Caring For Your New Puppy
Puppies are one of the most adorable beings in the world. Becoming a parent of a puppy, however, is not easy at all. You will need guidance in order to properly take care of the new family member. Even though your place will become a lot more joyful once the puppy sets its feet into it, remember that your lifestyle will require a lot of adjustments. One of those adjustments is getting used to clean all of the puppy’s accidents.
Get a Vet
Many people make the mistake of visiting the pet store before they visit the vet with their new puppy. Find a good vet where the pup will have his first check-up. During the first visit, you will be ensured that the animal is healthy and free of some serious diseases. All vets enjoy a puppy’s first visit, so they will gladly explain to you how to implement and maintain a preventative health routine.
There are a few things you need to establish together with your vet. Start by setting up the vaccination plan as this is the most important thing during the dog’s first year of life. Furthermore, discuss the best option for controlling external and internal parasites. At last, learn about the most common puppy diseases, their symptoms and how to spot them.
Food and snacks
The body of a puppy is growing really fast, and in order to meet all its nutritional requirements, you will need to get quality food according to its breed and size. This is quite a difficult choice to make because there are tens of thousands of food brands claiming they are the best there is on the market.
Going back to the previous part, it’s also a good idea to consult your veterinarian about this topic as well. Generally speaking, the more you pay for the food, the better quality you get. Until the puppy is 12 weeks of age, you should feed it 4 meals a day. At 3 months of age, you should reduce to 3 meals a day, and by the time it is 6 months of age it’s best to give 2 meals a day.
Hygiene
The only real trick you will ever need to teach your dog is housetraining or teaching it to potty outside. This will take a lot of patience, time, and nerves. Remember never to punish your puppy and instead reward his positive behavior. The key component in teaching the dog where to do the dirty deeds is the timing. Take the pup out to potty after you wake up and before bedtime, a few minutes after you feed it when the puppy wakes up from a nap and after physical activity. Whenever you succeed just give it a treat. In no time the dog will learn that doing potty outside is a good and rewarding thing.
Puppy classes
Puppy classes are a great way for your dog to become socialized and friendly, both with other animals and people. Taking it to these ‘social events’ will minimize the chances of unwanted behavior such as aggressiveness, anxiety, and fear later on in life.
from Pet Carefull – Make a Happy Home for Your Pets