Don't Buy a Puppy for a Christmas Gift

Did you know that the events of this Christmas will profoundly impact the dog training industry in April?

All those cute puppy-in-a-stocking photos prompt unsuspecting people to give dogs as gifts, inevitably resulting in a high rate of premium business for me and my colleagues.

On today’s podcast, we are making our yearly public service announcement before it is too late. Do not, I repeat, go out and buy a puppy for a Christmas present. It is the wrong thing to do, trust me.

Hello and welcome to Dog Works Radio. I am your host, Michele Forto, the lead trainer for Alaska Dog Works. Here, we help you have the best relationship possible with your dog. Before we get started, have you checked out our new Pack program? It might be the dog training community you are looking for. Check it out in the show notes.

Today, we are discussing getting a puppy this holiday season. We have said this every year, screamed it from the rooftops, and published an episode like this since we started the podcast almost 16 years ago. So, let’s kick it off…

A Christmas Puppy? Maybe Not

“Christmas puppies” often are impulse purchases, in a spirit of love and giving and generosity that goes with the season, but without the complex self-assessment that goes into asking oneself if one has the time and the energy, the inclination to give the necessary commitment to raising and socializing and educating that puppy. It is better to get that new puppy at a less emotionally charged time of the year when the decision to add a dog to the family is a less impulsive and more carefully considered one, uninfluenced by seasonal generosity of spirit, which might fade a bit after the tree comes down and the lights are put away.

Realistically and sadly, Christmas puppies tend to be older puppies at the pound a few months later, or that nearly year-old dog getting euthanized because someone bought a dog as a “toy” for a child that has no legitimate responsibility for that animal and loses interest. Also, some people do not know that dogs grow and get bigger or more significant than expected. Nor do they consider that the dog will require training, and they bring them to me at arm’s length, saying, “Fix my dog!”

Every April, I see frenzied clients at my training center at wit’s end, with their now-adult-sized dogs totally out of control. They have no leash manners, refuse to come when called, are hyperactive from a lack of exercise, obese from too many treats, and unwilling even to acknowledge their name.

Most people think that the cute little puppy under the tree on Christmas morning will stay that way. On the contrary, they grow up, and they grow up quickly. Think of it this way. Could you go from the crib to high school? No way! Puppies need exercise, discipline, and affection—in that order. The best gift you can ever give that Christmas puppy is obedience training. This will build a lifelong bond and give you the control, leadership, and routine your dog desires.

If you are set upon getting your family a puppy for Christmas, consider this alternative instead: Purchase a leash, a collar, a good book on raising a puppy, a gift certificate for a veterinary checkup, a gift certificate for puppy socialization classes from one of the local obedience instructors, a book or video tape on the topic of how to select the right dog for your family (there are several, including even a computer program that purports to help you do this), or a gift subscription to one of the dog-oriented magazines.

Wrap these up and put them under the tree. As family members unwrap the various pieces of the “puzzle,” their delight and anticipation will grow. They will gradually understand what this present is! Then, after the Christmas tree is taken down and the frenzy of the holiday season is behind, the family can once again enjoy together the anticipation and excitement of discussing and selecting a breed, selecting a breeder, selecting an individual pup, and so on. This will increase the family’s mutual commitment to and investment in the well-being of the newest family member. It will be a project the family has done together, which is a fantastic way for any adoption to commence.

This will not decrease your new puppy's enjoyment; I guarantee it. It will increase it by many folds. It will be a better start for the puppy and the long-term relationship between the dog and owner(s). A dog with a good introduction to its adoptive family is much more likely to become a long-term companion than just another tragic statistic.

So, after all that, if you still do not heed my advice and go out and get that cute little pup with a bow, we will be here for you. Hit that follow button every week, and we will see you next week. Until then, I am Michele Forto for Dog Works Radio.