... Look Mom, (Honey) a puppy! Isn't he CUTE!?!?!? 

     All of us at one time or another have been taken back by the cute face of a puppy. What we frequently fail to remember is that they grow up into dogs, and can be a real challenge for the first 18 months or so of life. Choosing to add a puppy is not a decision that should be entered into lightly. There are many things to consider:

     Do you have the time it takes to care for, train, love, play with? 
Time to supervise play in and out of the house?  What will happen if he is left unattended for a moment and decided to chew the corner off your new leather couch/ have an accident on your new oriental rug (or on some days both within a 10 minute time frame). If any of these scenarios have in the least taken your breath away, a puppy may NOT be for you. 

     OK, OK.......so you are not worried about the potential damage to your house and home, and you really do have the time to do a good job of caring for the new addition. How do you know what breed is right for you, and how do you find a reputable breeder? Choosing a specific breed of puppy is somewhat like choosing a model of car. It is impossible for me to know why I like Airedales best instead of one of the other Terriers, but why do I like my SUV instead of a car?? Something about those heart strings I guess but rather than deciding you like the certain look of a certain breed, please do your homework and find out what that breed was designed to do and if the strengths of that particular breed will fit in with your life style. While I might really like a Corvette, I couldn't get it out of my driveway for most of the year because of the steep grade and road conditions. Would a Corvette be a good choice for me as a car?? The answer is NO. The same rational can be applied to the selection of a dog breed.
 
     If I was living in an apartment would it be a good idea for me to decide that the dog I had to have was a very active breed that really needed to have acres to run on? The answer once again is no. What would happen if I decided to get that dog anyway?? Most likely the outcome would be disastrous. Dogs that need to have plenty of off leash exercise that don't have a place to run generally become very destructive, or exhibit annoying behaviors such as constant barking and whining. Know what the specific needs are of every breed that you are considering as a pet.

                    NEVER BUY A PUP FROM A PET STORE !

     I could carry on for hours about why not, but generally they are ALL from puppy mills, have a very high incidence of health problems, have had minimal/no socialization, and are your worst choice for a puppy purchase. Remember, purebred puppies are not churned out of a plastic mold. In other words, the puppies from one breeder are NOT the same as those from another breeder. The knowledge and skill of the breeder can have a tremendous bearing on how your puppy turns out. There are generally 2 types of breeders, kennel breeders and hobby breeders. A kennel breeder, generally tends to have a large number of dogs living in kennel runs, and may or may not get lots of attention. Kennels may produce many litters of pups per year, and because of the size of the operation their pups may or may not get much handling or socialization, which can contribute to temperament problems. 

     A hobby breeder is a person who is active in the "hobby" of dogs. They compete in conformation/obedience/agility and generally breed around one litter per year. Their dogs tend to be more like their children, generally living in the house sleeping on the furniture. An advantage of getting a pup from the hobby breeder is that the likelihood of the pups being handled more and being more bonded to their human counterparts is more likely than a kennel raised pup. However, just because they are raised in someone's home doesn't mean that they were not locked out in the shed out back until 20 minutes before you decided to come and visit so an all important step in the grand scheme of purchasing a puppy MUST include a breeder visit.

Evaluating the breeders environment:
     VISIT the breeder and meet the parents (or at least the dam) of your puppy. Find a breeder that is willing to let you visit (within reason) at pretty much anytime, and as often as you would like after the pups are 2 weeks of age. Visitors equate socialization for puppies and in my opinion you can never socialize to much! Beware the "breeder" who has a litter of pups, without the dam present. Many puppy mills are sending litters to regular "homes" to look as if they are home raised. If the breeder is inclined to not want visitors or you can visit when you take home your pup, I'd be inclined to look elsewhere for my new addition. During your visit evaluate how the other dogs kept. Does everybody get along? Are they well groomed/well fed/look healthy? If this is a kennel rather than a hobby breeder are the kennel dogs barking constantly for attention? What plan does the breeder have for transitioning your puppy home? Many breeders encourage the new owners to bring a crate and the breeder will begin crate training around 6 weeks of age, making the transition to your home smooth, and getting an early start on housebreaking. 

How to decide if you have a responsible breeder:
A responsible breeder will breed dogs together only if they have been cleared of genetic health problems. This includes examining hips for hip dysplasia using either the OFA or the PennHIP (hip tests). In my opinion all breeding stock should have a minimum of an OFA test of Good/Excellent or Penn hip greater than 80%. Additionally, a normal CERF eye exam (some breeds need to be tested yearly), no OCD (elbow problems, also documented by x-ray), and a clear cardiac evaluation (cardiac exams may also need to be repeated yearly) should be done on any breed that has tendencies to additional problems. Know what health issues exist within the specific breed that you are considering and have the breeder show you the health tests. Be wary of the breeder that says, "I don't have to test, I don't have any problems". How do they know if they didn't DO the tests??? While genetic testing will not eliminate all problems it absolutely will help decrease the frequency of the problems, thus over time making the problem minimal instead of an increasing issue. Additionally a responsible breeder will breed dogs together only if their temperaments are sound...i.e. they interact well with the rest of the world. To provide the new owner with additional puppy information some breeders will temperament test their pups around 7 weeks. This gives the breeder/new owner an opportunity to see how the pup will perform under mild stress. Minor issues, should they be present, will be detected and can be addressed in early training rather than waiting until they have a larger problem. Talk to as many breeders as you can. Find out what specifically they feel are the strengths of their kennel. Ask specific questions about their dogs and their temperament in a descriptive form: "Describe for me the temperament of your dogs" "can you tell me how your dog's react in a large crowd/around other dogs" instead of "do your dogs have a good temperament". Some breeders may thing that its perfectly acceptable for their dogs to attack other dogs in and would think that that type of temperament is "great"! Also look for recommendations of one breeder from other breeders. Generally breeders will steer you away from people they feel are not producing quality dogs
While its easy to get mesmerized by those cute puppies, be a smart consumer when it comes to that little voice that says "they didn't do their health testing" or "these pups seem very skittish, I wonder if they have had much human contact". If it feels wrong don't do it. There will be other litters to choose from and rather than ending up with a less than exceptional dog for the next 10-12 years, be picky about who you purchase from. Your decision to buy from a particular person will affect future dogs and their owners. Because whomever you buy from will most likely breed again if he is rewarded with money. Don't encourage irresponsible or unknowledgeable people to keep doing what they're doing. Buy only from someone who has done all the right things. Someone who deserves to be rewarded and encouraged, and someone who's pups you'd be proud to own.