pets

How To Know Your Family Is Ready For A Dog

November 15, 2019 / Filed Under: pets, Tips and Thoughts

Dogs are cute and furry and they make you want to take every one of them home. Knowing if your family is really ready for a dog is a big decision. We have a few things you need to consider and ask yourself before bringing a dog into the mix.

Financial Responsibility

First of all, you need to decide if your family is financially stable enough for a pet. Pet food isn’t cheap. Dogs must be updated on shots on a yearly basis. They also need monthly flea and heartworm prevention medication. You also must take into account that dogs sometimes get ill just like people and need a trip to the vet. Dogs also need things like a bed, toys, and grooming products.

Breed

It should be a family decision as to what breed you want to get. The type of dog is very important to the family dynamic. Do you want a dog that doesn’t shed? Do you want a big or a small dog? Dogs like the Royal Frenchel are great family dogs with sweet personalities. Make sure to do your research about certain breeds. If you have children, you do not want an aggressive breed. If you have allergies, you need a non-allergenic dog that doesn’t shed. Some dogs need to be walked more than others to get out their energy. Some breeds tend to lay around and prefer to be lazy instead of taking long walks. If you want to take your dog hunting or fishing, make sure you have a more sports-oriented breed. The main questions to ask when considering a breed are, “Does it have the activity level you prefer in your family? Is it aggressive at all? How will it get along with your other pets if you have any?”

Establish a Care Routine

It’s important to establish a care routine. You need to talk about who is going to feed, walk, and take care of the dog throughout the day and night. They need food, fresh water, and attention. Animals thrive on routine. If they don’t have it, they are like people and bug you at random times. You can make a chore list so you know whose turn it is at all times. Make everyone join in on the responsibility of taking care of your new pet. If you get a puppy, get ready for a lot more on the chore list. They are like infants and need a lot of care. If the family isn’t ready to take on these responsibilities and join the chore list, they aren’t ready for the pup.

Travel Plans

A big thing to consider when trying to decide to bring a pet into your home is how much you travel. Will the dog come along with you or do you have anyone to watch it while you are away from home? Dogs cannot feed and walk themselves, so you need to have these answered before getting one. Your dog also craves the comfort of a human so you don’t want to leave them alone on a constant basis. If you are going to be away from home, you need to know you have someone trusted to check on them and/or board the animal at a trusted facility.

Dog-Proof the Home

Dogs are along the same lines as toddlers. They love to get into everything. You have to make the house safe for your dog as well as safe for you that it doesn’t ruin all of your things. Medications need to be put on high shelves. Install safety latches on doors that may interest a pup to enter. Keep cleaning liquids locked away. Dogs love to dig in the trash so make sure it’s in a secure location. Put away things that dogs love to chew on, such as shoes. If you don’t want them in certain areas, install a safety gate. Larger breeds can jump, so always take this into account when dog proofing your home.

Find a Vet

Before bringing home a dog, make sure you find a trusted veterinarian. Make sure they know the specifications and any health issues with the breed of dog. You want to ensure your dog has the best care you can provide them.

Small Secrets of Puppy Potty Training

April 23, 2018 / Filed Under: pets

If you don’t have any experience with dogs, then puppy potty training probably seems pretty intimidating to you. However, the whole process is rather basic and can be segregated into small individual processes.

Most importantly, this type of training can help build discipline in a dog, the same discipline required for almost anything else. It is very important for a puppy to listen to you, to respond to your commands and to be patient when needed. This is crucial for helping a dog exist in a human society where certain type of behavior is necessary.

Without further ado, check out all the steps you need to perform in order to train your puppy how to potty.

Always keep in mind that puppies are nothing more than little babies

Like with our own kids, puppies have similar patterns of behavior. Yes, they do mature quickly but there is still a long period during which they behave like unruly children and later on, teenagers. This period can be quite exhausting for the owners but it is something that is normal. Puppies learn from you; by watching your behavior and by listening to your commands. However, even if a puppy is well behaved, there are good chances accidents will happen and that floor will get dirty. Make sure to prepare for that and in such situations, don’t be mad at the pup.

When everything else fails, love and treats are always the solution

During initial stages, it is really hard to persuade a dog to behave in a certain way. Even if you explain to it that it needs to potty outside, it is questionable whether it will listen to you. There is often not enough stimulation for a dog (especially if you managed to spoil it). So what’s the best way to address the issue? Always carry treats in your pockets. Whenever dog does something correctly, make sure to give it a treat (can be applied for all types of trainings). Petting can also be a good stimulation as pups love to cuddle. No matter what you do, make sure to avoid any type of punishment whether it be physical or verbal.

You are the adult. Make sure not to forget that

You need to take charge from the get go. If you allow a puppy to make decisions for you, it won’t end well. In a way, you are like parent to it and baby pet will adopt various forms of behavior from you. That doesn’t mean you should potty together in the park. Instead it refers to the fact that you need to take it for a walk when it’s necessary. You as an owner need to predict every pet’s need and act upon it. Your word always goes no matter what and even if a dog doesn’t like it, you need to force it somehow to do it.

Dietary habits are important

You often see people feed their pets various types of food. This can pose a big problem when they’re young as you cannot be certain how they will digest said food. You also don’t know how much time it take for a dog to digest it. Having in mind that puppies are small, their organs are small as well. This means they are unable to keep it in and will usually act according to their basic needs. In other words, if they need to go, they’ll go. Best thing you can do is feed it each day at the same time and with the same portion. Try not to fancy with food and avoid giving human food (at least until it learns how to potty properly). Also, if a dog doesn’t eat the full portion, make sure to remove it. Eating numerous small portions during the day can disrupt metabolism making it harder to predict bowel movement.

Last thoughts

Potty training can be really boring for some people but if you think about it, the whole process is nothing more than a series of things done at the precisely right time. If you’re disciplined yourself, there are good chances that this discipline will rub on your pet. So, take your time and make the best out of i

How to Potty Train a Dog

October 29, 2013 / Filed Under: pets

If you have a new addition you’ve recently welcomed into your family, you probably understand just how difficult and time consuming house training a puppy can be, especially if you’re potty training your puppy to live in an apartment. Apartment training requires a special amount of dedication and compassion since it means you’ll have to walk your dog outside each time he needs to potty. Furthermore, you won’t have the ability to simply let your dog out in the back yard as many homeowners do. There are, however, a few ways you can learn to potty train your dog to make sure you’re both happy, content, and satisfied with your living arrangements.

Make sure that during the potty training process, you remain calm and avoid getting stressed out or angry. Frustrations and accidents are a normal part of the training process, so make sure you remain as calm and comforting as possible even when your dog makes a mistake. If you become angry with your puppy when he has an accident, he may feel vulnerable and unloved. Make sure you constantly affirm your puppy throughout the potty training process. For more information on potty training your puppy in an apartment, make sure you review the resources at ModernPuppies.com.