Christmas puppies...some advice

You know i interview every person that wants one of my babies.  They have to visit several times to get to know

puppy.  Christmas puppys are very exciting and the tiny usually end up hypo (low blood sugar ) due to to much

excitement.  I agree with you totally Keep the pup a few more days it may save its life.  I always keep my pups

10 weeks no matter what!

Stormy, excellent post!

I believe there are times when a Christmas puppy can work well, and times when it can't. Much depends on why the people are getting it, what breed they're getting, what they know about puppies, and what training they have planned to do. Also, what makes some people think that if they've already made plans to visit the relatives for either the day, weekend, etc., that they'll have time for a brand new puppy that shouldn't be left alone for very long at all?

Getting a puppy because they saw one in a movie and thought it was so cute, and either they or their very young kids would love it, is not a good reason to get a puppy. When I think of how many people got Dalmatians after 101 Dalmatians came out and who knew nothing about the breed at all, and how many of those dogs ended up in shelters, it's pretty sad...and even worse, it happens every time a new movie that has a cute dog in it comes out. Not to mention all the back-yard breeders who jump on the bandwagon, and even worse - people who see it as an opportunity to make fast money so they get into breeding that particular breed to cash in.

There are people who think about the logistics of getting a puppy during the holidays; these people have generally done a good amount of homework about getting a dog to begin with, so it can work out very well for them. But I do agree with the poster who mentioned the shelter adopting puppies; it's no wonder too many shelter-adopted puppies get taken back to the shelters. Perhaps shelters should require people to take a dog training class with the dog they want to adopt before they approve the adoption?

Some interesting links:

www.petrescue.com/library/no-pups.htm

http://cyberpet.com/cyberdog/articles/lexi/cmgifts.htm

www.bcrescue.org/puppygift.html

I'm hoping to have a puppy around Christmas this year.  (madly crosses fingers) The puppy would not technically be a Christmas present, as this dog has been long anticipated, but I'll call him my Christmas present if we do get him.  

Living in SoCal, weather is not a problem, and as a grad student I have extra time during the winter break. And ... bwahaha... a puppy would be an EXCELLENT reason to keep family visits short.  "Oh, I'd love to stay but we must be getting Jr. home"

Maxs Mom

However I read that is the BEST time to housebreak. They don't want to be out either and do there duties quickly so they can go back in and be warm. I agree with you, but most of my children have been winter come home pups, and all were easy to housebreak. On a funny note, I inadvertantly trained a couple of them to "go" using the verbal command "hurry up". I would be standing there freezing and would say hurry up, one day I noticed when I said it they went.

 

lol--That only works if you have a dog that cares about being out in the cold--Jack did not. 

I think if a child has really wanted a dog for awhile and the parents have spent their time researching the right breed for their family then a Christmas puppy could work out wonderfully. My parents never bought me any living animal for a holiday gift but if they had the outcome would have still been the same. The animal would have been something I wanted and it would have been taken care of well. Christmas isn't always a hectic madhouse at every household. The Christmases at my house were always fairly calm. There was excitement in the air but not a lot of guests and nobody freaking out excessively over their gifts. That kind of Christmas celibration would not harm a puppy I don't think. My parents surprised me with my first puppy after a long day at a family reunion. We stopped at the pet store in the mall (I know, we didn't know better. This was the late '80's before all those puppy mill exposes came out) and we looked at a little cocker pup. I didn't care what type of dog we got, I was so desparate for a dog I was definitely not picky! In retrospect my parents and I agree that it should have been planned out a little better since it was a spur of the moment decision for them too. My mom thought that a cocker spaniel would be like Lady in Lady and the Tramp. Wrong! A cocker might not have been the best breed for our family but he was loved very much and taken care of well and lived to be 15 years old even though he had epilepsy and bit my face almost clean through to the inside of my mouth! (we kept him at my insistence) I tell them now that if they had stopped and thought about it a Sheltie would probably have been a better choice since I loved Lassie but my parents didn't want a big dog. A sheltie would have been a perfect compromise. It's those little details that could make or break a gift puppy. With a little thought on the part of the adults a Christmas puppy could work out OK but I do agree that the best gift would be the items that go along with a dog. My mom would have done that and has given gifts like that; individually wrapped up a leash and a collar and a food bowl and a book of dog breeds so that as each one was slowly opened it would dawn on me a little more what I was going to get!

I have an example of a Christmas puppy working out!

Buster was a Christmas puppy.  My dad adopted him for my sister and I and kept him at his then girlfriends house until Christmas eve when he brought him home.  My sister and I didn't even know he was in the house until we woke up Christmas morning to a 3 month old pup running up the stairs to greet us.  

At the time my sister was 7 and I was 12.  We were also on a weird living schedule, living with dad from September to March and visiting mom every other weekend - then living with mom March to Sept and visiting dad every other weekend.  So our dad knew he would be the one taking the responsibility of the dog for the most part.  

I think it did teach me a lot of responsibility because when I was with our dad I took care of Buster.  I would feed him, give him water and even walk him through our neighorhood.  As a family we would go on hikes and bike rides with him too, so this Christmas puppy was well taken care of and the adult knew it would be his responsibility.  

When I turned 19 and my dad got sick I took Buster to live with me and he has been my shadow ever since.  We had always had a close bond, but when I took him to live with me we just got closer.

I think that if the adult is ready for a puppy, it can work, but the holidays are just so hectic already I think waiting until the holidays are over would be even better.  I know that personally, my DH and I will never get a puppy around this time...honestly I don't kow how my dad made it work so well.

SalemsMom

I think the problem with "Christmas Puppies" is that generally (but not always) they are bought as a gift for a child, and the parent expects the child to take care of the puppy completely. That NEVER works whether it is Christmas or not. Every person in the household needs to want a dog and 1 ADULT needs to be the primary caregiver and make sure the puppy is being properly cared for and trained. I think that if that criteria is met then a Christmas Puppy will work just as well as an any other day of the year puppy.

 

I couldn't have said it better myself!

I think Christmas puppies can work out just fine, but most times...they are impulse decisions.  Once, my husband got a puppy without asking any of us (I had a 2 month old newborn at the time) and it was very stressful on us all, and none of us ever really bonded with the dog.  I don't think he loved us either...he had stress issues resulting in chronic diarrhea (I had to sterilize his crate every day).  We took him back to the breeder after two months to see if she could help get him better since the big bucks we spent on vet bills hadn't resolved anything.  We went back to see him a week later, and he barked madly at us as if we were strangers.  It was very odd. 

With Misty, we went as a family.  We had gone to see about 6 puppies prior to seeing her, but we knew when we interacted with her that she was IT for us.  She was a mutual decision of all six of us, and we love her dearly...in spite of her little idiosynchrosasies!

 I guess my point is, I think a decision as big as having a new family member to care for, should be something everyone decides on and agrees on.  Getting a puppy for small children never works out well either.  When we got Misty, she was basically for ME (and my hubby was on board with the idea)  I wanted her, but the kids helped choose her...(if that makes sense)  I looked online for her for two months because I wanted a dog, and knew she was my responsibility.

A few years ago we got Co-co who I consider to be a Christmas puppy (got her Dec. 28th) but it didn't happen the way it was planned.  We had 2 dogs at the time but I was wanting another one.  DH started saying he was gonna get me a puppy for Christmas, but I didn't really believe him, at first, then I started to get pretty excited about it.  Well he went to the shelter and picked one out.  He was supposed to pick it up on Dec. 24 but they called him and said he couldn't get the dog b/c it had gotten sick and they'd been trying to get it better for a few days with no luck, so they gave him is money back.  He felt bad that he'd gotten my hopes up and then came up empty on the puppy.  So he started looking around for another pup.  On December 28th he heard about a litter and got directions for us to go and look at the pups.  It was fun getting to be the one to pick out which pup we got.  I already knew about training and that sort of thing and we already had dogs that we had to take out anyway, so it worked out fine.  I do think it would have been cool to actually get her on Christmas though.

 Basically, the point of all this is that a Christmas puppy can work out if everyone is ready to take on the responsiblity and that even if you wait a few days after Christmas to physically get the pup it can still be considered a Christmas pup.

Just my $.02

I don't think I would ever give a puppy or kitten, lets say live animal, as a present that doesn't mean I would get one for myself.  Darby may be considered a X-mas puppy, he isn't really but we brought him home on December 8, 2006.  We had decided we wanted a puppy, we lost Sunshine in June and I was ready and needed a puppy in the house again.  And I am so happy we got him when we did, I don't know if I would have made it through the holidays without him.

This year we are bringing home a baby sister for Darbs and she will be coming home around December 7, not a X-mas puppy but a well thought out and researched addition to the family.  So I guess it depends, if the new pet is for yourself or family and everyone agrees then it's a wonderful idea, but a surprise gift..... not so a hot idea I think. 

 

Well we will be picking up our pyr pup on December 2. We have waited for this puppy for months and months. I cant say that I think giving a child a puppy for Christmas is the best idea, unless like others have said there is 1 parent willing to be the main care giver.  We will have ( who I call now Little Miss No Name, cuz we cant decide on a name) for almost 3 weeks before Christmas. I don't work so there's not a problem there. My youngest child will be 17 on the 21st  of December so that's not a problem with responsibility either. I can't wait for our family picture this year. The furry babies will steal the show. ( As usual) I hope everyone has a wonderful, blessed holiday season!

First thought is simple and from the heart of a Breeder.... DON'T.  If you had what I would consider to be the misfortune of a Christmas litter and , sad to say but that's just how Mother Nature can roll, I would not simply think out what I needed to do but would write it down, it makes your thoughts more concise and shows you the flaws in your plans.  The following suggestions are for both the breeder and the new family.

Do Not allow puppy to go to the house for a "Santa Drop Off"  Instead request they buy a stuffed toy or the doggie bed and fill it with the pup's new toys and accessories or a simple gift certificate to a pet store, a  pre paid debit card and several catalogs,  Snap shots of the puppy and it's parents put into a binder with pedigree and a book or two that is breed specific. Pooper scoopers, Have the whole family get together if possible. Have them hunt down good training books and maybe a trainer for the puppy kindergarten class?  A puppy photo album  you get the drift... if the pup is for  a child use the holiday to prepare for the pup's arrival. Where is pup going t o sleep?  What rules do they think will make the puppy a great family member?  How can they make sure puppy will be one of the greats? Talk about names , explaining call and registered... and make up a to -do list   Call vet for the first visit, get everything set up, puppy proof the house and all of your new presents... establish the schedule for housebreaking , feeding etc... and call the breeder /family to make sure they know you are determined to make sure this puppy has a brilliant future.

As a Breeder I send a packet of info , toys, collar, leads, bowls, 5 pound bag of food and 6-8 toys , the pedigree and photos and I make sure they understand we would take the pup back in a heartbeat m any time any condition... I would make sure the subject of refund wwas clearly spelled out.

Sending the puppy home to be under the tree in a basket with a bow is really cruel to everyone. the chances of accidents on carpets that are already cleaned for company.  A puppy that get's underfoot while pulling a big dinner out of the stove isn't off to the best of starts. Some pups have what seems like a zero fear level, why chance messing that up ? How fast would the Ho Ho HO go out of the day should you have some one step on the pup or a younger cousin get too excited and puppy pays the price.

Best of Luck

Bonita of Bwana

 

I think it is obvious to everyone why giving a pet as a "gift" can be a problem anytime of the year.  Too many people get pets without understanding the commitment necessary to raising that puppy (or kitten) and give it a forever home. 

Banning Christmas pets is necessary, it helps to prevent and deter those who would normally not even consider a new pet except for wanting to give the “perfect gift” so to speak.  My girlfriend wanted a Cockatoo so bad and her Mom and Dad decided to give her one for Christmas when we were around 12 years old.  After one month they sent him back.  Even a pet as simple as a bird seems caused her mother grief.  Feathers and seed all over the floor constantly, the cage was so big she wasn’t happy with putting it anywhere in the house and cleaning the cage constantly she demanded the bird go back!

Same with another college friend and a kitten, the kitten had to go to shelter because it clawed up the mom’s leather couch and that was a birthday present.  I ended up taking that kitten and keeping her for 15 years, she was the best Cat ever!

I also know many success stories where gift giving of pets worked out wonderfully!!  It’s all about commitment and at gift giving times people react to the joy of giving not the joy of having.

 

I believe that for the most part, it's best to get the puppy in October or very early November or January when all the holiday excitement is over. On my website I suggest to children that they be patient and think about the puppy's needs. Will a new puppy be frightened by all of the new people, noises, and smells? Will a new new dog be lonely when you are gone to parties, dinners, and holiday parties?�� How will the puppy react to to stress and loneliness? Will he develop behavior problems because of this? Will your family have time for feeding, grooming, petting, walking, and training?

I encourage kids to ask for everything but the puppy (gift box idea). I tell them to ask their parents to Include all the supplies they will need when they get the puppy. In the meantime I encourage them to find ways to be patient like reading books about dogs, looking at websites, watching great movies about dogs, walking a neighbor's dog, getting a stuffed animal, writing a cool story about dogs, or drawing pictures of the kind of dog they  want.�

 I do think waiting until January will eliminate a lot of returned puppies in late winter or spring.