Preparing Home for Your New Dogs
Imagine that you have just completed the details of purchase of your new dog, either an adult or a puppy. Your next responsibility lies in preparing your home for the arrival of the dog and making its initial days comfortable.
Plan for an energetic and even nervous dog to arrive at your house. Put anything breakable in a safe place. Lock toxic cleaners in a secure place with no chance for accidental ingestion. Small objects that can be bitten and swallowed should be placed out of reach. You may want to erect barriers to prevent the dog from entering certain rooms or attempting stairs. Although you may feel a little silly,walk around the house on your hands and knees and view the set-up from the dog’s perspective. What things look really tempting to chew? Consider crate training as a way to prevent your new dog from roaming freely about the house in your absence. You can apply safe, but awful tasting, liquids to objects that can be chewed but not protected. Schedule a visit to the veterinarian for any needed shots and a check up.
If you have children at home, especially young ones, they will need advice and instruction about the proper way to behave with dogs. You should never leave children and dogs together unsupervised, but preparation will prevent many potential problems. Children should know that hitting, biting, pulling or poking any dog can provoke an aggressive response and that crying, screaming and running away only encourages the dog to chase. Young puppies can be easily harmed during innocent play and must be treated carefully for a few weeks. Introduce children of all ages in the care of the dog; teach them the proper techniques of dog feeding, grooming, walking and health care. Young people should also be involved in training and disciplining the dog so that they can be safe and responsible with it.
You will need to purchase a variety of items to identify and care for the dog. Collars come in a wide assortment, including leather and nylon .es. Leather collars are firm and strong, but may lose their quality or become smelly if they get wet. Nylon resists moisture, but can rip or shred. You should consider the purpose of collar before choosing one. Depending on your needs, more than one collar may be required. Some collars simply hold tags and permit the attachment of a leash.Others assist in training by accommodating halters or specialized links that transmit a pinch to the dog’s neck (when used properly!) that indicates displeasure. These collars are often called pinch, prong or choke collars and should always be used in conjunction with professional advice. Other collars can be used for attaching a dog to your bicycle during exercise or transportation, while some training collars employ electric shock. These collars are only useful whenused property and under the guidance of a professional. Never buy or use one without proper advice. Select a collar that tits snugly around the neck without choking or pinching. Select one that releases easily under your direction, but willnot open on its own.
Most people prefer to own two leashes, a short one and a long one. Each type of dog leash has its own purpose: short leashes are useful in public places or potentially dangerous situations; longer leashes are better for exercise and training. Many companies now make retractable leashes that can be adjusted to your needs. Choose a leash that snaps easily into the collar and has enough strength to restrain your dog. They can be made of leather, nylon or metal.
You will need separate dishes for food and water. If you have more than one dog, they will each need their own food bowl, though sharing water bowls is common.Ceramic and metal are preferred over plastic, which can foster bacteria. The bowls should be washed at least twice a week. Special devices help dogs with unusual needs. A wooden bowl will raise the bowl off the floor, offering neck and back relief to large dogs. Dogs with long, low ears often accidentally dunk them in the food and water. Cone-shaped dishes exist that minimize this problem.
Give your dog the opportunity to avoid your furniture by supplying chew toys from the beginning. Nylon bones last a long time and help clean teeth. They will need to be replaced when they appear worn. Softer varieties are called Gum a bones. An incredible amount of choice exists when choosing toys. They come in all colors, shapes and textures. Nearly all work fine, but avoid ones with small attachments that can be chewed off and swallowed. Be certain that the chew toy is large enough itself that it wont choke the dog. It is good practice to never leave your dog along with a chew toy.