consult with a veterinarian and have one on speed dial. It is always better to talk with an expert first so that you would know what to do with your puppy the moment it comes home with you. Your trusted vet should be able to provide you with a list of things that need to be done for the puppy so that you can prepare yourself as early as possible.
Should I get a puppy if I work full-time?
Even those who are working full-time can still get puppies. However, things might not go as easy for these people as opposed to those who aren’t always working. That’s because puppies need to be supervised and checked on a regular basis because they can get pretty lonely. If a puppy gets too lonely, it might experience separation anxiety, which can be a gateway for psychological problems in the future.
So, for those working full-time, it might be best to have someone in the house checking on the puppy whenever you are away. If you are married or if you have someone living with you, there probably won’t be any problems with you working full-time. However, if you live alone, it might be best to ask a friend or a neighbor to take care of the puppy while you are away so that someone can look after it. Just make sure that whoever you trusted the puppy knows what he or she is doing.
