So you want to get a dog, Part 1: Puppies

Bringing a pet dog into our homes is a decision that needs to be made with great thought. Of course us dog lovers will see cute puppy pictures online and get drawn in by their adorable factor; completely normal! Dogs were made to appeal to our nuturing side, literally. They've evolved large round eyes and heads, just like human babies amongst other things, and thus we feel the urge to pick them up and cuddle them as we would a vulnerable infant, and to nuture and care for them. Being 'adorable' is part of the dog package; they simply would not have lasted as long as human companion animals if they did not have some sort of allure or draw. Many of us get dogs for our mental wellbeing, or for the kids (prepare yourself; kids will need constant active supervision with dogs!). Whilst the jury is still out on whether having a pet dog does in fact affect our mental health in a positive way, there are tonnes of welfare issues to consider from the dogs point of view.

Each dog is different, but let’s discuss the general requirements of dogs, in order to foster some self-reflection in your decision to acquire a dog.

Picking your puppy

Puppies are not clean slates, as many would believe. Indeed, where you acquire your puppy, their health, their living conditions and greater environment, their parentage, their parents health both prior to conception, post birth and during gestation, and their genetics can all influence your puppy's behaviour. That's a long list, isn't it?!?

Puppies should be born ideally to confident, happy and healthy parents. You want to make sure the parents of your puppy are living in a similar environment to you. It doesn't have to be identical, but by knowing how the parents behave on a day to day basis, how they cope with day to day life and how their behaviour is managed can give us an insight into how your puppy MAY behave as they grow. Some behavioural traits may be heritable, so it's good to know what mum and dad are like. 

Mum and dad should also be health checked, and checked for specific ailments if they are pedigree and their breed is prone to certain conditions. Your breeder should be able to provide you with information on all of these things for both parents. When looking for specific breeds, you can look up the kennel club online either from your own country or from others where you know there are reputable breeders. The Kennel Club website should have links and references to breeder databases. From there you can find a few different breeders of your choice and can contact them all to ask questions. Be aware that great breeders will also have a waiting list and loads of questions for you too!!

Puppies also need to be reared in an environment similar to the one it will be living in. For example, if your puppy was reared outdoors in the shed or a kennel environment up until the day you brought it home, then there are so many things that puppy didn't experience or prepare for in its new life with you. The sounds of washing machines, TV's, radios, the action packed energy of children in the home. It didn't experience the smells and sounds of meals being cooked, homework getting done, people going by the house, sirens, traffic, bicycle bells, postmen, a family routine.

The list is endless; trying to manufacture those experiences in a class or home environment between the ages of 8 and 14 weeks is likely going to be a challenge that you're going to need support with, and we don’t have time on our side to fit it all in. We simply cannot make up fully for those deficits (though there are things we CAN do to help if this sounds like your puppy!). Life needs to just happen, and puppies for the most part need to just be reared in the middle of it all from before birth.

Socialisation and where it goes wrong

From 3 to about 14 weeks is the window of puppy development that we call 'socialisation'. Most of that age bracket is spent with the breeder. See why the rearing environment is so important now?? Socialisation is a buzzword that encircles the dog owning community with lots of misconceptions and beliefs about what it means, mostly around ‘social’ contact, with both people and dogs. The definition in the dog world is different than in the human world, hence all the confusion. Socialisation doesn’t mean meeting, interacting and playing with as many dogs and people as possible. In fact, we DON’T want our dogs doing this! The reason being is that if we let them play with everyone, we can risk magnetising our puppy to other dogs; meaning they will be frustrated at times when they cannot go over and say hello. As well as that you can also unknowingly put your puppy in danger if the other dog isn’t as receptive to its boisterous playful antics, which most adult dogs will not be. Just like children, puppies can behave inappropriately with other dogs. They aren’t born knowing what is appropriate or not; we have to help them learn. Investing your time in teaching your puppy that checking in with you is amazing, staying close by is fun, and that passing dogs and people is no big deal is a much better way to spend your time rather than searching for new pals on every walk.

Instead of going to the dog park to 'socialise' your puppy and get them used to other dogs, it would be better if you hung out regularly (once or twice a week) with a friend and their calm adult dog. That way your puppy has a confident social model to watch and learn from, rather than the high octane, inappropriate play that often accompanies the dog-park.

Just like we humans have friends that we see regularly, so should your dog. We don't need our dog to be magnetised to other strange dogs and people when out and about.

So what exactly is socialisation then? It refers to an age bracket; a period of time during which the experiences your puppy has, good and bad, can have a long-lasting influence on how they view and behave in the world. There are also different developmental stages throughout the socialisation period and beyond that we need to look out for. By ensuring we monitor puppy behaviour on an individual level (even when still with littermates!) we can be aware of any issues that may crop up. Puppies also need to experience different things, from floor textures, sounds and problem solving puzzles to levels, temperatures and smells, whilst still with the litter, and during their different developmental stages. This all needs to be handled carefully, so your best bet is to contact a trainer and get your puppy signed up to a private program or class group setting where helping your puppy develop confidence and life skills is a big part of the curriculum. We can teach sit, stay or fetch later on; we need to be ensuring our puppies are growing into resilient and happy dogs with good welfare first!

Resources and help sourcing your puppy

• The Irish Kennel Club 'find a breed'
• The UK Kennel Club 'find a puppy' site
• Irish Pet Advertising Advisory Group (a great list of questions to ask your breeder or rescue!)
• Before you get your puppy - Free EBook!

Remember, your breeder should ask you lots of questions; they'll want to know their puppy is going to a 5 star home! They will also likely be happy to let you visit the puppy more than once. If your breeder wants cash up front, wants to meet in a carpark or is eager to sell their puppy now without meeting you, they're likely not legitimate.