Christmas is a pretty high energy holiday, but nothing comes with more energy than a brand new puppy. If you’re thinking of purchasing a puppy to gift at Christmas, more becomes involved than simply seeing the smile of excitement on your loved ones’ faces. A puppy lasts longer than a Christmas season; a puppy is for life not just for Christmas.
Below are 5 points you need to know about raising a puppy now before you make the big purchase of bringing a puppy into your home.
Find out if you (or the person you’re buying the puppy for) is ready for a puppy. You may not realize the amount of work that comes with raising a puppy. Unlike having an adult dog that often can be left alone, you can’t purchase a puppy and then expect to go to work every day and leave them there. They need to be fed multiple times a day, taken outside multiple times a day, and allowed to burn off steam and pent up energy… you guessed it… multiple times a day. Are you ready to be woken up to barking during the night? Training your dogs around children and strangers? Trust us, a puppy is amazing and can be a great new addition to a family, but expect it to seem like raising a brand new child and then some.
A puppy needs to be trained - from scratch. The process of training a puppy is far more in-depth than buying a few puppy pee pads and hoping that they catch on that they need to do their business outside. Building a relationship with and training a dog involves a lot of discipline and a lot of time. It means using care and positivity to allow trust and respect to build up between you and your puppy. You can hire someone to train your dog, but it’s important that an owner take an active position in building a relationship with the new puppy and to distinguish what role they play in the family unit. A puppy needs to know.
How will the rest of your family unit, including other pets, react? Puppies have no manners; it’s up to you to get them started. If you own expensive furniture, etc., it’s wise to get rid of it now before you introduce a new puppy to your home. If you have other pets such as cats or another dog, how do you know that they will accept this new family member with open paws? If you’re planning on making a puppy a surprise, you can still take the time to study your family and find out how a new puppy might benefit or add further stress to your home.
Remember, small puppies can turn into big dogs. Before buying the cutest puppy you can find, do your research on qualities and typical behaviours of certain dog breeds until you find one that will work the best with your family and your living situation. If you can’t handle a Great Dane at adult size, don’t be tempted by their charming brown eyes when they’re only 8 weeks old. Dogs shed as well, which means if you or a family member have allergies (or you don’t want to vacuum every day), you might want to consider this when looking at puppies. Energy levels also play a factor. It may not be wise to buy a known energetic dog, such as a border collie, for your grandmother who lives in a retirement home.
A puppy is for life. Gifting a puppy means there’s typically no refund or exchange policy if your child gets bored of their gift in a couple of weeks. Over 3.3 million dogs enter the shelter system each year, which means there are so many puppies that no longer seemed interesting to owners once they lost their cuteness. It’s important that you realize the responsibility of bringing in a new family member for life.
Knowing how many dogs are in shelters that have been abandoned and waiting for a family to take them in may sway you from going ahead and purchasing a brand new puppy instead. If you don’t have the time to train a puppy from scratch, consider adopting a dog who already comes with the skills and may only need a little help to get accustomed to your loving home. If you can’t find the right match in your local shelter, visit others in neighboring counties or even states. The right dog for you is somewhere! It may even mean so much more as a gift to someone who knows you took the time to choose a dog who otherwise may not ever find a new home.
Good luck with your research and we hope if you choose to gift a puppy, it’s based on an educated decision and not on a whim!
If you have any other questions about the responsibilities of acquiring a dog and what becomes involved with training and upkeep, we’d be happy to answer any questions. Reach out for a conversation today!
Contact us by email: info@isdck9.com or by phone: 360-489-6162
Bart de Gols