Preparing For Your New Dog Part One

Bringing a new dog, puppy or adult, into your household is not a decision to make lightly. There are a number of things that you’ll need to consider, establish, and prepare beforehand in order to ensure a happy, healthy life with your new pet. Prepare to bring your new dog home by making sure to do the following:

Talk To Your Household

Whether you live with your spouse and children or with four unrelated roommates, it’s important to discuss it with everyone else living in your home before you bring home a new dog. Making sure everyone is aware of the change beforehand will allow you to identify any allergy problems in the house as well as how willing the other members of your household will be to help you with housetraining, exercising, feeding, and the other responsibilities of pet ownership. If you have children, you might create a pet tasks chart, outlining everyone’s specific jobs throughout the week.

Research Adoption Options

When you’re deciding on which dog to bring into your family, you have a lot to consider. Be sure to do your research and talk to others with relevant experience in order to choose the best dog breed, dog age, and adoption method for you. Many dog breeds are known for particular personality traits, so you may prefer one breed over another based on temperament. Adult dogs also behave very differently in comparison to puppies; you’ll want to pick an animal at an age that will integrate as easily as possible into your lifestyle. Lastly, you’ll want to decide whether to adopt your new pet from a breeder or from a shelter. If you decide on a specific dog breed, that decision will likely influence where you must get the dog from.

Prepare Your Home

Before your new dog comes home, make sure to invest in all of the pet supplies you’ll need. Your dog will need a collar and leash, dishes for food and water, toys, and appropriate food. Puppies and adult dogs eat different food formulas, so you’ll want to make sure the food you have is meant for the proper age. If you are adopting an older dog, you’ll also want to consider any health or medical needs the animal may have. You may need to invest in allergy medication or a joint care supplement. Here at Lloyd and Lucy’s Pet Supplies, we offer an effective hip and joint care supplement for dogs.

Prepare for your new pet properly with this advice from Lloyd and Lucy’s Pet Supplies. To continue reading on this topic, see part two. To get any questions or concerns addressed, please contact us online.