New puppy advice

[rolo84]

Hi all,

Myself and my partner are planning on getting a puppy soon. Hopefully a Shih tzu or similar breed. Neither of us has ever had a dog before, any advice?

Thanks!

Read up properly on what responsibilities and demands on your time come with dog ownership.

Check you can afford it comfortably

Make sure your puppy is well-bred (read up on how to avoid puppy farms) and although individual dog's temperaments vary, make sure you understand the breed traits (both behavioural and common disorders) and are sure you know what you are letting yourself in for (and that where applicable, parents have had health tests).

Why a shih tzu? What do you mean by "similar breeds"?

Firstly, they are not cheap pets, the vet is expensive, insurance is expensive, walkers/daycare is expensive, half decent food (not supermarket crap kibble) is expensive.

Have a real think about what you want from a dog and also what you can offer a dog.

Puppies are jerks. They shit on the floor, chew your stuff, bite, cry at night etc. It’s also not uncommon to not be able to leave them AT ALL for the first few weeks, could you facilitate that? I’d recommend reading through some of the puppy threads.

Shihtzus and other small breeds are very very popular with puppy farmers so you would
need to work hard to find a good breeder

You haven't really given us much to go on.

What's your plan for the puppy? Do you work from home or will you need to pay for daycare and/or a walker?