Newborn puppies are precious. I easily fall in love with them.  However, taking on the commitment of adopting a puppy is huge. Many times, particularly around birthday time, children ask for puppies as gifts.

Usually the parents agree to buy them a pup.  .  What usually happens?  Unfortunately, the innocent pup gets stuck in a shelter after a few months.  Do yourself and an innocent puppy a favor before you adopt him, ask yourself these 7 questions.

Is Your Lifestyle Compatible With Your Puppy?

Before adopting a puppy you have to consider your lifestyle pace. Are you hardly home? Are you single, married?  Do you see kids in your future?  If so, what age are your children? What is your age?  Are you ever home?

If you’re someone that’s hardly home, that doesn’t necessarily preclude you from adopting a puppy. What it does mean is that you’ll need to hire a dog sitter.

You’ll need to find someone who is willing to play games with your puppy and keep him occuppied. An important aspect of puppy adoption is breed. Every breed has distinct characteristics.

Do you want to adopt a bitch or a male pup?  Another good question to ask yourself is what precipitated your wanting to adopt a puppy? Are you lonely and just want a puppy to keep you company?  Have your kids been pestering you for months now and you’re finally worn down and feel you have to give in?  Think twice because those are bad reasons for adoping a puppy! There’s lots more to think about than how cute and cuddly the puppy is.

Do You Have the Time and Patience For Adopting a Puppy

Puppies are like little kids and they have needs just like little kids. Adopting a puppy is a mega responsibility. It takes lots of love and tons of patience. When training a puppy there’s no room for impatience at all.  When training a puppy there’s bound to be accidents.  For instance, when crate training or housebreaking your dog, she may pee on the floor.

Unfortunately, if your temperment is such that you get angry and are likely to scream or kick your dog, then forget about adopting a puppy.  Aside from patience, you’ll need to spend ample amounts of time playing with your puppy and socializing her with other dogs.

What is your work schedule like?  Do you hate to be bothered once you come home?  To thine own self be true. The worse thing you can do is make your puppy suffer simply because you didn’t give forethought to your decision to adopt a puppy. 

Can You Provide the Mental and Physical Stimulation a Puppy Needs

This goes back to whether you have the time and patience that goes along with adopting a puppy.  Just like kids need to socialize with their peers beginning in nursery and kindergarten, so do puppies. This kind of socialization will provide mental and physical stimulation.

During around 8-11 weeks, dogs like to try and dominate each other, as a test of their power.  Roughing each other up for them is considered great exercise and fun!  Do you like to exercise yourself? Can you see yourself going to the park and playing frisbee with your adopted puppy? Are you lazy?  Again, to thine own self be true!

Have You Owned a Dog Before

I remember when I first thought about adopting a puppy.  I didn’t think it through thoroughly.  So I went to North Shore Animal League and got my Lily. She was 11 weeks old.  I thought it was going to be a cinch. Not. I must have spent over $2,000 in the first few months in vet bills.

Then, I had to learn that dogs, like people, have personalities. You have to know the breed you’re getting so that you can understand their temperment and decide if it’s a match for your personality. Luckily for me, Lily was the perfect match.

Still, that didn’t solve the dog training problems I had. 

Is Your Home or Apartment Big Enough

If you live in a tiny studio and you have a hyperactive dog or a large breed dog, this will not be conducive to your relationship. Having a dog is like being married, you have to consider each other’s space! Each person needs their space. 

To Mix or Not to Mix?

Okay. I have a problem with people labeling mixed breeds as “mutts.” As if somehow “purebred” dogs are better quality dogs. Not so! Still, supposedly they say if you get a pure breed, you’re less likely to have problems. Nonsense.

What I will say is that a “pure breed” puppy will have both mental and physical traits that are unique to its particular breed.  Whereas, if you have a mixed breed, you’re unlikely to know which character traits it will have. 

Like people, if raised in a healthy environment, this will affect their personality.  Where are you getting your puppy from? You need to know the answer to this as well.

Where Does the Puppy Come from

Last, but not least, where are you adopting a puppy from?  Are you getting her from a shelter?  Are you getting her from a breeder?  Again, some people think adopting a puppy from a breeder is better than adopting one from a shelter. 

But some breeders are inept. They also may train them to have poor habits. Some breeders keep disgusting, unsanitary conditions.

On the other hand, lots of shelter dogs are very healthy and well adjusted.  They may have come from homes that were loving and well trained.  The only reason why they ended up in a shelter was perhaps because they weren’t able to afford the pet anymore, or, they could have moved to a place where pets weren’t allowed. 

In sum, think twice before you make these 7 big mistakes!