Taking dog ownership seriously
Dog ownership is a serious commitment. Hopefully if any of you gave a puppy as a present for Christmas you have already done your research and not purchased or adopted a dog on a whim. Our dog is such an important member of the family. She is such a loving companion to her little pack. The world as a whole she isn’t always so keen. But regardless of her quirks I wouldn’t be without her for anything.
The Dogs Trust are very big on the slogan “a dog is for life not just for Christmas”. Lets be honest getting a dog requires preparation, time and patience! Puppies can be destructive as their new teeth come through and toilet training can be quite the challenge! They might seem so cute and adorable but you really need to think of the practicalities and reality of dog ownership. Having been behind in the scenes at a Dogs Trust and seeing so many dogs that have been abandoned its heartbreaking. So I am all for people not going into dog ownership lightly.
Dog’s Health
When your dog gets older there could be increased costs too. Our last dog needed heart tablets at a cost of £100 a month, so please make sure you can afford to keep your dog now and when its mature. If your dog has an injury you will need to think about what can I give my dog for pain to make them more comfortable.
It can be harder to know when dogs are in pain. They tend to hide it from you as they do not want to look weak to predators and need to look like they can protect themselves even when they are sick or injured. Any kind of weakness can make a dog feel vulnerable so you need to be clever checking for the signs of pain which might be hard to spot. They might be panting or licking more, less interested in play or food and finding it hard to settle. Your dog might become more vocal and noisy too, if they start yelping or howling much more than usual its a good idea to get them booked in for a check up with the vet.
Dog Ownership Essentials
You need to make sure you have all your essentials in place. We had a crate early on until toilet training was established and to keep our precious pup safe through the night as she would try and chew on anything if left to her own devices, I was worried she would come to harm otherwise when unsupervised whilst we slept.
It’s important to get a decent dog lead to keep your dog safe and secure when on walks. UK dog leads have plenty of choice depending on your needs. If you want your dog to have a bit more freedom you could get a longer length. Alternatively if you now have two dogs a double dog lead might be more suitable. We have a harness for our dog as it helps us walk her more easily as she is quite strong. The picture above is from our visit to the dogs trust. I think if you really do want a dog always consider adopting one first.
You need to make sure you sign them up to your local vet for immunizations, worming tablets and make a decision whether to neuter your dog. It is a big operation for a girl dog. However it has lots of health benefits so our dog had the operation.
It can also be worthwhile going to dog training sessions to help socialise your dog. You want to help them understand useful commands. It’s an incredible feeling when you finally teach your dog to sit and stay! The boys still want to teach roll over but she’s not having any of that…