Complete the family picture with the cutest little fur baby!
There are a host of considerations to keep in mind before welcoming the puppy into your house.
For starters let’s start with the main reason you would want to bring a dog into your house – the companionship, the loyalty and a beautiful best friend which you will make for life.Whilst these are all very good reasons, it is important to note that puppies do not come with an inbuilt best friend feature.
They are in a new, vastly different place, for the first time in their lives without their littermates or their mothers. Even puppies who have undergone proper human socialization beforehand with handlers and caretakers will be apprehensive and tend to go through a lot of anxiety.
It is important to be prepared to devote a very large part of your day to make sure the transition goes off smoothly. The ideal way to do this would be to pick a time frame when there are no major pressing demands on your time, when you are available round the clock for any and all needs of your puppy – both necessities and emotional.
New puppies are also financially taxing, with vaccinations, vet visits, toys and bedding, the right nutrition and nutritional supplements in addition to the right kind of products to use for grooming. It is important to ensure that one is ready and financially stable enough to address all their requirements. There is a range of pet insurance available which can ease the strain, so ensure to look into the various kinds and make a sound investment. A precautious call would be to research into your breed and make note of their particular health concerns and issues to anticipate and prepare in advance. Different breeds have different behaviours and requirements, and these must be addressed accurately to make sure the puppy grows into happy, well rounded, confident dogs.
What breed should I bring home?
The million dollar question! You need to take into consideration the amount of time you are able to devote to the dog. For more sedentary lifestyles you need to pick a breed that is less active throughout the day. If you travel often, you need to pick the breed appropriately with respect to the fact if you want to travel with your pup, or you plan on leaving the pup at home. Many countries have strict laws concerning the kinds of dogs allowed to travel and a series of medical requirements to take into consideration.
The kind of space you live in, whether a small flat with no significant outdoors, or a big house with plenty of yard space for the dog to exercise and entertain itself. Weather is also a big factor, as long haired dogs will be particularly hard to maintain in hot climes, and vice versa.
Down to personal preferences, the breed must be decided upon complementary to your own personality, and the kind of job it is required to do, based on the breed’s prior inclination to be a companion, watchdog, protection detail, or as a herder.
How old should the puppy be?
It is advised that puppies be separated from their mothers and litter mates at 8 weeks of age as a minimum. During this period the puppy learns crucial social skills from the mother and it’s siblings, and interrupting this process will lead to behavioral issues. Choose the puppy beforehand from a trusted breeder, ensure it has undergone all required human socialization and training. Enquire into the parent’s temperament, health issues if any, make not of all special requirements. Research into the breed to be forewarned of any complications that may arise, read up on first person accounts of the puppies. First person accounts are better than searching it up on wikipedia or google, as they shed additional details into the behaviour of the breed, and how to identify and handle incidents with limited resources or knowledge.
How to prepare for the puppy’s first day?
Prepare beforehand a set of rules you expect the puppy to follow, and make it known to all the members of the household who will have to interact with the puppy. Pick out a name with a strong consonant end, and reinforce the name when interacting with the puppy. If you already have any other pets, put off the meeting of the newest puppy and the older pets till the puppy is down and trusts you. Make sure you have picked a puppy complementary to the pets you have, to prevent fights and altercations.
Puppies generally sleep a lot through the day, so set up a calm corner away from loud noises and distractions, preferably in a crate or bed you have set aside for the puppy. Keep fresh water, puppy food within reach of the puppy. If you have a piece of cloth with the mother’s scent, wrap a ticking cloth with it and leave it close to the puppy, it imitates the mother’s heartbeat.
Be prepared to clean up any accidents with a mild cleanser, use scented pee pads to indicate safe areas for the puppy. They generally do not sleep throughout the night, waking up every 5 hours or so, so plan your sleep around that, and be ready to calm and comfort them. Make sure they get enough play time and nap time the next day as well, and ease them into your own sleep schedule gradually.
Bringing home a puppy is a lot of responsibility but can also be one of the most self-fulfilling and joyous experiences of your life! We wish you all the luck for your journey with your little one!
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