Pets pg: How to pick a puppy

Published in The Post-Star (B12)
2/19/06

Puppy love doesn't always blossom into a lasting relationship, which is why many dogs get dumped at shelters. Potential pet owners often face the tricky task of figuring out a dog's personality in a matter of minutes -- how can you tell what they'll be like in a home environment?

Something as simple as popping open an automatic umbrella or jingling a set of keys in front of new puppy can provide clues about her personality.

"You're looking to see their response -- they might startle, but then come over to see what's going on, and that's a sign of a well-adjusted puppy," explained Micki Gorman, a dog breeder from Pennsylvania who wrote the new book, "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Puppies."

Breeders often do what's called "temperament testing" on puppies at about seven weeks old, she said. Although the formal testing is difficult to perform in a shelter, the concept can be applied in simpler ways.

Clapping your hands or stamping your feet suddenly, for example, can show you how the dog might respond to the sudden movements and noises that come with a house full of kids. If the dog responds by trying to attack your hand or foot, that's a red flag. If the dog cowers in the corner, that's a bad sign, too, Gorman said.

"Of course, we all want to help dogs like that, but you have to realize that they usually have what we call 'fear aggression' issues and may respond to fright by snapping or biting," she explained. "A lot of times those dogs never settle into a household."

Gorman advocates getting dogs from breeders or shelters, rather than pet stores.

"Pet store dogs are usually bred by puppy farms, are genetically compromised and badly taken care of," she said. "They can have terrible health and disposition problems, which ends up adding to the shelter population."

Before you even go to look at a puppy, she said, "You have to be honest with yourself about what your lifestyle is." Even mixed-breed dogs usually have a dominant breed, and each breed has tendencies.

"You have to know that all dogs were bred for a purpose, and you can't get rid of that genetic code no matter how much you train them," she said. "For example, Irish wolfhounds will always be coursing dogs -- if they set their sights on something, they're going to run after it."

Dog behavior isn't absolutely predictable, however, and will vary depending on how the dog is treated after being adopted.

Debbie Pruyn of Queensbury adopted Kodiak, a shepherd/collie mix, from a shelter where he was about to be euthanized after five months of constant confinement.

"They thought he was too aggressive, because he would charge up to the kennel door and bark when people approached," he said. "But I'd talk to him, and pretty soon he was rolling over belly-up. That's a vulnerable position, so you know a dog like that isn't truly aggressive."

It took Pruyn about three months of what she calls "desensitization" training to help Kodiak adapt to life outside the shelter, but now he is a loyal, loving pet.

"He already saved my life once," she said, referring to the time that Kodiak's barking stopped someone from breaking into her home in the middle of the night. "I call him my rock star."
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