How to Choose a Good Puppy

Don't let the PUPPY choose YOU.

You may have been advised by well-meaning friends to let a puppy choose YOU, i.e. the one who comes to you first or seems to like you the most. This usually results in all the bold and pushy puppies (who are often difficult to raise) being taken first, while the gentle puppies (who usually make calmer pets) wait politely in the background.

Most families make a mistake by letting the most brash, forceful puppies choose them. Sure, these little dynamos are a blast to play with for an hour at the breeder's. But they can drive you crazy if you have to live with them 24 hours a day.

A puppy can love you without being suited to you -- and a puppy can be perfectly suited to you without launching himself immediately into your lap. Give each puppy a fair evaluation.

Evaluate the litter as a whole

Your first look should be at the litter as a group. If there are four puppies and three of them are running away or staying at arm's length or woofing suspiciously at you, I'm sorry to say your visit is over.

No, you shouldn't buy the fourth puppy. The chances are too great that shyness or distrustfulness is in his genes, too, and simply hasn't caught up to him yet.

And don't let a breeder laugh off his puppies' timidity with assurances of, "Oh, they just haven't been handled much." Lack of socialization means laziness or ignorance on the part of the breeder. You do not want a puppy from a lazy or ignorant breeder. If he can't even socialize properly, who knows what else he screwed up?

Puppies who tuck their tails or shrink away from you are not safe choices as pets. Don't try to convince yourself that you can "bring them out of their shell." You don't know what's going on in these puppies' genes. Shy puppies usually become shy dogs who may snap defensively when startled.

If the litter isn't running away, what should they be doing? Normal puppies are friendly, curious, trusting. They mill around your feet, tug at your shoelaces, crawl into your lap, nibble on your fingers.

After a while, they may stop playing with you and begin wrestling with one another. You can tell a lot about the individual puppies by the way they interact with their littermates.

• Which ones are strong, outgoing, bossy, noisy?
• Which ones are quiet, submissive, gentle?
• Which ones grab all the toys and win the tugs-of-war?
• Which ones seem delicate or picked on?

Most families do best with a pup who is neither boss of the litter nor lowest on the totem pole. Look for good-natured, middle-of-the-road pups who don't growl or grab or bite, but who do wag their tails and hold their own.

Clap your hands gently, snap your fingers, jingle your car keys, shuffle your feet, whistle softly, cluck your tongue.

• Which pups are interested?
• Which ones come over to investigate?
• Which ones are apprehensive?

You want an alert and confident puppy. A nervous puppy who is afraid of sudden sounds or quick movements will not do well in a busy household. A puppy who is completely oblivious may be too dull, too independent, or unhealthy.

Evaluate individual puppies

Next, ask the breeder if you can see each puppy who is available for sale, individually. Ask him to remove the other pups.

You want to see how each puppy reacts when he is away from his littermates. Sometimes a puppy who seems bold when his friends are "backing him up" will become uncertain or anxious on his own. Or sometimes an energetic puppy will calm down when not being egged on by the others; given your undivided attention, he may become quite the lap-sitter.

• What is his general expression and body language?
• Does he keep his tail up or mostly down?
• Is his tail wagging, even hesitantly?
• When you talk to him, does he look at your face?
• Does he cock his head and listen to you?