Puppies not good Christmas gifts

Holidays worst time to introduce new pet into family"JUST IN TIME FOR THE HOLIDAYS! ADORABLE PUPPIES, WILL HOLD TILL CHRISTMAS!"
Advertisements like this are all too common during the weeks prior to Christmas. However, the Humane Society of the United States, veterinarians, canine behavior experts and obedience training instructors all agree that live puppies should not be given as Christmas gifts. Many reputable breeders will refuse to sell puppies during the holiday season.
So why is giving a puppy as a Christmas gift so deeply imbedded into the American psyche? It could be from the seasonal advertisements on television and in catalogs, like the one published by L.L. Bean for the 2001 holiday season, which bombard us during the weeks prior to Christmas. Numerous ads show scenes of the ideal Christmas morning with precious puppies, wide-eyed and adorned with colorful Christmas bows. What could possibly be wrong with this picture?
Nothing. As advertisement, it does what it is meant to do. It creates an image that helps sell products. The problem occurs when people try to duplicate what they have seen on TV and in catalogs with a real puppy on Christmas Day.
So with all the warm fuzzy feelings associated with puppies, why is it such a bad idea to surprise someone with a cute puppy on Christmas morning? First, a potential pet owner should realize that puppies enter a "behavioral imprint period" between the ages of 7 to 12 weeks of age. During this time, a dog learns a majority of its behavior and develops its own personality. This is also when a puppy is developmentally best capable of leaving its litter and beginning to form bonds with a human family. Canine behavioral counselors and veterinarians agree that this is the right time to send a puppy home with its adoptive family. It is extremely important, however, that a puppy goes to a home environment that will not stress or unduly frighten it during this stage of development. Christmas morning, with its loud noises, flashing lights, ringing phones, visiting company and other types of excitement, is absolutely the worst time to introduce a newly weaned pup to its new human family.
The next problem with giving a pet for the holidays is that it could also send the message to a child that a puppy, like toys, is disposable once the newness wears off. Think of what happens to some toys and other gifts that are given to a child on Christmas. Within a few months, most of them have been forgotten, broken or traded. A puppy should not be thought of in the same category as a Christmas toy. Children need to be taught that a puppy, or any other animal, that is being adopted into the family will have needs of its own and require ongoing care. The puppy's care will demand commitment from all family members.
Finally, and most tragically, according to statistics kept by the HSUS, the majority of puppies born in the United States never reach their second birthdays, even though most breed's natural lifespan should be at least 13 years. Many of these dogs that run away from home or are dumped by their owners end up being hit by cars, starving or being fatally injured in fights with other animals. Other "unmanageable" pups are taken to shelters, pounds or vets where they are "put to sleep." The majority of these unnecessary canine deaths is squarely the responsibility of owners who did not understand what it would involve to properly train and socializes their puppy, or who did understand, but did not do the necessary work. All this because someone wanted their Christmas morning to look like a scene out of a Norman Rockwell painting.
If you are absolutely set upon getting your family a puppy for Christmas, consider these alternatives. Purchase a leash, a collar, and a good book on raising a puppy. You can buy a gift certificate for a veterinary checkup and for puppy socialization classes. Wrap all these up individually and place them under the tree. As they are opened one by one, the family's excitement and anticipation will grow. Before long, they will gradually understand what this present is! Then, after the Christmas tree is taken down and the rush of the holiday season is over, together the family can enjoy the anticipation and excitement of discussing and selecting the right pup. This will help increase the family's mutual commitment to the newest family member.
While no harm is done if a Christmas toy is put up and forgotten, a pet should not be discarded so easily. All pets should be given every opportunity to live long and wonderful lives in "forever homes." So before you go and buy that puppy for Christmas, carefully consider if you and your family are willing to give the time and lifetime care that your new pet deserves.
Eamon Riley is a certified master dog trainer and canine behavior counselor. For comments and suggestion, he can be reached at (940) 636-5777 or (940) 689-WAGS.