Adopting a puppy involves a great responsibility. Here are 10 things to think about to welcome your pet serenely.
Regardless of the puppy to adopt, welcoming an animal into your home is a great responsibility. So you need to understand what this entails. A dog is like a child, deciding to adopt one is not a decision to be taken lightly.
If, however, you have thought about this and are determined to take on this little being, here are 10 things to think about and to prepare BEFORE your puppy arrives in his new family.
Indeed, the first nights in his new home will certainly be difficult. For the first few days too, these elements will therefore help you to organize yourself and reassure your puppy that you have just adopted, recently separated from his family or his friends at home.
First of all, choose his basket (his cozy bed)
A dog is like a child, you will have to take care of him throughout his life. Thus, it is advisable to teach him the rules of your house, to impose your authority and build some trust with your doggie. But adopting a puppy is not really easy at first. The dog is destabilizedhe is afraid and has just been torn from his old home.
Before your pet arrives, to give it trust in you from the start, be sure to provide him with a comforting place, in which he will never be disturbed and where he will be calm. A basket, it’s essential. If you can place it in a dedicated room where there is little passage, it is even better. To start, choose a suitable basket. This will be his bed, as when you welcome your infant, the latter has a cradle. It can be a basket, a cushion, an interior niche… it doesn’t matter as long as it is comfortable.
We also advise convent to put a cloth with your smell or a cloth with the smell of his former home in for the first few days. In any case, the place must be cosy, clean, safe, and the basket large enough. You can even buy her final basketeven if the puppy is still small.
Prepare toys of all kinds for your pup
Before you adopt your puppy and bring him to your home, buy him some toys. It is essential for your dog to play, but also for him to learn to play alone, without you, later. The toys can also be used as a strainer and can be chewed.
They help your puppy understand that they are the ones to bite and not your hands. A necessary practice in a period when the puppy bare his jaw. Take some pull strings, balls, chew bones, wooden sticks too, why not an old shoe, a squeaky toy… In short, vary the pleasures for your puppy!
Adopt a puppy: anticipate education and buy treats
Treats are as important as your puppy’s food. Adopting a puppy also means understanding that it will have to be educated, like a child. This is important for the dog’s safety and your comfort. The treats are not to be administered all the time, various kinds of rewards exist so as not to accustom your dog to obey to eat. However, they remain essential for dog learningto show him what you expect of him and the right path to take.
Be sure to buy treats that taste good. Don’t taste them! But, ask breeders or pet stores. Otherwise, just test when the puppy is around. In any case, buy healthy and good-sized treats compared to puppy size. We advise to often have a bag of treats (in a freezer bag for example) at hand, at the beginning. To reward your puppy for obeying you.
On the other hand, anticipate the education of the puppy upstream. this one is not done on the first days, but begins. Educate yourself by reading articles, asking experts, watching videos… on how train your dog step by step, gradually. This is long, but still necessary.
Do not forget the bowls and therefore suitable food!
It seems obvious, but don’t forget to buy bowls, if possible large enough for water and the right size for your dog for kibble and food. As a guideline, steel bowls are best for the cleaningbut also, they last over time.
For feeding, your dog is normally weaned when it arrives at your home. In this case, to avoid vomiting, we recommend giving him the same kibble he had before arriving at your home. Vary the tastes also to get him used to eat vary. Above all, buy croquettes intended for the weight of your dog, it is important.
But also, do not feed him only with croquettes ! You can therefore buy, upstream, pieces of beef, for example. But also pâté. Also, provide a special bowl for larger meals with pasta and meat, fiber, for example.
Leash, sticks, clicker… all these things to acquire before adopting your puppy
Here are some items to also buy before adopting your puppy:
- A clicker if you want to educate the dog with this object.
- A leave alone adequate, if possible not too heavy and which can be reduced to 80 cm or 2 m in length.
- A flat collar tailored to your dog’s size, no spiked collars, no strangling collars.
- Why not a customizable medallion to register their name and telephone number in case of a potential runaway.
- Of the chew sticks for your dog to “cut” his teeth.
- A cage or transport container.
- A shampoo for dogs.
- A care kit for ears and a care kit for claws.
SEE ALSO: Dog insurance: should you take out mutual insurance for your animal?
Finding a veterinarian and anticipating care for your dog
For a puppy, it is necessary to anticipate the medical care of the latter. For it, find a veterinarian before your puppy arrives. If possible, then make a visit to the vet so that he knows your animal before have him sterilized later, or have him vaccinated or chipped.
Furthermore, we believe that it is essential to buy dewormers and flea repellents before the dog arrives. Puppy, the latter will need this care regularly. And this, until about 6 months. Plan a dose of dewormer every month for 6 months, the same for fleas. After 6 months, one dose every 4 months should be sufficient.
Adopting a puppy: Secure the house for the arrival of your puppy, the same for the garden
Before the puppy arrives at your home, be sure to secure the premises.
- In an apartment, beware of Windows. The puppy could fall because he had the curiosity to lean over.
- Put as much as possible the electric cables out of his reach. The latter will chew them.
- Provide a dog railing for stairs OR deny access with a child or dog safety gate.
- The household products must be closed and out of reach.
- the garden must also be fenced off and potential dangers averted.
Provide a place to defecate, a puppy has trouble holding back
Puppies have a hard time restraining themselves from defecating at first. Especially since they may not have yet learned to do it outside quite simply. Waiting for you to teach him the cleanlinessso place newspaper in a corner of your home. In general, the puppy understands that this is where he must do. Otherwise, just show it. The education of the puppy on the cleanliness will be the subject of a next article soon.
Set the rules before he arrives and never break them
Everyone in the household must know the rules established for the dog. Moreover, these rules must be maintained forever. Thereby, make a clear list of what your puppy is allowed to do and what he is not allowed to do. Also write down what he can do from time to time, but which he must not. take the habit (things you accept, but he must not ask, he must learn to let go).
This list, you can put it on the fridge for everyone to remember. Also, agree on the education strategies upstream and always keep the same regardless of the members of the family who practice them. The order wordsfor example, must remain the same and must be shared as a family so that they remain the same.
SEE ALSO: Dog Vision: How Does a Dog See the World?
Learn how to adopt positive education to best raise your dog
Finally, whatever the breed of your dog, you must teach him to trust you, but also to obey you (you are the alpha). This goes through positive education. Basically, you have to remove the negative things from your upbringing.
Stay calm and show your dog the right way to go. reward him when he does something good. Find out as much as possible about the practice beforehand, in order to put the odds on your side, as soon as the dog arrives.
