If you are insistent with adopting a puppy, the following recommendations will help you in picking the one that matches you and your needs. Look for a dog with a clean bill of health. Sure, puppies develop diseases as they grow into mature dogs. Still, a clean bill of health should be the first thing you should look for in a potential would-be puppy. This fee covers for the maintenance cost of the dog, for spaying or neutering fee, and for other expenses. There are, in fact, plenty of animal shelters that are happy to give their dogs for free. Though it is not always advisable to take a dog home for free. You can also save on training expenses because most dogs in animal shelters have been housebroken and trained. Obviously and for very practical reasons, the dog needs obedience training. Little coaching like sit, heel, stop, stay, and come, goes a long way in teaching your dog manners that are very useful in situations when you would want to communicate with the dog and be understood. The dog is also likely to respect the owner more if the owner is consistent and firm with what he wants the dog to do. Dogs with more natural looking ears could hear and detect sounds much better. Humans may have five million smell sensitive cells enough to make scent detection and scent identification efficient but dogs have 220 million cells in their nose cavities. Mans love affair with dogs goes a very long way that today; there are more breed of dogs than any other animal species on earth. The idea is to attach the leash the first time associating it with happy occasion or at least occasions that are non- threatening. As much as possible, the leash must never be attached to the dog in ways that will be interpreted as punishment, at least not during the first few times. Initially, the pup will jump, pull, nip, whine, and show fear when leashed. Prior to going to the animal shelter, you have thought about the dog's breed, dog's size, the dog's temperament, in fact even the color of the dog's fur. Don t forget these things when looking for the pet you would like to bring home. If you think you would easily fall for a dog, ask your wife, your brother, or a friend to tag along at the animal shelter.