Dog Care 101: For New Dog Parents

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How to handle Your First Dog

If you’ve recently become a dog parent, then firstly, congratulations to you on making perhaps the best decision ever. Having a dog is an awesome feeling and makes life so much less stressful, but a lot more work piles up (and we’re talking about taking care of them, of course). While bringing a new dog into your life is a good feeling, taking care of them is not easy at all. Not only that, but it is also essential to prepare in advance before your new furry munchkin comes home.

Dog Care 101: For New Parents

For newly become dog parents, there are two very important things to remember before stepping into the wonderful role of a dog parent.

Before Bringing a Dog Home

We know the idea of you wanting to get a dog must’ve been all of a sudden, but before you rush things due to all the excitement, you should follow these tips.

1. Assemble All Your Family Members and Discuss

First things first, gather all your family members and break the good news to them. Most of them would be happy about the decision, but then comes the part where all of you make a plan and decide on who does what so that later on, there’s no confusion. For instance, one can take care of the puppy’s food, the other for cleaning the mess, and so on. To make it less monotonous, you could shuffle the tasks every week.

2. Make Sure You Have All the Essentials

Planning on getting a cute lil pup and having no pet supplies beforehand is not a good sign. So, before you bring home your new friend, make sure you have all the puppy or dog essentials ready. The things you will need are as follows:

All of these things that have been mentioned are must-haves. So make sure you purchase and accumulate your home with all these necessary supplies.

3. Prepare Your Home before the Arrival

Before your new family member lays foot into your home, ensure that you have removed all the sharp objects lying around, cleaned the room where your new four-legged friend will stay and is ready to welcome him/her home with open arms.

After the Dog is Already Home

Once your furry pal is officially home, happiness increases tenfold, and so does the extra burden of taking care of him/her. But fret not, with time, you will eventually get used to it, and it will no more feel like a burden. Anyway, here are some tips to keep in mind once your doggy comes home.

  • Your new pup or dog is new to all the surroundings, so keep it low-key and do not get over-excited. You getting hyper will make your buddy nervous and scared. And you do not want that, right?
  • Give your new pal some time to process everything before taking him for a tour of your house, making him/her meet your other family members, and showing him/her their room.
  • Dog training is very important and the quicker you do so, the better it will be. If you believe you can train him then go ahead. If not, then seek a professional dog trainer’s advice.
  • A daily routine that includes your buddy’s bathroom timings, meal timings, walking schedule, etc should be followed. It’s always good to follow a proper routine!
  • Last but not least, find a suitable vet for your pal. Also, make it a point to visit the vet regularly. At least twice a month for starters is advised.

The bottom line is, the initial phase (say, a couple of weeks) will be a massive adjusting period for both you and your fur buddy. So preparing in advance and following the information given above can help you immensely. And once again, congratulations on adopting a wonderful and trustworthy friend!

In our next blog segment, we will talk about puppy hood and what all you need to do as a dog parent to ensure his/her safety and well-being. Till then, keep an eye on our blog section.