A thorough check-up is always less expensive and troublesome than a complete overhaul. So why do so many people who always have a car completely checked-out before they buy it not think about doing the same for a puppy?
There are some very good reasons to do this. First, a complete check-up can pick up issues your puppy may have that will require more care or a different training regimen. A puppy may be partially deaf or blind and not knowing this may cause you to misjudge your puppy's behavior. Vision and hearing impaired animals, like their human counterparts, may be more easily startled if something approaches unexpectedly, especially from the puppy's blind spot. Also, you may have interpreted your puppy's inability to be trained as defiance or lack of intelligence or motivation.
This goes beyond major challenges such as deafness, and includes possible physical limitations on diet or activity. Understanding a physical challenge will allow you to use training techniques that will be more effective. In the case where you as a puppy parent are unable or unwilling to deal with a special case puppy, it is best that you know as soon as possible so the puppy can be placed in a home where his / her issues will be best dealt with, and both of you will be happier.
Another reason why an initial complete check-up is so important is to determine baseline. By establishing a puppy's temperature and other vital signs, as well as noting gait and morphology, your vet will be better able to detect when something in the future is amiss.
Even the best breeders and rescue organizations may not have the time or ability to fully check out every puppy they sell. For your puppy's sake and yours, start with that complete check-up.
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