The Ultimate Dog Guide 101- Getting A new Dog

We all know who dogs are. Dogs, or commonly known as man's best friend are domesticated carnivorous mammals that typically has a long snout, and acute sense of smell, non-retractile claws and a howling, barking or whining vocals. Have you decided to bring one back home because if not, you're missing out on a lot of affection?
So, you open up your laptop and surf the internet on dogs for sale. Suddenly, your heart stops after looking at the price of one dog. Nowadays, buying a dog and a car is almost the same. Why spend a fortune for one dog when you can just spend a penny on another. That's right, adopt a dog. There are millions of dogs in your local dog shelter who are finding for a good home. Wouldn't it be nice to save a dog's life and get affection at the same time? When you buy a dog from your local pet store, you're creating a demand for more puppy mills. If you didn't know, puppy mills are like hell for dogs.

Besides, when you adopt a dog, you're bringing home a dog who is brimming with happiness and health. However, a dog from the pet store is often times depressed and socially disabled. I hope I managed to persuade you to ADOPT NOT BUY A DOG.

Bringing a Dog Home.

The first few weeks with your new dog can be very decisive and thrilling. Before your new dog ends up destroying your home making it look like an earthquake devastation, I think it would be better to look ahead and prepare yourself.

A new Dog is a new Baby

Getting a new puppy is the exact same as getting a baby. Puppies require constant unconditional love alike babies. When you get a puppy, you're about to change your entire life. So before you bring home a new member of the family, you should really take into consideration about discussing with your family about this. Maybe hear out what the other members think and change the plans a little bit for them. Then, decide who's gonna be the caretaker of the new dog- the caretaker is usually the person who walks the dog, bathe the dog, feed the dog and pays for vet visits. Once that is done with, I would recommend you to allocate the right budget for your dog according to your family's financial status. Afterwards, discuss and come up with dog rules that work best for your dog and your family. These rules can include which rooms your dog will be allowed to enter, where will he go potty, is the dog allowed on the bed or couch, in whose room will he sleep in and where are the off-limits places in the house.

Purchase the Right Supplies.

If you don't want to end up with a new dog in your house who is bored with no toys, I really think you should think ahead of time and purchase the basic and mandatory supplies for your puppy. As long as you remember that getting a new dog is the same as getting a baby, nothing should go wrong for you. The supplies that you should get ahead are:

• Food and Water bowls
• Crate
• Collar and Leash
• Food and Treats
• Doggie Bed
• Chewing Toys
• Shampoo and grooming equipment ( if you decide to groom your dog by yourself )

All the mentioned supplies above are essential for your new puppy and can be a heart sore if you forgot to buy them. The last thing you want to happen is you dashing to your local store at the very last minute to buy your dog's food. ( Now that is something you want to avoid doing ).

Puppy-Proof your Home

Keep your trash away

Every dog's dream vacation is the trash bin. They would do almost anything to get there and by the time you reach there, there would be nothing to collect except for a heap of poop. So before that happens, you'd better keep the trash away. You have two choices to pick from, either keep the bin closed and secured or put it in a place beyond your dog's reach. What's wrong about eating rubbish? The trash has millions of bacteria and microorganisms that can harm your dog if ingested. I'm sure you don't want your new dog to fall sick during his first weeks in your home right?

Drug-free zone

You've heard of antibiotics and paracetamol. The lifesavers for humans when we are sick but killers for dogs. If you think that human medicines are safe for dogs, throw those thoughts into the bin because YOU ARE WRONG!!! If you have been prescribing your pooch with your medicines all this time, you have to get your pooch checked by the vet immediately. To prevent your dog from ingesting your medicines, store them in cabinets or drawers where your dog can't reach. Even cabinets should be safely secured with locks because dogs have developed their brains over the years, resulting in outstanding capabilities.

In case you ignored all the steps above and you leave some medications lying on the countertop, you should be on the lookout for these signs,

• Seems agitated
• Elevated heart rate
• Tremors
• Seizures

Keep away Poisonous plants

Are you a plant lover? Do you love decorating your house with a plant? Well, if you do, it might be helpful to identify the suitable plants for your pooch to be grown in your house. Alike humans, dogs can't cope with certain types of plants. 

• Daffodil
• Tulip
• Oleander
• Azalea
• Autumn Crocus

These plants can cause severe health concerns for your doggie that results in death if not treated. Some of these problems include a drop in blood pressure, difficulty in swallowing, burning on lips, diarrhoea, vomiting and many more. I would advice you to keep the plants away from your new dog's reach. Maybe you can plant these plants in your backyard where your doggie is not allowed to. 

Arrange some time off

If you're a busy person who works almost the whole day, you might want to take some time off your work. Maybe a few weeks off should come in handy. You can use this time to sttle your  pup in and get him used to his crate. You could hire a dog walker and trainer beforehand as a backup. Whenever you're too busy, you can depend on your backup team. Honestly, I think you should spend some time with your pup no matter the amount of workload.

Start Obedience Training

Children learn better at an earlier stage right? This principle applies the same to dogs. The earlier you start your pup's training, the more obedient he will be. Obedience training is important to sculpt a disciplined dog as it grows. Obedience training mainly consists of,

• Sit
• Stay
• Come
• Rollover
• Shake
• Social Training

Obedience training works best with the help of doggie treats. You can even use a clicker for a more efficient training. Learn more about obedience training here.

Doggie License

I'm sure you have an identity card that separates you from other people. Well. dogs do have identity cards that most owners are unaware of. So why waste my money on dog license? A license can help you find your lost and wandering dog much faster and easier. It also helps prevent rabies as the application of dog license requires vaccination proof. You can check with your country's law to find out if an online application is possible.

First Aid Kit

This mandatory step, however, is only known to some owners. A first aid kit is a box that contains all important medications in case of an emergency. This kit is especially important during emergencies like burnt spots, external bleeding, injuries, cuts and chocking. You should have these lifesavers in the first aid kit,

• Medical records and emergency contact numbers
• Hydrogen Peroxide
• Ointment
• Gauze and bandage
• Gloves
• Wet wipes
• Towel
• Medications
• Muzzle
• Leash
• Flashlight

Just pack all these ingredients to saving a dog's life in a box and you have your very own doggie first aid kit. You can choose from buying a first aid kit or make one yourself.

In short

Your new dog can be a disaster and an angel at the same time. It all depends on the way you guide your dog. Make use of the first few weeks with your new dog decisively. Just follow this guide and you'll get a perfect pal for you and your family.