It’s that time of year again. The holidays are upon us. We’ve got lists of what the little ones want for Christmas (or Chanukah, or whatever your family may celebrate). We may even have a list of what we want for the holiday this year. At the top of many of those lists is, of course, a new puppy. Puppies are great fun. They are soooo cute and cuddly and just a joy to have around – for the most part. But how many people go out and buy a puppy without ever really thinking through the responsibility they just signed up for? How many parents, boyfriends, wives, grandparents, etc. adopt or purchase a puppy for that most special gift and never give a thought to who will actually be responsible for loving the little guy? Or cleaning up after it, or teaching it right from wrong or potty training it or feeding it or taking it to the vet or training it or….

Getting a dog, whether a puppy or an adult dog, is a huge responsibility and should not be taken lightly. There are several factors that go into choosing an appropriate dog for you or your family. This is not a decision to be made based solely on how cute a fluff-ball she is when she’s just 6 weeks old. That cute little fluff-ball will not be 6 weeks old forever. She will grow up and as she does, she’s going to destroy several pairs of shoes, a remote control or two, important papers, and likely eat something that will cause fear that surgery will be required. She will potty in the house multiple times, even after you believe that she has learned where her potty spot is. She will try to sneak under the covers to sleep with you, even though you’ve told her repeatedly that her bed is the pillow on the floor. She will chew furniture when you’re not looking and likely dig at a carpet or two causing enough damage that you need to replace the whole thing. And the hair! You will go on vacation 6 months after you get this precious new family member and when you unpack at the hotel, you will discover that while your dog is still at your house, you have brought pieces of her with you – specifically the hair. You will not ever truly be hair free again for as long as you own this sweet little angel. And remember – this sweet little angel will likely live to between 8 and 18 years of age. That’s a really long commitment!

I am not trying to discourage anyone from getting a dog. I think dogs are great! I had dogs my entire childhood and currently have 2 awesome dogs that I wouldn’t trade for the world. But, they are a commitment, each with their own unique personality. It’s important when we adopt a dog that we take into account that they are a unique individual. Dogs are not fashion accessories, as much as some starlets would like them to be. Dogs have emotional needs as well as physical needs. They require exercise – physical, yes, but also mental exercise to stay happy and healthy. Dogs can become depressed if they do not get enough socialization and mental stimulation and this can lead to destructive behavior. Different breeds require different life environments.

When choosing a dog, we must look past the cute factor and look at the needs of that dog and our own needs as a future pet parent. We must be honest with ourselves. Consider your lifestyle and what you want from a dog and then consider the breed of the dog and what they are most adept at. For example, if you are an avid hiker and go on heavy nature walks or hikes 3 times per week that average 8 or 10 miles per trip, and you want your dog to join you and enjoy this, then you probably don’t want to get a Yorkie. It doesn’t really matter if you think Yorkies are the cutest dog on the planet. You would be torturing your dog by trying to make him join you on such activities. And I am serious when I say “torturing” because such a little dog simply does not have the stamina for such activity and you can cause physical harm to such a small dog by insisting that they trek with you like that. On the flip side, if you are rather sedentary and want a dog to greet you at the door when you get home, and relax on the couch with you all evening while you watch TV, then you don’t want to get a Border Collie. That would be mental torture for this highly mentally active dog. Border Collies need lots of physical exercise, but they also need “jobs” to keep their mind stimulated. Border Collies, if not actually working/herding, need to have interactive games such as hide-and-seek of favorite toys or treats. They need puzzle toys that require some thought and problem solving skill to get the reward. A bored Border Collie is a potentially destructive dog and/or possibly going to develop compulsive behaviors that can be quite distressing to see and depressing for the dog if they do not get sufficient physical and mental exercise. Agility training, competitive obedience, fly ball or RALLY are all great ways to work out all the energy, keep the Border Collie mentally engaged and increase the bond between dog and owner. But these activities take a great time commitment to train and then attend the competitions. Great fun, but you have to want to do those activities too.

So, when choosing a dog, do some research on the breed/s. Take note as to how much exercise the dog requires, how much mental stimulation the dog needs, how much grooming will be involved – and be honest with yourself as to whether or not you are willing to do it. If you live in a studio apartment, you probably don’t want to get a Great Dane and you probably don’t want to leave a tea cup Chihuahua unattended for 9 hours in a 4,000 sq. ft house. Adoption is always my first choice and mix breeds tend to be healthier physically and more even tempered than many pure breeds. If you insist on getting a pure breed, do some research on the breeder and meet the dogs. Beware of Puppy Mill dogs – it’s a horrible industry that does horrible things to the dogs and the resulting behavioral issues can be extremely difficult to work through.

If you are getting a pet dog for a child, make sure that breed is comfortable with children and remember that it will be necessary to socialize the new dog to children (and the kids to the dog) in order to ensure that everyone is safe.

NOTE – IT IS NEVER ACCEPTABLE TO LEAVE A CHILD UNATTENDED WITH A DOG OF ANY AGE, SIZE, OR BREED, NO MATTER HOW SWEET THAT DOG IS. CHILDREN ACT IN UNEXPECTED WAYS AND CAN SCARE DOGS. DOGS WILL REACT APPROPRIATELY, BUT THAT REACTION MAY CAUSE HARM. CHILDREN AND DOGS MUST ALWAYS BE SUPERVISED FOR THE SAFETY OF ALL CONCERNED.

If you are thinking about getting a dog for an adult, the best way to do this is present the adult with a card telling them of your plan, and then have that adult go with you to pick a dog. It’s all about personality fit, not just physical attraction. We generally don’t pick our life mate based solely on how cute they are, but rather on how well we get along. The same should be true of our canine companions because that is a relationship that will last 8-18 years. Keep in mind, not everyone can deal with raising a puppy and there are loads of older dogs (1-10 years old) who make wonderful companions who need loving homes too.

So, now that you’ve chosen a new dog whose personality and physical needs are suitable to your lifestyle, it is crucial that you get training with that dog. Even if you have had dogs before and have trained dogs, it’s useful to go through a round of basic obedience in a group class. This allows your dog to have practice at socializing with other dogs and people – very important skills. It also allows you to get a refresher on how to work with your dog and provides an opportunity for you and your new dog to bond.

There are four skills that every dog should know – I call them The Four Life-Saving Commands because they can, and likely will, save your dog’s life some day. They are COME, STAY, DROP IT and LEAVE IT. Why these four? Simple: If your dog bolts out of your house, you want to be able to call him to you – COME – before he gets into the road. If he’s already across the street and a car is coming, you want to have a strong STAY command so that he doesn’t suddenly decide to come running back to you. In life your dog will discover interesting things on the ground that could be potentially dangerous to him. If he’s is investigating something that might be dangerous you want to be able to tell him LEAVE IT and know that he will stop investigating immediately. Similarly, if he already has something in his mouth, you want to be able to tell him DROP IT and feel confident that he won’t promptly swallow it.

Remember that training and socialization are not something taught when the puppy is 6 months old, and then you’re done. Training and socialization must continue for the entire life of the dog to keep them happy, healthy and well behaved. Happy holidays and enjoy your new family member!