Where to Get a Puppy
Whether selecting your prospective pup from a professional breeder or from a family breeding a litter for the very first time, the criteria are the same.
First, look for puppies raised indoors around human companionship and influence. Avoid pups raised in an outdoor run or kennel. Remember, you want a puppy to share your home, and so look for a puppy that has been raised in a home. See Choosing Your Puppy: How To Select A Good Breeder
Second, assess your prospective puppy's current socialization and education status. Regardless of breed, breeding, pedigree, and lineage, if your prospective puppy's socialization and training programs are not underway well before eight weeks of age, he is already developmentally retarded.
Adapted from BEFORE You Get Your Puppy by Dr. Ian Dunbar