Puppy, grown dog or breeder?
Type your pet's name on the map and every guide uses it.
Pick the path your household can carry. A puppy has no history to undo, and months of heavy work ahead. A grown dog has a size and personality you can see, but a past you may never fully know. A good breeder offers health records and a return clause, not a promise about temperament. Who is home and who shares the work matters more than the source. A good dog can come from a shelter, a rescue or a careful breeder. Here's how to check each.
The hard part may not be the first week. A grown dog's real personality tends to show during the settling weeks, and a young dog's rough patch can come in adolescence. Plan for the months, not the pickup day.
What to do
- Start with your household.Write down who is home and when, who does which job, and what a hard week looks like. Then settle the five decisions on paper before pickup day: a vet, a budget (and whether to insure, since pet insurance generally pays only for conditions that start after you enroll), who does what, a helper you can call, and time off. Try not to leave a new dog home alone for the first 48 hours. Your schedule and your shared work matter more than where the dog comes from.
- A puppy.No history to undo, and the sensitive window for gentle, happy meetings still open: about 3 to 14 weeks of age. You won't know the grown-up size, energy or temperament yet. Expect heavy work for about the first six months: outside every hour or two while awake, with trips in the night at first, and no long stretches alone. In one UK study, owners reported at least one unwanted behavior in 42% of dogs at 12 months, against 30% at six months, most often barking, jumping up and pulling on the leash.
- A grown dog from a shelter or rescue.You can see the size and the personality. You can't see the history. In one study, a shelter's read on friendliness and fear tended to hold up after adoption, while guarding, aggression and separation problems were hard for shelter assessments to predict. Treat house training as new, even if you're told the dog is trained. Watch the pet, not the calendar. A new pet is settling in when they're calm, eating regularly and starting to explore. The real personality shows over the settling weeks, not the first days.
- A puppy from a breeder.A good breeder gives you health results for the parents, a record of how the puppies were raised, and a written return clause. That lowers some inherited health risks and gives you a way to return the puppy. It is not a promise about temperament, and the workload is the same as for any puppy.
- Check a shelter or rescue dog.Ask for the full behavior history. Ask what help the shelter gives after adoption, and use it: at one Austin shelter, 89% of people who returned a dog had known about the free behavior support, and about half (51%) had not contacted it. Agree who does what before pickup day, and write it down.
- Check a breeder.Look for breed-appropriate health tests for both parents (such as OFA or PennHIP hip results, and eye or heart exams), the mother on site and settled, a breeder who interviews you, a written contract with a return-to-breeder clause, and no puppy going home before eight weeks. Visit in person and see where the puppies live. Walk away from pet-store sales, a seller who won't let you visit, a deposit before you have seen the puppies, "teacup" marketing, parents bred before age 2, payment by wire or gift card, and a price that looks too good.
Say yes to getting ready
Children can help with jobs that fit their age, but in the research behind this page we found no source describing a child who kept pet care up alone: grown-ups model the care and supervise it throughout. So treat the wish as a reason to practice together first. Our free kids' checklist, Ready for a pet?, is with the printables. For children who want to practice more, a kids' activity booklet, So You Want a Dog (or Cat)?, is in the works; it will be in the shop. Whichever dog comes home, read Kids and the new dog first.
Your job
Help write who does which job, and stick the list on the fridge.
Print: Ready for a pet?
Did you know?Little puppies can't hold their pee for very long. They need to go outside to potty about every hour or two!
Many people feel frustrated or worn out in the puppy months. In one Finnish survey (1,801 responses), 45% reported significant negative feelings during their dog's puppyhood (a self-selected online sample, so not a rate for all owners). The advice owners repeat most is to line up a trainer before the puppy arrives. A walker or sitter and a friend to call help too.
If anything about a dog's health worries you, call your vet. Asking early is what good owners do. Ask your vet about vaccines, ID, and when a new dog can meet other dogs.
If anything about a dog's health worries you, call your vet. Ask your vet about vaccines, ID, and when a new dog can meet other dogs.
Two things we never repeat
Boy or girl?
Breed, energy and the dog in front of you matter far more than sex. On average, owners rate girls a little more trainable and boys a little less fearful, but any one dog can be the opposite. When to spay or neuter depends on size and breed, so ask your vet. More in Mixed Company.
Sources: Dog Aging Project, 2025 · Purina · AAHA
This is where our Welcome Home picture book begins
Our read-aloud book opens with the news that something big is coming to the house. It is in the works. About the book
Sources: SF SPCA · PubMed Central · Animals journal (2) · npj Mental Health Research · ManyPets · AKC (2, 3, 4) · Purdue Canine Welfare Science · AVSAB · Fear Free · Whole Dog Journal · SF Humane Society · Humane Colorado · ASPCA · AAHA · Humane World for Animals · WTTW News · Samaritan Health. Full list