A Puppy for Christmas - W hy N ot?
Homework needs to be done, regarding the breed (or breeds if it's a cross-bred 1 • dog) before even looking at puppies. I've had clients whose main criterion was whether or not the selected dog would drop much hair, when the amount of exercise it would need, breed temperament, size of the pup when it reaches maturity etc. would b2e of far more significance in years to come.
Ask yourself some sensible questions: have you got the time to walk a grown • dog for a minimum of 45 minutes a day, religiously? Are you prepared for the inevitable vets bills, feed bills, socialisation, toilet training and all-round training and
g3rooming? Then there's the lifespan to consider for this newest pack member
Getting a puppy during the festive season means being prepared to make certain • adjustments within the home. Having a quiet area of the home put aside for the pups bed (or cage for toilet training) is essential so that he or she can sleep peacefully,
as puppies invariably spend a lot of their time asleep.
The feeding area needs to be fairly close to the bed area and away from the hustle and bustle of visitors coming in and out. Aside from consideration for Fido, it can be so annoying kicking over a food bowl or overturning the water bowl when greeting guests!
Duncan Pritchard is a professional dog trainer ,vith over 20 years experience. For more in rmation please call
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comes to training.
With the extra time available to people on annual leave, the rudiments of fun-based basic training can begin too. This beats falling asleep in front of a glowing box in the afternoon (for the umpteenth time) in my opinion.
So, if you are prepared for a permanent new member of the household and have done your planning properly and taken all aspects of dog ownership into account, why not welcome a new best friend into your life during the joyous holiday season?
   Typically at this time of year with the festive season approaching, advice against getting a new puppy at Christmas will be thrown about by charities and well-intentioned individuals alike.
But let's look at this unemotionally for a minute. Why not get a puppy at or just after Christmas?
Naysayers will mention noise, lack of planning, mess to deal with and living with the new pooch into the new year and much beyond.
But there are some terrific advantages to getting a puppy during the holidays, provided that certain common sense considerations are understood:
So what are the advantages of getting a puppy during the holiday season?
For a start, interaction with guests helps overcome any fear of meeting new people, in a safe and relaxed environment.
Adults and children alike will be on holiday and so will have more time to bond with the new arrival which becomes essential further down the line when it
58 Phonebox Magazine