Preparing For Your New Dog - What You Need to Know Before He Comes Home
Preparing yourself and your household before, during, and
after your pet comes home is an essential step to successfully
integrating your new puppy or dog into its new
environment. Give the new puppy or dog plenty of time to
adjust; most experts recommend at least ten days. And, if
possible, be sure to bring the extra addition at a time when
you will be home for a period of two or more days in a row.
These first few days are a shock and he needs a comforter to
be there. So, before you bring your new dog home, especially if it's a
puppy, you'll have to prepare your house for the arrival.
Buy two new bowls, one for water and another for food. The
smaller the dog, the smaller the bowl needed. You may even
consider a propped bowl holder, which helps lessen the
stress on the animal's neck, and keeps spills from occurring
as often. Be sure to place the bowls and food in another
room of the house, away from other pets. You will also want to purchase a leash for your puppy or
dog. A four to six foot leash should do, even for training
purposes. If you have your dog's comfort in mind, perhaps
when he is trained, you may want to try a harness leash. This
type of leash attaches to the dog's torso. Some newer models
are made for leash training as well. When you bring the dog home, you should have some food
all ready for him. If it's a puppy, it's best to talk to a
veterinarian about a brand good for puppies. The vet will
make a choice based on the puppy's age, weight, and dietary
needs. Never feed a puppy adult dog food, as it is not
engineered for their touchy digestive systems. With an older
dog, ask the shelter what brand they used for dog food. If
you don't like their brand, at least take home a week's worth
of their brand of food while he is getting used to his new
home. Then, slowly introduce the newer type of food to his
system.
It's also important to be consistent with the food you give
your puppy. Just as babies get colic or have other problems
from using the wrong formula or changing it, puppies suffer
similar problems which will make you both miserable in the
end. So make sure you don't just buy the weekly special on
dog food. In the end, I guarantee it will cost you more than
it saves. You are also going to need the three essential T's:
- Toys
- Treats
- Training materials
Often toys are made for chewing, and it's important for your
puppy to be able to chew while teething. Ropes, fleece-lined
chew toys, and some rubber products make great toys for
puppies. For older dogs, you might try other rubber chew
toys (balls, play bones, etc.) and rawhide bones. Next, give
your puppy or dog treats for successful behaviors-along
with lots of petting, attention, and the repetition of his name.
Be sure, however, to do this extra playtime away from other
pets that were there before the new addition. Give each
member five or seven minutes play intervals away from the
other until they're more fully adjusted to one another. And,
better yet, put up a small gate to keep the animals separated
during this adjustment period. Finally, be sure to dog-proof your home. Move all poisons,
including plants (especially philodendron plants) and all
cleaning supplies to a safe location. Remove pants, shoes,
books and electric cords out of the puppy's reach. With an
older dog, you may not have to be as careful as long as he
was accustomed to living indoors. But, to be safe, you
should not assume anything. And, best of all, give the
puppy or dog his own space to sleep; a comfy corner away
from the other animals at night. With these precautions, you and your new friend will adjust
much more smoothly together with no hard feelings. About the Author:
Tina Spriggs is an expert dog lover whose lifelong interest in canines provides the motivation for her site. To learn more about dogs or to find gifts and toys for them visit her site at Dog Gifts and Toys for Dog Lovers.
Copyright 2004. All rights reserved.
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