How to Choose a Dog from a Litter
Are you thinking about adopting a dog? Have you already decided to get one? When you have decided to get a new pet, you need to consider a number of tips that may help in raising and living with the animal at home.
There is important information that you can gather from the very first moment of contact with the potential pet. At oneHOWTO we'll give you some advice on how to choose a dog from a litter that can make your life easier in the future.
Contents
Before choosing a dog from a litter
When you want a dog, think about whether you want to want to buy from a breeder or adopt a dog from a kennel or shelter. All dogs have different personalities that vary greatly depending on the breed, but also on the conditions that have been exposed to from birth.
The first thing to keep in mind before choosing a dog from a litter is the type of dog you can get along with. You need to decide according to your home, your lifestyle, your fitness and your tastes. We suggest you consider one of the best dog breeds for beginners.
If you have joint problems or other health problems, you should look at dogs that are easy to carry; they shouldn't be very heavy or large so you can control them, especially early on when they need some training.
How to check the health of a litter
The first thing to consider is the health of the puppies in the litter, both in their physical form and their temperament. When the dog is physically healthy and looks happy you can try to analyze their temperament as soon as you make contact. Of course, you shouldn't judge a dog's temperament on a day they're feeling a bit down.
All puppies are excitable and will lick and even bite a bit at first; this can be trained away with bite inhibition and socialization. However, if you want to choose a puppy for intensive, advanced training you can test them to ensure they have a calm and attentive temperament:
- Lie the puppy down with the hind legs relaxed and the front legs flat on the ground. Stroke the puppy's head and back; they should respond calmly and lick your hand, as exaggerated excitement can demonstrate a poorly balanced dog.
- Try to get the puppy to follow you without saying anything. Move your hands to attract them, and if they come to you calmly and with the tail down, they will be a calm and obedient dog.
How do external conditions affect puppies?
Similarly, you must take into account where they have been raised since they were born: in a home, a shelter or a breeding center.
The age for adopting a puppy is from 12 weeks (3 months) onward. Everything that the dog experienced from birth until then, even during their first five weeks when they still have no real perception of sight and hearing, is important to their development. Puppies born to a family pet are more accustomed to being social and having people around them than puppies born in shelters or breeding centers.
External conditions often explain how puppies react to new situations. If a dog has been bred in a home with children, a noisy TV, music, and appliances, they will be used to living with a family. These puppies are the best choice as family pets, especially if there are children in your home. In that case, it may be useful to know what are the best dog breeds for kids.
Dogs that have been raised in isolation without noises, outside a house, in a farm or in darkness can be difficult, as they are unaccustomed to daily life with a family and therefore can spook more easily in stressful situations such as of noise from cars, ambulances, children, shouting, noisy appliances, etc.
Puppies that are used to doing their business in a small space on a regular basis will need home training, especially at first, to learn to do it outside. Dogs that are used to relieving themselves in a spacious yard will also need training when at home.
If you want to read similar articles to How to Choose a Dog from a Litter, we recommend you visit our Pets category.
