03/10/2025
-Puppy Mondays: Week 1-
Meet Monday!
Monday is an 8wk old black lab from a reputable breeder and is hopefully going to grow up to be my next demo, sport, and service dog. At only 8wks old though we are just focusing on learning about the world and I want to take you guys along on the journey so you can learn with us!
My goal is to every Monday (see what I did there? 😉) make a post about what our previous week looked like. Since I’ve only had him since Friday evening I thought I would start with a few ways I set him up for success BEFORE bringing him home.
The first thing I did when I decided to get a puppy was research and a lot of it!
Starting with breed, I knew I was looking for a dog to take over Luna’s job as demo and service dog. While Luna is a great service dog for me Malinois aren’t really an ideal breed for the job, she’s more of a unicorn in that regard. Goldens, labs, and poodles are currently the most popular for service work due to their high rate of success and natural aptitude for the job. After a lot of research, talking to people who own the breeds, talking to other trainer friends who know what type of dogs I like, thoroughly doing a self-evaluation of what I need AND what I could honestly handle, and spending some extra time with the breeds, I decided labs were the best choice for me. For me a lot of it honesty came down to labs have the easiest coat as all three could have fit into my life just fine, i just like easy “wash and wear” dogs 😆
The second thing I did after picking a breed, was picking where it came from. Like I mentioned above, Monday is from a breeder. But not all breeders are created equal, so one of the best things I did to set my puppy up for success was to make sure I bought from an ethical source. For Monday that meant buying from an ethical breeder who breeds for the betterment of the breed and NOT to make a profit. My breeder health tests the parents through OFA, titles them in multiple sports, breeds based on temperament and goals (i.e family pets, sport dogs, service dogs, hunting dogs, etc), places puppies based on temperament and family goals (i.e I got the puppy who tested best for service and demo work, but also had the drive for sports, his siblings that tested better for hunting went to hunting homes, and his siblings that tested better for the job of family pet went to pet homes), they didn’t allow new owners to choose their puppies, and the parents are loved members of the family not just breeding stock. My breeder also provided tons of early socialization and other things you would want started like potty training from a VERY young age! This means my puppy is already super bold and confident and is already doing great with potty training!
I went with a breeder because I wanted and needed something very specific. And while I could have found what I was looking for in the shelter (and I have in the past, as Luna was from a shelter), I’ve already made that bet recently and lost. I raised him for almost 2yrs, first for myself and then for anfriend when it became clear he was too small for myself and the ONLY reason that shelter dog isn’t a service dog today (for me or my friend) is because he was irresponsibly bred and has already been diagnosed with hip dysplasia at 2 years old. Which could have been prevented with health testing of his parents. It broke my heart, so this time I decided to stack the cards in my favor. That shelter dog is a once in a lifetime dog and is living the best life with his new family. You don’t have to go to a breeder to find good dogs, but it’s ok if a breeder is the right choice for you. Adopt or shop, just makes are It’s responsibly.
Picking the breed that is the best fit for your lifestyle and making sure you get them from a responsible and ethical place (meaning not a puppymill or backyard breeder) goes a LONG way in setting you and your new dog up for success and can make the process of bringing your new dog home so much easier!
Dog training in Hannibal, Mo, Quincy, IL, and surround areas. It’s not magic, it’s dog training!
