I’ve worked as a volunteer in shelter adoptions for many years. There is always a great debate about Christmas puppies – Christmas pets in general. On one had, there is certainly a downside to viewing pets as gifts (and it goes without saying – but I’m saying it – that a pet should never be a given as a surprise gift even to a family member, significant other or close friend). On the other hand, a lot of people have down time over the holidays, which allows them to spend more time training and acclimating the new puppy.

If you will be traveling or otherwise have a very busy holiday schedule, a better gift than a puppy might be dog-related items – training books, DVDs, a stuffed puppy, Dogopoly – and a note detailing plans to adopt after the holidays. You can spend time with your family on the internet, browsing petfinder.com, researching breeds, having each person make a list of what they’d like in a dog, even listing potential names. I mean, why waste the excitement build up (and the bribe potential) of the puppy-getting process by simply showing up with one?

If, however, this is a good time for you to bring a new puppy in the household, and you’ve HONESTLY assessed your ability to raise a puppy given your resources and lifestyle, I’ll give you a few tips. I’m writing this for families who have children, and primarily for families who have little dog experience. But there’s probably something in here for everyone – and if you are an experienced dog person, you may have some advice of your own to add.

Selecting your puppy –

1. Be aware of state laws regarding puppy sales and adoptions. Typically, puppies cannot be adopted until at least 8 weeks of age. Before that time, a puppy may be eating on his own, and appear perfectly autonomous, but he is still learning doggie social things from his mom and littermates (things you cannot teach him). There may also be requirements regarding vaccinations, testing, or spay/neuter. If you encounter a shelter or individual flaunting the laws of your state – or trying to adopt out a very young puppy – go elsewhere.

2. Don’t be lulled into the idea of breed conformity. World class breeders breed to breed standard, including behavior traits. The lady down the street who mated her Golden Retriever via Craigslist ad is not a world class breeder. Her Golden Retriever puppy has no greater chance of exhibiting all the positive traits of a Golden than any other puppy, although I’m sure she’ll say, "Golden’s are GREAT with kids!" If you are heartset on a particular breed of puppy, research breeders and get on a waiting list for one of their puppies. Yes, you will have to wait. Great breeders don’t rush; they don’t overbreed their dogs; their puppies are in high demand, for a reason.

3. Shelter puppies are awesome, especially if you get one from a shelter with a good reputation for temperament testing and cleanliness. All of my pups have been shelter pups. Even so, puppies in a shelter environment are at risk for illnesses related to the housing of large numbers of puppies and dogs. Most of these illnesses are not serious, particularly if the puppy has had its vaccinations, but plan on taking your puppy to the vet right away for a check-up and possible preventative care. When you go to a shelter, be respectful of their policies – they are in place for a reason, even if that reason doesn’t seem to apply to you. Listen to their advice. If they are trying to steer you away from one puppy, there’s probably a reason.

4. Avoid the pet store, unless it’s a pet store that offers puppies from local shelters. Detailing the problems (moral, financial and physical) with pet store and puppy mill puppies would take all day. If you’re interested in the issue, there’s plenty of research on the web.

5. The younger a puppy is, the less anyone can tell you about her. As an experienced temperament tester, I can evaluate an average 8 week-old puppy and determine if she is generally outgoing or generally timid, generally reactive or generally watchful, generally interested in people or generally more independent, but unless the puppy has some clear temperament problems, I cannot say if she will grow up to be a great family dog. It’s a gamble. For families with very young children (under 7), I like to adopt out puppies that are 4-6 months of age (or older). At that age, I can get a very clear picture of overall personality, energy level, trainability, interest in children, and more accurately pinpoint negative traits that need work.

6. Assuming an expert will not be going with you to adopt a puppy, educate yourself on temperament testing. When adopting to families with young children, I like puppies that are excited by and interested in children, but not easily worked up into a state of rough play or mouthiness. I like puppies that follow and come to me when I call them. I like puppies that seem to have an innate ability to read human body language; just like some people are much better at it than others, some puppies are much better at it than others. Puppies with this ability watch faces. They stop what they are doing if you turn away from them, or show disinterest in what they are doing, or if you give a disapproving noise. Puppies that are rough and tumble and mouthy, independent-minded, or disinterested or frightened by children aren’t likely to be bad dogs, but they may not have the temperament to be easily raised in a household with young children or with inexperienced owners. They need homes with experienced owners, in households where everyone is old enough to actively participate in training.

7. Don’t reject the idea of an adult dog. Rescues and shelters are full of amazing adult dogs that are well-behaved and sweetly-tempered. While there some fun things about raising a puppy, you aren’t missing much if you skip ahead a year or two and adopt an adult dog that’s past a lot of annoying stages that make puppyhood challenging. And the love comes, even if you missed the early years. Trust me, it does.

If you’ve done your homework, educated yourself, and you’ve committed yourself to raising the kind of dog that will become an enjoyable family companion (with all of the training that entails), my prediction is that – eventually – you’ll end up like the rest of us dog lovers. You’ll select your dog for your profile photo. You’ll fret over endlessly over your dog’s food. You’ll select your next car based upon whether the seats can be wiped down after the mud from the dog park. And maybe one day you’ll find yourself volunteering at a shelter, helping other puppies find their perfect owners. That’s my Christmas wish.