A responsible owner knows that buying or adopting a dog is a big responsibility.
A new member of the household will enter their life and will require attention, proper upbringing, care for health and well-being. So before your puppy arrives home, it’s worth getting ready for its arrival.
Puppies require special care. They are separated from their mother and find themselves in a completely new environment. For this reason, they can be scared and apathetic. In addition, they need the right food that will provide them with the necessary nutrients and the right amount of calories for their proper development
Here are some tips to consider when completing a layette for your pet:
- The puppy must have a resting place – bedding should be soft, durable and of the right size. It is worth buying a mattress, pillow or playpen, from which the dog will not grow out of quickly. It’s a good idea to locate the lair in a secluded place, from which, however, the dog will have an insight into what is happening in the house.
- It is worth stocking up on a few safe toys for your puppy, thanks to which the animal will spend time in activity. A bored dog, especially during the period of permanent replacement of the dog’s milk teeth, If the puppy is left alone at home, and it cannot use the kennel yet, it is worth removing from its field of vision all objects that may attract attention, e.g. decorations, shoes, flower pots (some plants are poisonous to animals) – all this will certainly interest a curious dog.
- Puppy bowls should have a non-slip bottom, other models should be placed on an additional mat to prevent slippage. A small dog does not always know how to take care of its physiological needs while walking. If the dog is still doing things at home, instead of newspapers, it is better to put a training mat on the floor for learning to clean (e.g. with the smell of fresh grass that is only felt by animals), will serve as a toilet for the puppy in the first weeks of life. It should lie permanently in a designated place, preferably near the exit door.
Feeding
Caring for a puppy is not only about providing him with a roof over his head and entertainment. One of the most important responsibilities of a small dog owner is feeding the puppy. Initially, it is worth sticking to the diet used inbreeding, therefore it is also good practice to respect the times your puppy has been fed, at least during the dog’s adaptation period. Introduce the new food gradually, initially mixing it with the one your dog is used to. It is a good habit to check its composition before buying. Puppies need protein, phosphorus, calcium, unsaturated fatty acids, copper, zinc and vitamins. Until the age of 14 weeks, the dog must be fed 4 times a day. Between 5 and 6 months, the number of servings should be reduced to 3, and when the dog is six months old, a good feeding system should be introduced based on 2 meals a day. Their detailed composition should be developed together with a veterinarian. There must always be clean and fresh water in the bowl.
How to take care of a puppy – health and care
A puppy should not be bathed during the first month of life. When your puppy gets dirty, it is better to wipe its coat with moistened wipes (preferably hypoallergenic) than to put in the bath. Young dogs from kennel or adopted from a shelter should go to new owners with a health booklet in which the first vaccinations and deworming are entered. The breeder or veterinarian is obliged to inform about the vaccination schedule, because from then on, the new owner is responsible for the health and well-being of the pet. It is also worth remembering that during the quarantine period, i.e. when the dog taken from the breeder, gets used to the new conditions, avoid taking the puppy to places where there are many other foreign dogs.
How to raise a puppy from the first weeks of life?
Many new owners ask themselves how to handle a puppy and how to raise it to avoid problems later. The most important rules are consistency, time and patience. However, it is worth to start learning from the first weeks of a dog’s life. The dog should learn to respond to its name. It is worth including subsequent commands in education, e.g. sit down, let’s go, stay. The skills of summoning and walking on a loose leash are also important. Dogs have different characters and not every owner will be able to raise a pet on their own. Therefore, a good option is to take part in classes where under the supervision of an experienced trainer, the animal learns the correct behavior and learns about the world around it in a safe way. If it reacts to education with anxiety or aggression, it is worth using the help of a behaviorist who will not only diagnose the underlying problem, but also help to cope with it.
The more work we put into raising a dog and getting it used to various stimuli and situations that it may encounter, the greater the probability that our pet will grow into a balanced and calm dog. Good luck!
