As a pet owner, you have many
obligations to your four legged friend. Lets try and look at this
as a marriage between you and your pet (s). When you choose to
adopt this pet you have committed yourself to loving that pet for
better or worse, in sickness and health, till death do you part.
There may be some circumstances where you just can't keep that pet,
and if this happens, you should do everything within your power to
find them a wonderful home or even contact your breeder as most
breeders will try and help you find a home for the pet or have you
bring them back to their establishment.
Before you make your final
decision in purchasing a new pet, you will have many things to think
over, such as: Is this a spur of the moment decision or have I
thought long and hard about this? Am I prepared to love this animal
unconditionally, as they will love my family and I? Am I ready for
house training and sleepless nights for the first few days or even
weeks? Am I able to afford the proper nutrition and vaccinations?
Am I prepared for an emergency vet bill?
There are many things to think of and many
things that people are unaware of when it comes to being a pet
owner. You need to train your dog, so that he/she will listen to
you and be a wonderful pet for you, your family and even friends.
You have to be willing to spend time with that pet, as they are much
like children and some breeds require a lot more attention, where
others are just happy enough to be laying at your feet while you are
watching a good movie or reading a book.
Remember that walking your new family
member is wonderful exercise for them and also you. It not only is
beneficial to a stronger heart, but also helps with muscle tone and
helps with any weight issues. This can also be quality time for you
and your pet and not only will they enjoy the time away from the
same walls that they see every day, but will love the chance to be
with you and share new experiences. Playing fetch with your new
friend will make him/her over joyous to know that you will take time
out of your busy schedule to make them happy.
Grooming you dog should be
done several times a year. I am asked many times about how often do
I suggest to give their new little puppy a bath. I tell them, that
I would bath them once per week, unless they get into something that
smells horrible or the mud. Many people prefer to give them a bath
a couple of times per month. No matter how often you bathe your
puppy, please make sure that you have shampoo that will condition
the coat and the skin. Just remember that bathing your pet to often
can cause the skin to dry out, which in turn will cause the dog to
itch uncontrollably. I strongly suggest that you brush your puppy
every day for 15 to 20 minutes, as this will help the natural oils
in their skin to keep the hair soft and will also help keep the skin
moist. If you have a dog that needs to be groomed by a groomer, I
always suggest taking them every 6 weeks or how ever often you would
normally schedule hair appointments for yourself. This way, your
pet and you both can be pampered for a few hours. Also remember to
always trim your pets nails, as if you let them become long, they
can curl and grow back into the pads of their feet or they become
extremely uncomfortable. Also, make sure that your puppy does not
have front or back dewclaws. If they do, do not forget to trim
these also. If your puppy comes from here, they will not have any,
as I remove them!
When you decide to finally get
a puppy, the puppy will go through teething (depending on how old it
is when you get it) and will seem to want to eat your favorite
shoes, chew on the furniture and love to shred up paper. The best
thing for this is to get them plenty of bones to chew on or plenty
of toys. I prefer to use the NylaBones, and sometimes I will give
them pig ears or cow hooves. I try to stay away from Rawhides
because that with rawhides, if they swallow it, to watch the dog
very closely as these can swell inside the stomach and intestines
and can cause serious trouble. There are also puppy teething
rings.
Puppies are much like human
toddlers, you need to keep a close eye on them every waking moment
or they will find something to get into. When you least think about
it, the newest member of the family will find something to play with
and it never fails that it will be something that they are not
suppose to have. Such as a roll of toilet paper (which by the way
is one of their favorite games - they see how far it will go through
the house, before mom and dad notice), they will find the one
garbage can that you have forgotten to put up out of their reach or
an electrical cord to chew on. Puppies are very mischievous and
love to play with what every their little eyes see and they can fit
into their little mouths.
One of the biggest things to remember is
that when you first take your puppy home, they may not want to eat
and drink and may cry a lot. We understand what is going on, but
they do not. All that they know is, that everything that was
familiar to them, is now gone. So, be patient with them and
understand, that if you were taken away from all of your siblings,
your mother and the first human that you ever knew, you too would be
upset and cry. Also, when the puppies go home, they are very much
like children, as that they can play for short periods of time and
then find a quiet area that is out of the way and will fall sound
asleep. Although, sometimes, they will fall asleep in the middle of
the yard or in the middle of the floor. Don't disturb them, be
grateful for the reprieve for a little while and while they are
sleeping, sit down and relax.
