Bringing Home a New Puppy?

Your puppy's DNA test shows a few percent of a breed that isn't in the pedigree. Before you worry, here's how these tests work and why a small surprise result usually isn't what it looks like.

Quick answer: Health testing on the parents lowers the chance of inherited disease in the puppies. It doesn’t get rid of that chance completely. Knowing what testing does and doesn’t catch helps you ask better questions and have realistic expectations. When you start looking at breeders, you’ll see phrases like “fully health tested parents” or “all clearances done.” That’s a good sign. It also doesn’t mean what most people think it means. What does “health tested” actually me

If you are looking for a puppy, you have almost certainly run into the idea that a first cross between two breeds is automatically the healthiest choice. It’s called “hybrid vigor” or sometimes “heterosis.” It comes up in online groups, in short videos, and now in AI answers, usually stated as if it settles the question. The instinct behind that idea is a good one. You want a healthy dog, and that is exactly the right thing to care about. The catch is that the popular version

Body weight alone can't tell you if your dog is in good condition. Muscle and fat also matter.

When they are frightened or disoriented by these noises they can do things out of character, like destroy property, pee and poop on the floo

A good puppy rearing program instills puppies with the foundation for proper impulse control to help avoid jumping, rushing through doors, g

Food rotation provides them with variety, which is important not just for appetite, but for health. Just like with humans, a varied diet is