How do you choose the right puppy?
A Border Collie female dog in a 20 m² apartment is a mistake. This dog needs over two hours of mental work and exercise daily. A Pug in an active household fits just as poorly; this dog cannot keep up. The breed determines energy level, drive to work and requirements.
First question: what fits my everyday life? Are you working from home or away for eight hours? Do you have a garden or only a balcony? Do you live actively (hiking, cycling) or quietly (reading, sofa)? Are there children in the house?
All these factors determine which breed is sensible at all. A breeder must ask you this and, if necessary, say: «This breed does not suit you.»
Male dog vs female dog, facts instead of myths
The myth says: female dogs are nicer, male dogs are stormy. The reality is more complicated. Temperament is not fixed by sex, but individual. A sensitive male dog can be gentler than a dominant female dog.
The biological differences: male dogs are on average larger (but not always). Male dogs mark more strongly (spray-like, to show territory), this is trainable, but present. Female dogs have a cycle (every six months) if not sterilised, which means bleeding.
After castration or sterilisation there is almost no biological difference. The only real distinguishing feature: size. Male dogs are often larger, sometimes significantly. If a five kilo difference does not suit you, take a female dog.
Otherwise: choose by character, not by sex.
Assessing the character of a puppy, what is realistic
The first problem: a puppy is not its future character. An eight-week-old puppy is neurobiologically still immature. You can see tendencies (shy, brave, playful), but cannot make predictions. That a brave puppy will also become a confident adult dog is likely, but not guaranteed. The breeder must know the parent generation and report on character traits: calm, active, annoying, anxious. This is more informative than an eight-week snapshot.
What you can see in puppies: how does it react to new things? (Curious or frightened?) How does it play? (Tolerant or dominant?) How does it seek contact? (Affectionate or independent?) These tendencies are real and count. A puppy that greets every person joyfully will probably become a social dog. A puppy that hides between the mother’s legs will probably be cautious.
Health checks before purchase, what you must insist on
Before you take a puppy, the breeder must show you: 1) Vaccination passport (first vaccination and deworming documented). 2) Microchip number (must be registered to the breeder, then transferred to you). 3) Castration agreement (in writing that the puppy will be castrated or sterilised, ideally immediately by the breeder or with a clause that you do it). 4) Health certificates of the parents: HD/ED (hip/elbow), eye assessment (depending on breed), other relevant tests. 5) Pedigree with at least three generations (to check inbreeding, realistically: inbreeding is present in almost all purebred breeding).
What you do after purchase: have your own vet examination ten to fourteen days later (your vet, not the breeder’s). Check for: bite alignment (are the teeth normally positioned?), hernias (umbilical, intestinal), heart/lungs (auscultation), eyes (clear, not inflamed?). This costs 50 to 100 CHF and gives you a baseline.
How to choose the right puppy
Visit the breeder several times, not just once. On the first visit you see emotion. On the second visit you see reality. Look at the mother: is she friendly or aggressive? Is she sterilised (ethical signal of breeding) or used for reproduction? Look at the father (if possible), some breeders use external male dogs, that is okay, but transparency counts.
With the puppies themselves: observe for 20 to 30 minutes without interacting. Who seeks contact? Who plays with siblings? Who is calm? Who is anxious? Note: if you like a puppy, the breeder will say whether this puppy suits you. Their assessment is valuable; they have known the puppy for eight weeks, you know it for 30 minutes.
The final question to you: if this puppy has behavioural problems at two years of age or health problems arise, can you cope with that? If not, do not buy yet. The probability is low, but the risk is not zero.