Sharing a home with a puppy is a great joy as well as worry. Especially if you have no previous experience with a dog or other domestic animal. Before getting a puppy, you should take into account a number of things, think about them carefully and prepare properly for the arrival of the new family member.
Birds of a feather...
Before getting a pet, you should think about which breed is suitable for you, other members of your family and your lifestyle. Active individuals who are used to spending every free moment on long walks in the nature may consider high-energy breeds such as the Border Collie. Some want a dog primarily for the cuddles and for having a good companion. For these people, a Bichon may be good. Some people, on the other hand, need a dog for work, and will select the right breed accordingly.
House or apartment?
The second criterion to take into account is the space which the puppy will occupy. Do you live in an apartment without a garden and spend all your time at work? Then you should take this into account, as some dogs (for example those belonging to the large breeds) may suffer in a small apartment. On the other hand, even a big can manage living in an apartment. But, if you live in a house with a garden, you have more flexibility when choosing the right breed.
Your availability
Relating to this is another aspect: time. If you know that you can spend time with your dog mainly in the evening, after work, and want to go for shorter walks, be sure to keep that in mind when choosing a puppy. If, on the contrary, you can afford daily long walks, preferably several times a day, feel free to consider getting one of the livelier and more energetic breeds that require movement.
Pedigree: yes or no?
When choosing a puppy, you should also consider whether it is important for you whether your dog has a pedigree. A pedigree represents, among other things, a guarantee of the breed’s standard, details about its origin, and above all, the certainty that the puppy will grow into the dog you chose. For dogs without a pedigree, you cannot be sure of its origin, not knowing which characteristics and standards the dog will acquire, meaning a greater uncertainty. Also pay attention to where you are getting your puppy from. Avoid any puppy mills, as these facilities usually treat dogs inhumanely and breed them primarily for profit.
Joys and worries
These are some of the basic aspects to think about before bringing a new family member home. The dog itself and caring for it require time, diligence and perseverance. However, the reward will be endless joy and an incredible amount of love and support. On the other hand, it means a commitment, a living creature that will be dependent on you to some extent. With a new dog you will experience an incredible adventure, you just have to be sure that you are able to enjoy it properly.
If your cat is going to pee or defecate outside its toilette, it is only seldom just an issue of training or hygiene. Cats are clever animals and they have no trouble to understand, where to go to toilette. Therefore, if they don’t abide the rules of...
We hear about the war in Syria almost every day. But have you ever thought about how does a war affect local animals and that the self-sacrifice must not always be made by an animal for humans, but it can also be the other way around? The person that...
Acupuncture wants to harmonise the body and the mind. Some of you may have tried it, it was a great help to me personally with issues with my back and breathing. Precisely owing to my positive personal experience, the possibility to indulge dogs and...
In the life of any dog, a situation might come up, when it is necessary to put on a muzzle. And if the dog is not used to wearing it, it might mean a stressful situation. I will advise you on how to avoid stress and how to get your dog used to wearing...
Same as in people, also our pets should go to regular check-ups to a doctor. We might neglect this quite often, but it is still something else in animals. A dog or a cat won’t come up to you to tell you, that they’re not feeling well. That’s why an...
You probably have someone among your friends, who has diabetes. However, do you know, that cats and dogs also suffer from this disease quite often?
The name distemper might be familiar to you, but do you know more precise characteristics of this treacherous viral disease? Let’s take it one by one from the historic roots up to the present day
Do you know, what dreams our pets have? Besides myself, also a number of scientists were interested in this question and they came up with various hypotheses. Would you guess what our four-legged friends dream about?
Maybe even you have a small four-legged stressed-out dog at home. In such case, read carefully, maybe you will find something here, what you haven’t tried yet, while trying to get your pet rid of stress.
You have probably encountered the opinion, that much more important than what you’re saying to your dog is how you’re saying it (the tone). But it shows, that dogs are able to understand the human language much better, than we generally credit them for.
p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.3px 'Times New Roman'; -webkit-text-stroke: #000000} span.s1 {font-kerning: none} All of us surely likes to take pictures of our pets. However, the photographs don’t always turn out according to our...
It could seem that the smaller the animal, the less care it would require. However, don’t let yourself be fooled. Even if you have a small mouse at home, a rabbit or maybe a guinea pig, you should adapt the care for them to the season and to situations...
