Are you puppy-ready? Everything you need to know to prep for a new pup

Deciding to bring a puppy into your life can be a bit like deciding to commit properly to a relationship. You like the idea of having a puppy but you don’t want to lose your freedom, you know? And what if you spend loads of time together but it just doesn’t work out? What if they don’t get on with the kids? The good news is there is a pretty robust set of rules you should follow to make sure you’re puppy ready.

“The questions to ask yourself are simple really: do you live in an urban or rural area? Do you have easy access to outside spaces? Are you prepared to dedicate time to training a new puppy and are you ready to attend regular puppy training classes? Have you just had your house redecorated?” she says. “Because it is highly likely that no matter how well you train your puppy, you will have wee and poo in places you don’t want them and they are highly likely to chew things that are available to them – be they chair legs, shoes or carpets.”

Do your research
This isn’t just about what you like the look of – far from it. In fact, the breed of puppy you decide on should be mainly based on your lifestyle and the recognised breed traits. If you want a dog that will accompany you on your runs every day, you need to look for a puppy that when grown will be happy with that kind of exercise. If you want a dog to play fetch with you and the kids for hours, get a retriever type and not a terrier. If you’re a busy city dweller, it might be a smaller dog that tires out faster.

Source: theguardian