Prepare Your House for a Puppy

Do not leave trash or chemicals lying around for a puppy to get into!

When you're preparing to get a new puppy, you will want to make sure that you prepare your home. The most simple thing to do, is to go ahead and remove things from the floor and lower shelves that you don't want a puppy to get into. Move chemicals and cleaners into cabinets, move fragile and breakable things to a higher shelf, etc.

You'll want to find a few rooms where the puppy will have the most access to. Remove the rugs in those rooms, tie up anything that may hang or move, and basically put away anything that may look attracting to a puppy. You can figure out what to move or store away by getting down on the floor and looking around at a puppy's level.

It's best that you use rooms that do not have carpet as the puppy's main room. Consider the kitchen as a good room, as if accidents occur, they're easier to clean up. Plus, carpet seems to be an attractant to soil.

You want to go ahead and set up puppy gates in doorways and at stairs.

Purchase bitter spray for furniture, but do not spray all furniture with the spray just yet. You really want to wait until you have the puppy, so that you can test out the flavor and brand that you purchased, as for some dogs, bitter cherry may not taste too bad, whereas bitter apple may be horrible, and vice versa.

For the most part, you'll want to puppy proof your house, just like you were preparing for a child.

Choosing the Right Puppy

When thinking about getting a new puppy, you need to make sure that you evaluate your lifestyle. Not everyone needs a puppy, and not everyone can handle a Pit Bull puppy.

Pit Bulls are strong, assertive, stubborn, intelligent, loyal, and loving. They can be dominant.

Pit bulls require strong training and socialization throughout their life, as do most dog breeds, but this breed just isn't for everyone.

If you are thinking about getting a Pit Bull or mix, make sure that you keep in mind other pets in the house as well as children and elderly. You want to keep in mind that these dogs can be very protective of their owner and home. They can be territorial, and if not trained, they'll do whatever they want.

This doesn't mean that Pit Bulls are bad, nor does it mean that they should all be put down because they're not perfect. It just means, that if you're thinking about getting a Pit, you want to make sure that you know what you're getting into. Don't get a puppy just because your buddy has one or because your family member just got one and it's cute.

These dogs take a lot of work, but you'll find that if you're willing to put in the work, it is well worth it.

The Breed
When picking out a puppy, you want to keep in mind a few things, especially if you're not sure which breed you want.

1. Money. Larger dogs require more money, as they eat more and have a higher price at the vet.
2. Size. Not only do larger dogs cost more to take care of, but they are bigger than small dogs. If you don't have the room for a medium or large size dog, then you may need to bring home a small breed dog, instead.
3. Grooming. Dogs with more hair need to go to the groomer more often. If you don't want to pay a groomer, you can bath and trim the dog yourself, but this will cost you time, that you need to consider. Regular grooming for any dog will include nail clipping, baths, and dental care; hair cuts will vary depending on the dog's coat.
4. Training. Some dogs are easy to train, whereas others can be more stubborn. Although, the Pit Bull is a very intelligent breed, they can be stubborn and need constant training and regular routines.

When choosing the right dog breed for you, you'll need to really keep in mind the temperament traits and health traits for the breed, you're looking at. Pit Bulls have no prone health problems, although larger individuals can be subject to hip dysplasia. The breed is dominant and stubborn, which are considered flaws if you don't know how to train the dog properly.

Adoption
When it comes to choosing the puppy, consider adopting, as about 60% of dogs in shelters get euthanized a year, so it's a good idea to check out your local shelters to see what dogs are available needing homes. You may be surprised how many pure bred dogs are in shelters.

The Puppy
You want to make sure that you pick the right puppy for you and your lifestyle. In some cases, shelters will perform temperament tests and classify a puppy on what lifestyle he/she would fit into best. Breeders will also try to best fit a puppy to the potential owner.

You should still perform your own little tests.

If you want as dog that will be more laid back and submissive, you'll find that in puppies who will let you roll them over and remain on their back without too much struggle. 

A puppy that is more controlling will pull at their paw and chew at your hand, whereas a more who doesn't mind being controlled will let you hold onto their paw and gently tug it. 

Puppies that are more needy will want to stand or sit right next to you when in a new room, whereas a more independent puppy will prefer to walk around and explore.

A puppy that may have a little bit of separation anxiety will whine, bark, paw at the door, pant, etc when you walk out of a room, whereas one who doesn't have an anxiety problem will not mind you being gone.

A puppy that is food aggressive will growl, snarl, bark, or snap at you when you try to take food or a treat away.

Generally, you'll find that a younger and more active couple can happily raise a more active puppy, whereas a couple with children need a more laid back puppy.