This article was featured in The Canine Chronicle.
Author: Peri Norman

In this age of information overload, we can sometimes have difficulty sorting through all the opinions about “what works”.  Here are some suggestions to help you and your new puppy get off on the right foot.

Search long and hard, and pick a breeder whom you trust implicitly and who has a rock solid reputation for integrity.  This is important for two reasons.  One is that the breeder is the human being with the most control and influence over the prenatal and postnatal development of your puppy.  The more you and your breeder see eye to eye about nutrition, veterinary care, socialization and training, the more likely you are to feel comfortable that your puppy got a good start in life.  This will also come in handy when you hit the inevitable speed bumps of puppy ownership, because you and your breeder will already have common ground to stand on as you move forward.  An experienced breeder who is well-invested in their bloodlines and breeding program knows what to expect from their lines and puppies.  A breeder whom you like and trust is an invaluable resource for the life time of your dog.

From a slightly different angle, picking a breeder with whom you have a lot of opinions in common hopefully means that your puppy will have many ancestors in his or her pedigree that you admire.  The good-looks, biddable and stable temperament, excellent working ability and low health-risk pedigree that any puppy exhibits does not come from the stork!  It comes from generations of breeders striving to produce the best possible dogs from the combinations they have available to them.  The better relationship you have with your breeder, the more they can help you pick exactly the right puppy for you, followed by their best advice about nurturing it to its full potential.  The foundation provided by a pedigree filled with dogs that you both admire is an invaluable component in a strong working relationship.

In addition to your breeder, it is critical to have an excellent relationship with a veterinarian whom you trust and feel comfortable with.  If you have other pets in the home already, you may already have a great vet.  Otherwise, you need to begin the search well in advance of your puppy coming home.  Talk to people in your area.  Listen for people to say things like, “my vet is a great clinician and seems to really care about my pets”, “my dogs love my vet” or “my vet spends plenty of time with us and answers all my questions”.   The care that we give our puppies and young dogs sets the stage for a life time of good health.  Take the shot record and any recommended protocols from your breeder to your veterinarian and agree on a vaccination schedule.  Be sure that your youngster receives appropriate parasite control.  Decisions about topical or oral flea control, heartworm meds and noncore vaccines should be considered and timelines for administration established.   Hopefully, your breeder has provided you information about what your pup will be eating when you pick them up.  If you need to change the food, consult with your veterinarian and pick a high quality kibble from a reputable company.  Understand that every penny you spend on providing your puppy with excellent quality food appropriately matched to their needs is an investment in their good health.  The same is true of preventative health care.

Do your homework in advance.  Puppies take up a lot of time; sometimes all our spare time!  So make sure you have a plan in place before the puppy comes home.  Read the puppy training books and magazine articles.  Check out puppy classes and determine which ones are a good fit for your training theories.  If you think you might need day care or a dog walker to take your pup out while you are at work, interview multiple options and have arrangements made well in advance.  Be sure you have a crate that is set up in an appropriate location with washable or disposable material in the bottom.  Shop for toys.  One can never have too many puppy toys, especially the puzzles that challenge their developing brains.  We know that puppies have brains and bodies that develop at a remarkably quick pace, so the window for teaching all the early foundation skills is limited.  Don’t waste it.

While it is not really a “better life” issue for your puppy, taking lots of pictures is so important to help us preserve our treasured memories.  Puppies, like children, grow up over night.  Don’t miss the window for pictures that will be a source of enjoyment for the rest of your life.  And be sure to share those pictures with the breeder of your pup and people who own the siblings.  I have been known to say that puppy buyers who send lots of pictures move themselves “up” the list for their next puppy with every picture!

Lastly, but the most important thing you can do to enjoy a wonderful life with your puppy, and on into his or her adult life, is to develop a deep and mutually respectful relationship.  Training philosophies about all sorts of things are a dime a dozen.  The easiest way to cut through the noise and find the training tools that will work well for you and your dog is just simply ask the dog.  They will tell you what their needs are.  You don’t have to be psychic to look into their eyes and watch their body language and know how they are feeling. These beautiful dogs that we love are not hard to understand.  We just have to slow down and learn to listen to their point of view and pay attention to what they have to teach us.

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