Puppies start learning immediately. Reputable breeders are aware of this and are very involved in doing early training prior to you taking the pup into your home. They do constructive socialization, introduce the pup to the home environment and may even do some early potty training. A well-mannered, easily trained puppy is one of your goals and the first step toward that goal is the selection of a good breeder.
Most people who sell puppies in the newspaper are not professional breeders. They may have a litter or two, maybe even keep one and sell the other puppies. While there are exceptions, in most cases these are well meaning people but just are not adequately experienced in preparing the puppies for adoption. Then, of course, there are the not so well meaning people who are just looking for the profit and are doing very little if anything to prepare the puppy for a new home. They are simply waiting for the puppies to get old enough to sell. And we have all heard of “puppy mills” which should be avoided completely.
Many puppy mills sell to pet shops. As tempting as it may be to get the puppies out of this environment, this is not the place to select your puppy. No amount of training will be able to overcome some of the problems you may encounter in these puppies. You must be even more diligent in your search for a good breeder than you were in deciding with which kind of dog you want to share your life and home. Of all the people raising puppies, there are relatively few who are experienced and focused on maintaining and breeding for the best characteristics of one or two breeds. No, it is not just people who want show dogs who need to look for reputable breeders. Your goal may very well be to merely find a healthy, physically fit, mentally sound pup to enhance your life. The way to have the best chance of doing that is to buy from a reputable breeder.
So how do you begin your search? Ask a vet for recommendations; ask acquaintances who have dogs with characteristics you like, check yellow page listings (remember, you are looking for a breeder, not a pet shop), check the Web.
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