Affenpinscher

Are You Ready for a Puppy? Before you consider adopting a puppy, please keep in mind that puppies are a lot of work! You'll need to thoroughly puppy proof your house, bring him/her to puppy obedience classes, and socialize him/her with all sorts of people, places, & animals. The more time and energy you "put into" a pup, the happier you'll be as they get older.
Socializing: We can't emphasize enough just how crucial it will be to socialize your pup from the moment you adopt him/her. You'll need to expose your puppy to the world s/he'll be expected to live in as an adult. This means socializing him/her to all sorts of people (be sure your pup meets people from different ethnicities, as well as different clothing styles, particularly people wearing hats), places, dogs, noises, sights, situations, etc. S/he will have met plenty of people/dogs during his/her stay at Rehome A Dog, but you'll still need to work on socializing your pup every day. If you want to adopt an older pup, fear not! You can still socialize your pup. Start right away and proceed just as you would with a younger pup.
Housetraining: Up until 4-5 months of age, their bladders cannot physically "hold it" for more than a few hours at a time. Generally a puppy can "hold it" 1 hour more than a pup's age in months. For instance, a 2-month-old puppy should be able to hold his/her bladder for 3 hours while a 5-month-old pup can hold it for 6 hours. Of course, some puppies can hold it longer while others cannot. Small breed dogs, for instance, take considerably longer to housetrain. If you are away from home for more than six hours a day, a puppy would not be a good choice (unless you have someone who could come in and let the puppy outside to potty while you are gone).
Young children: Young puppies are generally not good matches for children under the age of 6 because all puppies nip when they play and have very sharp teeth. Pups 4 months and older should be fine with the wee ones though, so long as you know in advance that pups at this age are still going through the oral stage and like to mouth things, will nip on hands at first when playing, need a lot of attention, and are very bouncy.
Chewing: All puppies chew (often until they are a year old), so make sure you buy plenty of doggie toys, bones, kongs, and have a great sense of humor!
If taking care of a puppy sounds overwhelming to you, consider adopting an older pooch — they are often much, much easier and just as sweet!

Anyone interested in adopting one of our "available dogs" is encouraged to fill out our Adoption Application. Once we have received your inquiry, a RAD volunteer will contact you.