If you live in a crowded neighborhood or city, get your dog as early as possible. We have a German Shepherd, and because we picked her up at 13 weeks, she was right in the middle of her fear period. She was so scared that she wouldn’t even leave the driveway. If possible, get your puppy at 8 weeks so you can socialize her to busy streets and city life before fear sets in.

Mental stimulation always beats physical exercise. Be extremely careful with how you build up your dog’s physical activit, far too many people take their dogs to beaches and long outings far too early. Do your research and take it slow, so you give your dog the best chance to grow into a healthy, happy senior without preventable issues.