Cy*Burr // spring 2004

Those eyes. Sweet puppy breath. Expressions that beg, “Puh-leeese play with me.”

Where is the warning label? Shouldn’t there be bright yellow “caution” tape fashioned into a bow around that tiny neck?

It’s way too easy to fall in love with a four-pound puppy and carry home one of the biggest mistakes of your life—“Destructo-Dog” who swallows 62 pages of your phone book or tunnels down through the center of your mattress while you are out earning his keep.

But it’s also possible to ride home with a doggy companion who will happily greet you at the door, bring you his favorite ball or snuggle with you when you’re feeling blue.

Once someone has chosen a favorite breed or decided a shelter dog with combined traits of certain breeds is acceptable, the hunt for a puppy or adult dog begins. If a kennel or rescue dog is the first choice, experts say the advantage to selecting an adult dog is that it is often housebroken and has some basic training in household manners.

But weigh that against potential bad habits or fears the dog may already have established. Puppies may not be fully housebroken until they are six months old, when their bladders are developed, but they will conform to your household habits because they haven’t learned any others.

Word of mouth is the best way to gather inside info on regional breeders, but searching for a breeder out of your region is not that tough. The American Kennel Club web site offers contact information for every kennel club in the United States. Parent breed clubs can lead to rescue groups.

“As much as your breeder should be interviewing you—you should be interviewing the breeder”

If a puppy is your goal, the search may take time. Most AKC breeders are more concerned with quality than quantity, so waiting for a puppy is a possibility. And don’t accept the first or nearest breeder on your list.

“As much as your breeder should be interviewing you—you should be interviewing the breeder,” Debbie Serbati of the Animal Welfare League said. “If you meet the breeder and the dog and don’t like what you see or hear, by all means, you are not obligated to buy that particular dog. Don’t be afraid to say no or ‘I don’t think I can do this at this time.’”

After you have had some contact, show up for an unannounced visit at the breeder’s kennel. Ask for references, and follow through with calls. Reputable breeders will require a contract, and most contracts will require that the dog may be returned to them at any time in the dog’s life if the owner is unable to care for it properly.

Personality tests can be indicators of easy-going, timid or aggressive puppies, but are not infallible. Tests, such as rolling a puppy over and cradling it on its back like a baby or dropping keys to see how quickly a puppy recovers from fear of sudden noise, were popular in the past and some people still swear by them.

Karen York is a certified veterinary practice manager who raises collies and has taught dog obedience for nearly 30 years. She said trainers don’t rely on temperament testing as much as they used to, and rookies don’t know how to do them properly to get an accurate assessment. She believes in observing and interacting with dogs instead.

“The puppy that hangs back in the corner and acts very fearful is probably one you should be apprehensive about unless you have a tremendous amount of time to work with the puppy,” York said. “You shouldn’t feel sorry for it. Those often are the dogs that turn out to be fear biters. The most aggressive puppy that’s beating up on all the other puppies in the litter is probably going to be a problem puppy because it’s going to want to beat up on you, too.”

York suggests you sit down and watch the puppies. See which one crawls up on your lap and plays for a while. See if one seems to bond with you. York says the middle of the road puppy is the best one for most people.