The Poochie People Puppy lowdown

If you're considering bringing a new companion into your life, there are lots of things to think about. Getting a puppy can be very overwhelming and with advice everywhere, who can you trust to help your pup have the best start in life?

As a behaviourist, here are my top tips.

1) Arguably the most important tip. Do your research. Make sure the breed you would like is the breed that would suit your lifestyle. What do you like about this breed? If it is mainly aesthetics, then you're barking up the wrong tree! The purpose of a breed is exponentially more important than the way they look. I think it's also worth noting that it is important to get a dog that fits your CURRENT lifestyle. Not your ideal one. Or the one you think you might have in the future. Don't get a working breed to 'get you fit', humans are famously terrible at changing their habits and lifestyle. Whilst we're researching, make sure you can afford insurance, vets bills, groomers, daycare/kennels/walkers, food and any other ongoing costs. Do you have a minimum of 6 months to dedicate to socialisation, training and preferably not going on holiday? Do you have any big major lifestyle changes coming up in the next 12 months? All things to consider. Can you cope with biting? A lot of it? Puppies are cute, fluffy sharks.

2) This is related to the previous point. Pick a legitimate, licensed breeder. If this means waiting months for the right pup, believe me when I say it will be worth it. Good breeders do not breed their dogs and THEN find homes for them. They have homes lined up for their pups before they even breed. So if you see a puppy being advertised, that is your first red flag. You should ALWAYS see pup with Mum and your breeder should be able to give you a full, history of both Mum and Dad in terms of their physical health and their behaviour and temperament. Good breeders will not breed from dogs who have health problems or behaviour issues.

3) Socialisation is crucial. But it doesn't mean what a lot of people think it does. Good socialisation does not involve throwing your puppy into huge groups of unorganised dogs and hoping for the best. This is a good way to frighten your puppy at best, and leave them with reactivity issues at worst. Socialisation actually means preparing your dog for day to day life. Noises, environments, different textures, items, types of people, dogs. These are all things your pup needs to be carefully introduced to but the most well rounded dogs are taught manners and indifference around other dogs. Not that they can socialise with every dog (or person) they meet. If your dog will need regular grooming, this should be a big part of the socialisation process. Focusing on these areas in the early days is far more important than focusing on trick training. Trick training can be taught at any time. Fear imprint periods are limited.

4) Diet is important. Be sure to get advice from a behaviourist or nutritionist (not a vet or pet shop assistant) about nutrition for your puppy. There are lots of affordable options on the market but dog food is an unregulated industry so it can be a minefield!

5) The two skills I would recommend teaching from day one are 'recall' and coping alone. I definitely don't mean immediately leaving your puppy alone for hours or letting them loose in a field and hoping for the best. But these are skills you can begin to train in the home right away and they could help to avoid behaviour challenges going forward. I offer a FREE puppy alone time training sheet. Contact me if you would like one.

Written by: Nicola Cook (VSPDT, CSAT)