Quiz 3. Acquiring a canine.

Where do you find a puppy or a dog? What traits should we look for or avoid?

A puppy needs to be with its litter-mates for at least 12 weeks. What does it learn in that time?

Its brain is being wired to become a dog. The puppy also gets the mother’s milk, which has the nutrients the puppy needs. After 12 weeks, the puppy is ready to eat puppy food and explore.

How to be a parent itself, one day.

How to relate well with other puppies. That includes learning how to play-fight without sinking its choppers into another puppy.

It learns about the secret lives of cats.

We need to be well informed about the breed of dog we are intending to acquire because some breeds:

Look at library books and the web. Visit a dog park or a breeder to meet dogs of the breed you are considering. Try the RSPCA Smart Puppy and Dog Buyer's Guide.

have a genetic propensity for heart and blood pressure problems, and for other many other diseases.

can cause allergies.

are sensitive to the cold (skinny dogs, such as dachshunds, greyhounds and whippets).

are sensitive to the heat.

are working dogs (e.g. sheep and cattle dogs) and they need to work.

are prone to having gambling addictions.

need more vet maintenance than others.

can't socialise with other dogs properly because of their features. (Eg. They don't have a visible tail, or their facial muscles can't be seen.)

Breeders often purposely inbreed their dogs. (They might call it ‘line breeding’.)

True. Breeders have a better chance of getting a particular trait in the puppies if they mate two related dogs with the trait. Health problems often result.

True.

False.

Some dogs bred for a particular ‘look’ have consequent health problems. They might have:

A dog won’t necessarily have a genetic problem, though it is more likely to have one. If people stopped buying dogs of those breeds, the breeders would stop breeding them.

trouble breathing. They can’t run and play because they’re effectively asthmatic.

pain in their joints.

stripes that glow in the dark.

epilepsy.

a poor immune system.

hip dysplasia.

persistent dental problems.

super powers.

metabolic problems.

blood disorders.

bladder stones.

It’s important to choose your dog based on:

Base your decision on how happy and healthy your dog will be with you, and on the type of personality you want.

How much status it will give you with your friends and workmates.

How cute it is.

How popular the breed is.

None of the above.

Which puppy sellers should I avoid?

If you want a well-adjusted puppy and don’t want to support cruelty, make sure you have met the mother at her home and seen that she lives a good life.

The ones with body odour.

Puppy farms.

Pet shops.

Online purchases.

Markets.

Breeders who breed more than one breed. They are focused on money, not on their dogs’ welfare.

What is a puppy farm?

Puppy farm owners sell their puppies to pet shops, markets, online, and to visitors. Buying a puppy from those outlets supports cruelty.

It’s a place where puppies go to retire.

It’s a place where dogs are physically and verbally abused, and kept in cages, and their sole purpose is to produce large numbers of puppies.

It’s a place where the puppies are more likely to have genetic problems through inbreeding.

It’s a place where the puppies are not used to being with humans, so aren’t well socialised.

How can I acquire a dog ethically?

If you buy from a breeder, visit the place. Are dogs in cages? Is the yard clean? Are the puppies used to being handled? If you’re not comfortable with how a breeder cares for their dogs, leave, no matter how cute a puppy might be.

Adopt a dog from the dog pound or animal shelter.

Foster a dog. If it fits in with your family you can probably keep it. If not, hand it back when the shelter has found a home for it.

Make sure it's biodegradable.

Buy one from a commercial breeder, but only if you visit their home and feel comfortable that all the adult dogs there are well treated, well-walked and happy.

From where can I adopt a dog?

If those shelters don’t have the dog you’re after, keep trying. One will turn up.

Google ‘adopt a pet’.

Google ‘giraffe on Mars’.

When is the best time of the year to get a puppy?

Get your puppy when a warm climate begins and when you will have plenty of time to be with it. And, after you have scored well in the quizzes.

In the warmer months, because it’s easier and more enjoyable to toilet train and socialise your puppy.

In the warmer months if you plan to have your puppy living outdoors.

After the holidays, when you resume your routine and have a life that is predictable.

When you don’t anticipate travelling for at least a year.

When you are about to start a new job or new business, or any other major challenge. A clever puppy can help you with the paperwork.