Dogs are easily the most popular pets on the planet right now. In the U.S., more than 60% of homes have at least one dog living in them.
Are you interested in welcoming a dog into your home for the first time? There are some things that you should know before you do it.
Here are four essential first time dog owner tips that will help you and your new pup get off to a great start.
- Pick Up Everything You’ll Need for Your New Dog
Prior to bringing your new dog home, you’re going to need to buy a bunch of things so that you’re ready to start taking care of them right away. You’ll need to invest in things like:
- Dog food
- Food bowls
- Dog bed
- Collar and leash
- Chew toys
Your goal when you bring your dog home should be to start to get them into some kind of regular routine as far as eating, sleeping, and playing goes. It’ll be easier to do this when you have the right supplies on hand.
- Set Up a Specific Area in Your Home for Your New Dog
A lot of people allow their dogs to go wherever they want in their homes. You can let your dog do this over time, but at first, you should limit them to one or two rooms in your house.
Set up a crate and/or playpen for them in this area and encourage them to make themselves at home in it when they first arrive at your home. It’ll help them to adjust to your house and to feel more relaxed.
- Practice Patience With Your New Dog at All Times
Getting a dog for the first time can be very exciting, both for you and your family and for the dog. But it can also be a little overwhelming for everyone, too.
Your new dog might feel anxious in your home and chew on things because of it. They might also pee and poop in your home, especially if they haven’t been housebroken yet.
Your job is going to be to remain calm and avoid yelling at your dog too much, even when they get under your skin. You want to set the right tone for your dog and teach them how to behave as opposed to simply losing your cool all the time.
This might just be one of the most important first time dog owner tips of all.
- Read All About Your New Dog to Get a Good Understanding of Them
In a perfect world, you will have read up on your dog’s breed before bringing them into your home. But even if you did that, you should continue to read up on them moving forward.
You can learn so much about your dog on a site like Pet Educate. It’ll help you take better care of them over time.
Put These First Time Dog Owner Tips to Good Use
Taking care of a dog for the first time is often challenging for many people. The average first time dog owner doesn’t know exactly what they’re getting themselves into initially.
But as long as you utilize these first time dog owner tips, you and your new dog should do just fine. You can go from being a new dog owner to an experienced dog owner in no time at all.
Check out the articles on our blog to get more great advice on caring for dogs and other pets.