So You Want To Train Your Very Own Playful and Cute Puppy?

So you want a puppy?  Maybe your friend has one and every time you go over her house her puppy is so fun and playful...cute and adorable! Its even trained to sit, speak and let her know when it needs to go potty. It gave you the idea.."Why don't I get one?  It will be my puppy.  I will have my very own fun and adorable puppy to come home to everyday."

Stop!...................................

That's the usual scenario.  Someone sees a puppy that is just so adorable and has to have one of their own.  But did they count the cost of being able to keep that puppy everyday?

Puppies are just like children.  They can't tell you when they feel sick.  They pee wherever and need to be told what to do from the second of them being in a new home.

What else?  

Puppies get worms from their moms.  It doesn't matter if the mom has been wormed. A lot of times things get missed because mature dogs immune systems are able to enable them not to become sick from things around  them.  Puppies need to be wormed from at least week 4 and up.  And if they are wormed later than week 4 can have the risk of getting very ill with worms before their bodies catch up.  And if your puppy has been around fleas it may have tapeworms.  So you need to worm for round worms, hook worms and tape worms.

Ok, then your puppy could of been around other dogs that had a virus or contagious sickness.  A lot of puppies just don't survive fatal sickness.  Most of the small puppies in the shelters won't make it out alive.  Not because of euthanasia, but because of the sickness in the shelter.  If you do bring a puppy home from a shelter,  it needs to be kept in an isolation, away from other dogs. Your veterinarian may be able to give it some meds for relief if it becomes ill, but most of the sicknesses in puppies come from viruses that can only run its course on its own.  There is no cure.  This is where your puppies vaccinations are important so it won't get sick if it hasn't yet.

WHY AM I REFERRING TO ALL OF THIS BEFORE TRAINING?   Because all this happens to most people when they get their new puppy home.  You as the owner, need to make sure your puppy isn't sick, or you won't be able to even start training.

All of the above is what you need to consider before taking your puppy home.
Questions are: 
Where will you get your puppy from?  
What type of breed is good for me according to my lifestyle? 
Will I be able to do a lot of traveling if I want to?  
Will I have time to train my dog to fit me?  

And don't think that getting an older dog will make things go faster.  In some cases it may. But older dogs have a past, a history where they already learned things that may prevent you from training right away.  They may need to UNLEARN some things first.  They may have been abused or not had any vet care yet.  Unfortunately, a lot of these dogs need vet care and may already have heart worms because they were neglected their whole life, even if it was for 1 year or less.

So make sure you have the heart and soul to put into HAVING YOUR VERY OWN PUPPY before you think having your very own will be fun and easy.  Training can create a bond between you and your dog.  It creates a routine and trust with your dog, which is what it thrives on.