Picking the Perfect Puppy or Dog: A New Book from Andrew Ledford

Andrew Ledford here, talking a little about my new book “Picking the Perfect Puppy or Dog.” I have been training dogs and their owners in the same general area for more than 35 years. Most of my adult life this has been in Orange County and the greater Los Angeles area, with a few forays overseas. A question that comes up a lot with people who are thinking about getting a dog is, "How do I know which dog is right for me?"

It is a reasonable question with an answer that's more complicated than one would expect. Some people are lucky and find the right dog by chance or with the help of a placement program from a rescue group. However, many people don’t have a way to evaluate the compatibility of their new fur friend before they make a decision that will influence their lives for the next 10 to 14 years.

Picking the Perfect Puppy or Dog is written to change that. It’s a dog selection guide that has been field-tested over the years as a way to evaluate a dog or puppy before you bring one home. It’s built on the same principles of behavior that has shaped my approach to dogs and people over many decades.

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The ALT Evaluation System

Most previous puppy and dog temperament evaluations have been framed as dominance/subordination tests. I take an alternative approach. I tend to view temperament evaluations primarily as the dog or puppy’s response to stress, its recovery from that stress, and its social attraction to humans. This is basically a stress test. The ALT Evaluation is a systematic temperament assessment designed to give new pet owners a reasonably good idea of the dog or puppy’s pet potential at a given time, in a particular environment, and with a particular evaluator. However, puppies change a lot through the months as they mature into and through young adulthood. So it may really be more predictive of which pups will not make good pets than which ones will be perfect. I feel that the ALT Adult Dog evaluation is more predictive of a dog's pet potential.

While we are actively testing for stress, recovery, and human social attraction there are other traits that should be observed and noticed.

• Activity Level
• Exploratory behavior
• The amount time spent curiously watching the tester

While these three elements are not necessarily explicitly tested for, they are mentioned and are important.

The evaluation forms are structured and most are scored on more than one dimension per challenge. Versions of the evaluation can be done when you are at a shelter or visiting a breeder. Each challenge produces a score that gives you information that’s much more useful than just a first impression.

Matching the Dog to Your Life

Selecting a dog based solely on an in the moment emotional response, its appearance, or availability, is not the best way to pick a ten year companion. However, it’s the way most people do it. It is also how a lot of mismatches happen. The book talks about this and has helpful suggestions to prevent it. Before even looking for a new dog, the prospective owner needs to consider their own unique situation:

Activity level.
We need to consider the sustainable activity level of both the human and the dog. What a person desires or imagines having a dog will be like often conflicts with the effort that's needed. What many people end up with are activity levels towards opposite end of their desired human / dog activity spectrum. Humans generally think they will be more active and they envision a dog that is less active. There is some evidence (research) that indicates a dog's activity level is a trait that is fairly stable over time.

Active and active extreme dogs do place higher energy demand on the human’s daily, weekly, and monthly routines. The activity level of a dog for a young athlete looking for a training partner is going to be different than what a senior needs for a safe walking companion?

Handler experience.
A first-time owner compared to an experienced dog handler often has a harder time navigating the challenges of dog ownership. This means they usually do better with an easier to live with dog: high stress tolerance, good stress recovery, balanced activity level, no active defence response.

Breed Tendencies Without the Stereotypes

The breed you get does matter. What a dog was selectively bred to do, does influence breed typical tendencies in ways that are relevant to selection. However, the individual’s temperament is far more important than what breed of dog you have. It’s good to have breed knowledge so you know what you are seeing when you do select a new companion. But breed typical behavior and its adaptability to a pet environment is highly influenced by the individual’s temperament.

Breed typical traits are displayed in varying degree in each dog. Some dogs have an overabundance of the trait and others look like they have no breed typical drive.

The ALT Evaluation was designed to give people an alternative to a dominant / subordination orientation. When we change our orientation it changes what we pay attention to and what we observe in a potential new pet.

Puppies vs. Adult Dogs

Should you get a puppy or an adult dog? There is no universal right answer for this. It depends on your lifestyle and the purpose of the dog in your life. Personally, if I'm looking for a working dog a puppy is always a gamble. You don’t know how well it will work until it matures. With adult dogs you can get a fairly good reading on how the dog will work. But even here there are some dogs that test well but can’t make it through a working dog program.

With a puppy you get to shape its behavior during some important times in its life when the brain is in a very malleable state. The puppy brain is being built for a certain type of environment, its natural traits are being molded in a certain direction. However, puppies require more time and work. I have worked with people who want to make the puppy do things it physically can not do. There are others who expect the puppy to act like a small version of an adult dog. Again this is not a realistic expectation. Puppies are babies and still need care, structure and guidance. All of this takes time, attention, and effort.

Rescues, Shelters, Breeders: What Changes and What Doesn't

The book takes a look at different sources for acquiring a new canine companion. There are advantages to and disadvantages with many sources for getting a dog. I have only considered pet dogs in this book and have not mentioned some of my preferences for working dogs. Dog pound can sometimes be a good source and they tend to have an over abundance of dogs. I have acquired some very good dogs from the pound. Rescues are good and they usually have some information about the dog’s behavior and those with experience are often quite good about placing the right dog with the right family. Breeders are a good choice for people who are looking for a specific trait or breed. Over the years I have acquired dogs from all of these sources.

The book covers behavior patterns that demand careful consideration before a placement decision is made: handler sensitivity, extreme fearfulness, reactivity toward people or other animals. The intent is to ensure that any challenging placements are made with full awareness and a realistic management and training plan in place.

Dog Safety and Care

The last two chapters are about what to do when you gat the the new dog or puppy home.

Selection is the beginning of the process, keeping the new dog healthy and the household harmonious is also important. The book ends with one chapter on dog safety and the last one about housebreaking. The safe dog chapter goes over hazards you need to consider for the dog's well-being. The last one covers a basic housebreaking program.

Why This Book

One of the hardest client conversations I have is with people who are months into an overwhelming situation, wondering what went wrong. In many of those cases, they went into the decision with high expectations clouded by unrealistic enthusiasm. Often the decisions come from a desire that’s supported by confirmation bias. They look for and use information that supports their choice and ignore information that suggests that particular dog might not be right for them. The book gives people a new way to think about getting their next dog. It provides the framework to orient to the information that is observed and processed from the dog or puppy selection process.

Picking the Perfect Puppy or Dog is available now on Amazon on July 17, 2026. If you are considering adding a dog to your household, or if you work with families who are, it is a resource worth having.

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