Puppies start learning immediately. Reputable breeders are aware of this and are very involved in doing early training prior to you taking the pup into your home. They do constructive socialization, introduce the pup to the home environment and may even do some early potty training. A well-mannered, easily trained puppy is one of your goals and the first step toward that goal is the selection of a good breeder.

Most people who sell puppies in the newspaper are not professional breeders. They may have a litter or two, maybe even keep one and sell the other puppies. While there are exceptions, in most cases these are well meaning people but just are not adequately experienced in preparing the puppies for adoption. Then, of course, there are the not so well meaning people who are just looking for the profit and are doing very little if anything to prepare the puppy for a new home. They are simply waiting for the puppies to get old enough to sell. And we have all heard of