Where to take a puppy: in a kennel or pick up on the street?

You know for sure that in the near future you are ready to acquire a four-legged friend. However, they have not yet decided what is better: to take a puppy in a kennel or to make a little tramp happy? Maybe go to a shelter? Where is the best place to get a puppy?

Pictured is a golden retriever puppy. Photo: pxhere

There is no single answer to this question. And before making a final decision, it is worth weighing the advantages and disadvantages of each option.

Decide on your goals

First of all, it is very important to understand why you are taking a dog at all. What are your goals with getting a pet? Who do you need: just a companion, a partner for sports, a “labor force” (that is, a dog for a specific activity), or a companion for children?

It is also worth deciding in advance how much time you are willing to devote to the dog. Can you, for example, spend extra time with her besides walks and the “educational minimum” that any puppy needs if behavioral problems arise or the dog needs extra attention from you? 

The answers to these questions will help you make a decision.

Photo: pixabay

A puppy from a kennel – a guarantee of quality?

Many potential owners are convinced that a puppy from a kennel is a guarantee of quality. However, nursery nursery strife.

There are kennels where dogs are kept in cages and aviaries around the clock and communicate very little with people. There are country kennels where dogs live exclusively on the territory and do not see anything else. And there are kennels with an enriched environment, where the breeder pays a lot of attention to the puppies, and the kids have the opportunity to explore the world in its diversity.

The first two types of kennels are essentially no different from not the best dog shelters. So there is no guarantee that the dog you take there will meet your expectations, despite the fact that it is purebred. Moreover, it is likely that the puppy will have problems with socialization and you will have to devote a lot of time and effort to cope with behavioral problems.

In addition, puppies even from the same litter differ in character. If you take a puppy from a good kennel, the breeder can advise you and select the puppy that is right for your purposes. If the cattery is not very good, the breeder is unlikely to be able to help you make a choice.

Accordingly, if you just need a companion to whom you are ready to devote enough time, a dog for amateur sports (if the results are not very important), but you are not sure that the breeder was able to provide an enriched environment, you can take it from a kennel with depleted a younger puppy (for example, at the age of 4 – 5 weeks) in the expectation that you can compensate for his lack of experience. But practically with the same success, you can take a puppy from a shelter.

If you are planning to have children (or you already have children), it is better not to take a puppy from a shelter or kennel with an impoverished environment, but to focus on an adult dog that suits the character. Or contact a good nursery and take a puppy (better if it is a puppy older than three months) there.

If you need a dog for a specific activity (work or sport, and you are result-oriented), the most acceptable option is to contact a good kennel that specializes in breeding such dogs. In all other cases, the risk of disappointment is very high.

Photo: flickr

And if you take a puppy from the street?

Puppies who grew up on the street, as a rule, did not know how to communicate with a person (or they know people too little, and the experience of communication was far from always positive). Therefore, there is a great risk that you will not be able to socialize such a dog. Or you will have to make a lot of efforts so that she can simply coexist calmly in a society of people.

If you still decide to take a puppy from the street, it is better to take a small puppy (approximately at the age of 1 – 2,5 months). Then there is a chance that he has not had so many negative experiences, and it will be easier for you to socialize him and raise a dog that can fit into people’s lives.

Photo: pexels

You can take an older puppy (and an adult dog), but only if you are ready to put a lot of effort into its adaptation, understanding and taking into account all the risks.

And, of course, you will hardly find a dog for sports or a working dog on the street.

However, wherever you take a puppy, education and training is of great importance. It’s just that some path may turn out to be easier, and some more thorny. However, everything is individual. And sometimes it is the dog from the street that becomes the best friend.

It is important to remember that the decision is your responsibility. No dog has asked to be turned on, and no dog is bound “on its own” to live up to anyone’s expectations. Akita Inu is not necessarily Hachiko, and a German Shepherd even from the best kennel may not become “like Commissioner Rex”.