What behavioral problems might a pet store puppy have?

Puppies should be taken out often in order to establish good housetraining behavior. A local pet store (and almost all pet stores that sell dogs) does not take their puppies outdoors, and leaves them to poop and pee in their cages. This, according to vets and trainers, is one of the reasons pet store puppies can be much more likely to cause property damage (and aggravation!) with poor housetraining.

Additionally, since pet store puppies are left without human interaction most of the day, and all night, many begin barking incessantly for stress relief and recreation. They may also develop an abnormal sleep pattern because of noisy surroundings, and these habits may be incompatible with life in your home.

If you are interested in avoiding these common problems, seek a dog from a responsible breeder (responsible breeders NEVER sell to pet stores), a rescue that does in-home foster care, or a dog from a shelter's in-home foster care program.

If you must buy a pet store puppy, please ask the owner these questions, and DON'T BUY if they don't give you an acceptable answer!

Also, request their USDA license number, and do some research online and in writing to find out if they have had citations on their USDA inspection record--kennels can stay in business even if dead animals were found on the property, animals with untreated diseases were suffering, or other serious problems were noted.