Before You Bring a Dog Home: The Decisions That Matter Most
Which dog, from where, and what the first months need. The choices made before a dog comes home, and what the research says about each one.
Written by thecanineledger
This page carries no advertising, and nothing on it is for sale.
1. Start where you are
| If you are… | Start here |
|---|---|
| Deciding which breed or type of dog | §2: Which dog |
| Choosing where to get a puppy | §3: Where the dog comes from |
| Thinking of adopting a dog from abroad | §4: Dogs from other countries |
| Bringing a puppy home soon | §5: The first months |
| Wondering whether you’re ready | §6: Time, training and cost |
| Wondering how this section works | §7: How this section works |
The most expensive mistakes in owning a dog are often made before the dog comes home: a breed with serious inherited disease, a puppy from a farm, an imported dog carrying an infection. They are also the easiest to avoid, because the decision hasn’t been made yet.
While the dog in front of you is the one you’ll fall for, the research below is worth reading first.
2. Which dog
Breeds differ a great deal in health. In UK vet records, French Bulldogs had higher odds of 20 of 43 common disorders than other dogs, many linked to their flat faces (O’Neill et al., Canine Med Genet 2021). A mixed breed isn’t automatically healthier: a US study found no difference between purebred and mixed-breed dogs for 13 of 24 inherited disorders (Bellumori et al., J Am Vet Med Assoc 2013).
→ Choosing a Breed or a Mix: The Health Data Breeders Don’t Lead With
3. Where the dog comes from
In a large US owner survey, dogs bought as puppies from pet stores scored worse than dogs from noncommercial breeders on 12 of 14 behaviour measures (McMillan et al., J Am Vet Med Assoc 2013). The study shows an association, not a cause.
Warning signs when buying include not seeing the puppy with its mother, a seller who offers to deliver, and a deposit asked for before you’ve seen the puppy.
→ Puppy Farms and Pet-Store Puppies: What the Behaviour Studies Found
4. Dogs from other countries
Import rules have tightened in Canada, the US and Great Britain since 2022, mainly because of rabies and Brucella canis. In Canada and Britain, rehoming a rescue dog counts as a commercial import. A rabies certificate doesn’t always mean a dog is protected: in an Ontario study, 48% of imported rescue dogs with certificates had low antibody levels (Belanger et al., Zoonoses Public Health 2025).
→ Adopting a Dog From Abroad: Rabies Rules, Brucella, and What Changed
5. The first months
The early weeks are when a puppy learns most easily that new things are safe. The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior says “it should be the standard of care for puppies to receive such socialization before they are fully vaccinated” (AVSAB, 2008), with precautions to keep the infection risk low.
→ Socialisation Before Full Vaccination: The Risk Both Ways → Core and Non-Core Vaccines: What the 2024 WSAVA Guidelines Say
6. Time, training and cost
A UK study of puppies bought during the pandemic found that “Almost one third of owners had underestimated how hard training their dog would be; this view was more likely among first-time owners” (Brand et al., Animals 2024).
Before getting a dog, it’s worth being honest about the time for training and exercise, who will care for the dog when you’re away, and what vet care will cost over the dog’s life. → Vet Bills, Medicines and Decisions
Our note: We haven’t found a reliable source for the lifetime cost of owning a dog, so we give no figure.
7. How this section works
This section draws on vet records, peer-reviewed studies and government rules. Much of the best evidence on breed health comes from UK practice records, and we say when a figure is UK only. Where rules depend on the country, we say which country a rule applies to.
We don’t link to breeders, puppy marketplaces or rescue organisations, and we earn nothing from this section.
8. What we could not verify
| Commonly said | What we found |
|---|---|
| “Mixed breeds are healthier” | Not always. No difference for 13 of 24 inherited disorders in one US study. |
| “Adopting from abroad is the same as adopting locally” | Not legally. Canada and Britain treat rehoming as a commercial import. |
| The lifetime cost of a dog | Not found from a source we’d stand behind. |
Sources
- O’Neill DG, Packer RMA, Francis P, et al. French Bulldogs differ to other dogs in the UK in propensity for many common disorders: a VetCompass study (Canine Med Genet 2021; full text read)
- Bellumori TP, Famula TR, Bannasch DL, Belanger JM, Oberbauer AM. Prevalence of inherited disorders among mixed-breed and purebred dogs (J Am Vet Med Assoc 2013; abstract read)
- McMillan FD, Serpell JA, Duffy DL, Masaoud E, Dohoo IR. Differences in behavioral characteristics between dogs obtained as puppies from pet stores and those obtained from noncommercial breeders (J Am Vet Med Assoc 2013; abstract read)
- Belanger CR, Anderson MEC, Weese JS, Spence KL, Clow KM. Comparing rabies antibody titres in imported dogs to a population of dogs in Ontario, Canada (Zoonoses Public Health 2025; abstract read)
- American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior: Position Statement on Puppy Socialization (2008; not peer-reviewed; read)
- Brand CL, O’Neill DG, Belshaw Z, et al. Owner-reported problem behaviours in a UK Pandemic Puppies cohort at 21 months of age (Animals 2024; abstract read)
Always confirm with your vet before acting on anything on this page.