Before getting a furry friend, there are several important considerations to make. You will need to equip your home and lifestyle for this new stage in your life.
Research is vital when it comes to what breed will suit you best, as well as whether you should get a young puppy or an older dog.
You must be prepared to invest not only money but plenty of time and patience. The dog will be your responsibility, no matter what you might initially think.
Take one step back and always consider the following vital points before you get a puppy. They will help you make a much better choice.
Be Ready for Responsibility and Time Sacrifices
Adopting a dog, like having a kid, is taking on the responsibility of a sentient being whose demands often take precedence over your own. You are not alone anymore with a child and the same is the truth when talking about a dog.
This frequently entails devoting more time to your pet than you are accustomed to. Dogs are not solitary creatures, and you need to be ready to make yourself available to their needs. Dogs can be demanding at any hour of the day or night.
These qualities, of course, can be a lot of fun and are part of what makes owning a dog so delightful. However, you might be surprised at how time-consuming they can be. Remember that raising a puppy necessitates an even greater level of dedication, responsibility, and sacrifice.
Puppies must be trained and socialized, as well as given plenty of exercises. These things all take time.
Carefully look at your schedule. If you have any doubts about the time you have available for training your dog and giving him what he needs, you have two options.
You either look for a breed that requires less attention from you or you do not get a dog. It is as simple as that.
Be Prepared for the Expenses
If you’re planning to adopt a dog, you’ve probably already budgeted for veterinarian visits, vaccinations, and potentially spaying or neutering. But you will also need to put money aside for the unexpected. Heartworm medicine, flea and tick prevention, and other procedures can all be rather costly.
You must prepare your home before your small friend arrives. Puppies have the potential to cause havoc. They like to investigate, gnaw, lick, and possibly ingest the objects in their surroundings. They have no sense of propriety and may be obnoxious or hyperactive.
Make every effort to puppy-proof your entire home. Destructive puppy behavior is typical, annoying, and potentially hazardous to your dog. Your puppy will undoubtedly seek out all the potential sources of harm.
To protect you, your belongings, and your pet, it may be advisable to invest in Comprehensive Coverage for Pet Damage for peace of mind.
Other expenses may be more obvious, just don’t be inclined to go overboard as you may end up with stuff you don’t need. Get the basics and move forward from there as required.
Must-haves include a leash, collar with ID tags, pet dishes for food and water, a place to sleep, and a few simple toys. If you do not have time to train the dog, money for training is also needed and has to be included in the budget.
Dogs will be Dogs
Certain normal doggy behavior may gross you out! It’s not strange or disgusting for dogs to eat their own vomit. To assist their puppies in adjusting to solid foods, dog mums regurgitate food for them, so vomit is just-food. If you do not want this to happen, be sure to clean up as soon as possible if your dog happens to throw up.
Dogs find it difficult to resist the urge to roll in any pile of stinky goo they find on the ground. There are various reasons to explain this habit, but the bottom line is they will do it whether you like it or not.
Another thing, when taking your dog for a walk, take along around four or five poop bags – dogs seem to prefer relieving themselves when out and about!
Dogs will be dogs and they will take a drink from the toilet bowl. Dogs prefer to avoid stagnant water as it is more likely to be contaminated so water from the toilet makes perfect sense to them as it is fresh and cool.
Be Careful When You Get A Puppy For Your Child
So many parents decide to get a puppy for their children. Sometimes, it is because the child wants one.
In other cases, it is to teach the child about responsibility. Regardless of the situation, it is really important to understand that you cannot really rely on children to take care of the new puppy.
In the event that they do not like him or they simply do not want to take care of the dog anymore, the animal still needs to be taken care of. This makes it your responsibility.
There are countless cases of abandoned dogs who ended up in this situation simply because parents bought or adopted them for children who did not like them or take care of them.
When the parents also did not take care of them, it led to this situation in which the dog was abandoned.
Final Thoughts
As unpleasant as some of these points may sound, they are important considerations and will not override the great happiness and joy your puppy can bring to your life.
Being prepared will help you make better decisions and be the best fur parent you can be.
If you do not know much about puppies or dogs in general, go and talk to a veterinarian. Alternatively, you can also take a look at the information on the internet.
But, you need to make sure that you do not make the huge mistake of getting a puppy without being informed. If you have any doubt, the best thing you can do is to postpone the decision until you are 100% sure.
