How to decide if a chow puppy is right for your family.

Decide if you and your family are ready to add a fuzzy chow puppy to your extended family.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• A good heart
• A loving commitment
• Time to work with your new family member
• Patience

1. Make sure you have room for your new loved one to run and play. Chows need lots of space. Puppies need lots of toys and attention. You want to make sure your new puppy is social (friendly when around people and other animals).

2. Make sure you have time to spend with him/her for at least one week once you get them. You will need to be able to work with your new one to show them to "go potty" outside. Chows are VERY smart. I start training my baby chows to use the potty outside at around 3 weeks of age by bringing them inside at night and feeding them puppy chow and then taking them straight outside to "go potty" as soon as they are done eating. Most of our pups are mostly to completely trained by the time we send them to the new homes. Most of the chow puppies will give you a sign such as a whimper or "cry" to let you know they need to go out and if they know where the door is, they might sit in front of it and do those things. It is best to show your new puppy around as soon as you get it home and do this often to get them used to the surroundings quickly. These are time consuming and are really needed to insure proper adjusting. If you do not have the time to "spare" for these things, you won't be ready for a puppy.

3. "Quality Time" is needed for bonding. Chows are VERY protective of their "family", the more time spent with the puppy the more the puppy realizes they need to protect these people. Do tons of researching on the different breeds of dogs before deciding to pick one for a certain reason such as size. Just because you think you want a small or big (guard) dog does not mean that this is the right breed for your entire family. Take all the learned materials into consideration before choosing the breed you desire. Chows are given a "bad" reputation and to be honest, this upsets me. A dog will behave as it is taught to behave. If your puppy or dog see' s harsh or rough activity, they might learn to behave the same way as a reasoning to protect themselves. My chows have even let my young child sit in the house with him and eat his food, not that eating dog food is good for a child. .LOL. Please re-search all breeds before determining the one that is right for your family.

Tips & Warnings

• Research all breeds and search for your qualities and expectations.
• Research the breeder you are considering purchasing your new puppy from.
• Research your "Rights as a buyer" before you purchase a puppy.
• Ask for a Health Certificate from your breeder (all puppies should have one even "mutts".
• Ask lots of questions and ask to see the parents and where the puppies are kept.
• Ask the breeder what you can do to ensure the least amount of stress on the puppy once you bring it home to help the adjustment on the puppy.
• If you need additional help, I will do everything I can to help you, if I do not know the answer, I will do my best to find the answer for you.
• Be Cautious of "Free to good home" advertisements.

[jcar]

on 6/3/2007 I love these dogs. They are so cute and furry.