It could take as long as 3 years before they fully mature. Before they reach their third birthday, you have already endured 3 years of constant training and 3 years' worth of test on your patience and dedication. Don t say you weren t warned. If you are insistent with adopting a puppy, the following recommendations will help you in picking the one that matches you and your needs. Although most dogs would want an outside walk most of the time, there will be occasions when the dog would rather stay at home. Barring that the dog is ill; you could make every walk in the park as enjoyable an experience for both you and the dog. Set the pace. Start slowly. Dogs will always be excited during their first time out. Behind these, they would always be ready to obey and transfer their imagined superiority when there is firm and gentle guidance, with a whine maybe but never a complaint. Dogs are generally believed to have descended from wolves, hence the similarity. In antiquity, dogs that are near human settlements eat human refuse that resulted in shorter fangs, limp ears and smaller brains compared to wolves because these attributes are not being used anymore and has become unnecessary. There are literally hundreds of dog breeds you can choose from. To make the selection easier for you, you can either choose use dog breed selectors available online or use some begin your search with the breed you have set your eyes on. You can also narrow down your choices to certain characteristics like: - breed size, - energy level, - exercise requirements, - playfulness, - affection level, - tolerance towards other dogs or pets, - ease of training, - protection ability, - grooming requirements, and - tolerance to heat and cold Dog size Dogs have a wide range of sizes. - A dog is never a good gift. This is not only true for the dog but also for the recipient of the gift. To many people, even with dog lovers, dogs take too much time and too much work to have around especially so because a dog as a gift is an unplanned responsibility. - Often, the worst time to give a dog is to a person that has just suffered the loss of a loved one, in order to cheer the person up. When you are trough playing with the puppy, go to the spot. When the puppy has finished eating, go to the spot. Every two hours after that, go to the same spot. Sooner or later, the puppy will get the idea. All it takes is patience and how ready you are because bringing home a new dog to the house will take responsibility.