Puppy Buyer's Guide
Introduction
Adopting a puppy or adult dog is a decision that will mean many years of commitment. Many new owners don't realise that adopting a puppy is almost as much work as adopting a child into the family. The biggest difference being that puppies grow up much faster than human children and that means all their basic learning must be done in just a few short months. Many people also don't know that dogs often appear to be physically mature long before they actually reach behavioral maturity. An eight to twelve month old puppy is only as mature as an eight to twelve year old child, yet is often expected to behave as an adult. This is one reason why shelters rarely contain more than a few puppies, but invariably have many young adult dogs.
This guide was written to help prospective owners gain awareness of the many things dog ownership requires and aid them in purchasing a puppy wisely. This should not be considered the definitive text on puppy purchasing, but might help to make the job of bringing home that new family member easier.
Follow the links below or click on the page links to see each topic with more detail.
Page 2 Questions a buyer should first ask themselves.
Page 3 Questions a Buyer should ask a breeder.
Page 4 Questions a breeder might ask you.
Page 5 Getting ready for the new arrival.
Adopting a puppy or adult dog is a decision that will mean many years of commitment. Many new owners don't realise that adopting a puppy is almost as much work as adopting a child into the family. The biggest difference being that puppies grow up much faster than human children and that means all their basic learning must be done in just a few short months. Many people also don't know that dogs often appear to be physically mature long before they actually reach behavioral maturity. An eight to twelve month old puppy is only as mature as an eight to twelve year old child, yet is often expected to behave as an adult. This is one reason why shelters rarely contain more than a few puppies, but invariably have many young adult dogs.
This guide was written to help prospective owners gain awareness of the many things dog ownership requires and aid them in purchasing a puppy wisely. This should not be considered the definitive text on puppy purchasing, but might help to make the job of bringing home that new family member easier.
Follow the links below or click on the page links to see each topic with more detail.
Page 2 Questions a buyer should first ask themselves.
Page 3 Questions a Buyer should ask a breeder.
Page 4 Questions a breeder might ask you.
Page 5 Getting ready for the new arrival.