Like infants, puppies need regular visits to the vet, but unlike the, these costs are not usually covered by insurance, unless you take out a policy or get one through the kennel club or through the place where you are adopting the pup.

They need house training, behavior training and socialization, education, if you will.  They need to be fed, watered, walked, at least several times a day and taught to act responsibly in a variety of situations, not least around children and other dogs.

Puppies go through a teething stage where they feel the irresistible urge to chew on everything in your house, and chewing also soothes and calms them.

We also need to be reminded that the cute cuddly puppy stage does not last long. Their size, temperament, activity level and coat all change. Puppies grow up very quickly into adult dogs.

In between the puppy and adult stage is a rebellious adolescent phase, where puppies require almost constant supervision, and will test their boundaries and your patience to the limit.

Depending on the breed, by the time puppies are one year old, they are considered adult dogs. Some breeds of dogs take longer to mature out of their adolescent phase than others, perhaps up to two years for large breeds, but most dogs are adult within 6 months to a year.

If you get them when they are 2 to 3 months old, (and we don’t generally recommend they be taken from their mother at less than 8 weeks), that means less than one year will be spent in cute cuddly puppy stage, compared to the next 10 to 15 years you will be living with the adult dog.

Puppies are cute, but by no means should one choose their dog solely on the looks of the pup. If you do not choose the right type of dog, your adult dog could grow up to be a holy terror, one not suited to you, your family, or your lifestyle and circumstances.

In the next section, we will list some questions you need to take a long hard think about before you opt for bringing any puppy or dog into your home.