Tips For New Pet Owners

cute-is-cute
Don’t start bad habits.

Puppies are super cute, but don’t start bad habits. Feeding a puppy from the table is a very common one. Don’t start giving your them scraps from your food unless you don’t mind having a dog that is always begging for food at your every meal.

Biting, and chewing! With puppies, a little nip doesn’t really hurt, but unless they are taught that this is not allowed, they will continue to bite into adult hood. The same goes for chewing, teach your pup early on what they can chew on (treats, toys) and what they cannot chew on (furniture and your shoes)!

Start training early.

Don’t wait until your pup is 6 months old to start training. You can start training your pup at 7/8 weeks, the sooner the better!

Stay fit.

Make sure your dog gets plenty of exercise. Along with staying in shape, exercise and play time help a puppy to expel any pent up energy that might otherwise turn into destructive behavior in your home!

Socialize.

You don’t want your puppy to be a scaredy-cat! Once all the puppy vaccines have been given, start taking your pup out and introducing them to other people and dogs.

Keep an eye out for unusual behavior.

Pets have unique habits and mannerisms, it will take time for you to learn them all, but it is important that you do. Knowing what is normal behavior for your pup will help you to identify any abnormal behavior.

Listen to your vet.

While going to the internet for advice and tips is great for pet owners remember, no one is more of an expert than an expert! Try not to minimize any advice a vet may give you, if you disagree you can always seek out a second opinion from a different vet.