/>For all too many, the process of choosing a puppy or puppies is based purely on how cute the puppy is or how playful its personality seems at the pet store or kennel. Granted, playful and cute puppies can really tug at your heart strings and urge you to make an impulsive and expensive decision regarding this very important addition to your family, but without proper thought and research into the type of breed you are purchasing, your family and your cute, adorable puppy could be in for a long road of pain and frustration ahead.



Purebred puppy breeds have inherent characteristics that are particular to their breed, and these characteristics usually get more pronounced with age. While different breed characteristics will be appropriate for different families, matching the wrong breed with the wrong family can have devastating consequences.



It has been estimated that the number one reason why competent pet owners relinquish ownership of their puppy or puppies to one of the many county humane services to be found all across the country is because they have become frustrated with certain characteristics of the dog. No matter whether the problem is big, such as aggression to children or other pets, or small, such as a tendency to chew everything in sight, as the puppy grows and its cuteness wears off, the frustration experienced from having a poorly matched puppy will increase. And the consequences can be heart wrenching for the both the family and the dog.



But by simply taking a little time to research the breed you are considering purchasing, you can guarantee that your new puppy will be a well-loved addition to your family unit. While I’m not saying that you should discount a breed entirely based on one troublesome characteristic, I’m saying that you should be prepared and able to deal with any problems, behavioral or health related, that is associated with the breed.



In order to obtain accurate information when choosing the right breed of puppy for your family, stay away from sources that have an interest in selling the puppy. I learned this one the hard way. After my children and family fell in love with a puppy at a local, reputable pet store, I had many questions for the sales clerk about how easily the puppy could be house broken. A puppy making messes all over the house is just not something that I can deal with a few times let alone for months of house breaking.



I was assured by the clerk that the breed was very intelligent and able to be crate trained in a matter of three days. To make a long story short, $1,500 and 9 months later the puppy still requires constant supervision and cannot be a complete part of the family due to our inability to house break him. Research conducted after the purchase revealed that the breed was inherently stubborn and in some cases unable to be house broken despite all attempts.



So, instead of relying on biased sources, turn to the library and people who own that particular breed of puppy or have owned one in the past. If you know someone who has relinquished a purebred puppy of the breed that you are considering for a fraction of the cost that they paid for it or for free, you need to ask them some serious and pointed questions before deciding to invest in that particular breed of puppy. Here are the most important questions that you need answered before purchasing a puppy or puppies:



1. What is the temperament like? 2. What is the mature size and weight? 3. Are they good with children? 4. What are their indigenous health problems? 5. How long do they live? 6. How much do they shed? 7. How much do they eat? 8. How trainable are they? 9. Can they be easily house broken? 10. Do they require a lot of grooming? 11. How noisy are they? 12. How protective are they? 13. Do they require any special care or management? 14. Are they good with other dogs and animals?



Now all you need to do is match the answers of these questions with your family’s needs. Choose wisely, and you will have chosen a best friend of a lifetime, a dog that will truly be a joy to have and a treasured member of the family.

Puppies are going to naturally go through a developmental phase that includes chewing almost everything in sight. They do this to help with the pain of their teeth cutting through their gums. This is very similar to what infant babies go through. Usually puppies will stop this chewing behavior at about nine months old when all of their teeth have come through. If your dog has reached one year of age and is still chewing everything in sight, it may be a sign that you need to look at the behavior further.

Chewing can be a habit that your dog acquires because of boredom, anxiety, or even frustration. It doesn’t matter why your dog chews, the behavior can be dangerous to your dog and can very expensive for you. The first step in stopping your dog’s chewing problem is to catch him in the process of chewing something. You can limit the amount of items your dog has available to chew by offering them constant supervision and eliminating some of their favorite chew items such as shoes.

Once you catch your dog in the process of chewing and item, make it known that this is not the correct behavior for your puppy. Continue to offer your puppy very limited time to roam the house and always supervise. With this constant supervision, it offers you the opportunity to catch your dog in the act of chewing. When you are not able to offer the constant supervision necessary to keep your dog from chewing items, it is important to combine them in a small area or crate. In their crate, offer them appropriate chew toys so they begin to learn which type of toys they can chew and which items they should not be chewing.

Give your dog a special spot in the house where they can keep their favorite chew toys. Always keep these safe dog toys in this area alone; that way the dog will always know where to go when they feel like they need to chew on something. Some of the most popular chew toys for dogs are old socks, rawhide, safe toys, and knucklebones. Many people say that Rawhide should only be given to dogs while you are there to supervise because sometimes pieces can break off and cause your puppy to choke.

Anytime you are trying to teach your puppy to behave in a certain manner, it is important to provide stability in the training. Be consistent in your commands and provide only appropriate toys to chew on. If you do not want your dog to chew on shoes, don’t offer them an old shoe as a chew toy. If you want your dog to stay away from the children’s squeaky toys, don’t offer them squeaky dog toys to chew on.

Teaching basic obedience skills to a dog can be exciting as well as challenging. Having problems on where to begin?

The first lesson in obedience is to get your dog to pay attention to the commands. You want to start by calling his name and then using a keyword like “watch” or “look” afterwards. This way, he will associate the words to a command. Once you’ve got his attention, the lessons can begin.

You want your dog to be able to pay attention for a short length of time. Try keeping his attention by doing attention exercises. One example would be to hold a toy or dog treat in near your mouth and then give him the keyword command.

Each time he takes the time to watch, praise him. The more you do this exercise, the more time he should be able to pay attention to you. Try getting him to watch for at least a minute. Let him know that he is doing a good job by rewarding him. Dogs learn best this way.

Because dogs have such short attention spans, they get distracted pretty easily. Training sessions should only last approximately 30 minutes tops.

If your dog isn’t learning very quickly, you may become frustrated. Don’t take that frustration out on your dog. A few things to remember before starting your obedience lessons:

1) Never cause pain to your dog (this will cause him to shy away or become aggressive to you.)

2) If he begins to become distracted, change the tone of your voice (not raising it)

3) Consistency can not be stressed enough (animals are like children, if you’re not consistent, they will become confused)

Teaching your dog basic obedience commands will make for a more obedient and more pleasant dog to be around.

The first command to start off with would be to sit. You must use the word sit while teaching him so that he can relate the word with the action. Start by gently pushing his backside down and saying the word “sit.” Eventually he will catch on to the concept.

The second command is “down.” Dogs can become pretty hyperactive when they get excited. Jumping up on their owner’s lap is usually how they express their excitement.

When they jump up, tell them “down.” Do not pet them or act excited to see them while they are on you. Continue to tell them “down,” and even place their legs down if you have to.

Next is the command of “stay.” This command is a good one to know especially if you have a rambunctious hyper dog. You can teach him stay, for example, by putting a treat or something desirable on the ground. As he moves toward it, tell him “Stay.”

Another good idea would be to put your hand up while saying the word “stay.” When he begins to become obedient in this area, you can move further away from him. This will cause him to become more daring and he will probably take a step forward to see how much he can get away with.

When he does this, continue to put your hand out and tell him “stay.” He has to know that even though you are moving away, you can still see what he’s doing and expect him to continue to obey.

After you’ve mastered the stay command, you will move on to the come command. Once your dog has learned to sit and stay, he will need a command to know when it’s ok to get up and approach you.

They may be a bit confused at first, but with a change in the tone of your voice, he will soon understand. Put a little excitement in your voice when saying the word “come”.

He will pick up on it. You might also want to pat your leg when you say come.

Stand is the last command to achieve. This is where your dog is allowed to get a little excited but not in a pouncing kind of way. When teaching your dog to stand, pat your hands on your chest and, once again, put a little excitement in your voice, so that he knows he’s aloud, under certain circumstances. He will begin to know the difference.

Teaching your dog basic obedience, if possible, should be taught as soon as you and your dog are ready. Remember be consistent don’t forget to have fun!