subject: Integrating A Dog Into Your Home [print this page] When you are buying a new puppy you want to make sure that you understand how to go about the process properly. There are many people that do not understand how much effort they should put into this process and end up regretting their decision.
After you buy a dog regretting your decision can be very frustrating and very upsetting for you and for the dog. Taking a dog into your home and providing that environment for the dog and then taking it away from the dog is not fair.
Although, if you find that you cannot care for a dog you want to make sure that you find someone that can. While you are looking for someone to care for the dog you should be extensive in your search.
Search for as long as you can for someone that can take the dog so you do not have to put him or her in the pound. Finding a loving home may be possible if you put the effort into looking for someone that needs a dog.
You should also make sure that you understand how important it is to be honest with those that buy the dog. Lying about the dog may result in the dog being dumped back on your porch a few days or a few weeks later.
Instead, you should be honest with those that you are introducing the dog to. Let them know why you are getting rid of the dog and what you have done to help the dog or what you feel you could have done better.
But, before you get to this step you want to take the time to concentrate on buying the dog. When you are on the market for dog shopping you should make an extensive list of the things that you feel you need form the dog.
You will, naturally, have expectations of the dog that you are looking to purchase and you want to make sure that you are honest with yourself about these expectations. Many people do not sit down and try to assess their feelings about dogs before purchasing a dog.
Some people need a dog that will be very friendly around small children. If you know that you are going to have small children romping around your house make sure that you take that into consideration as you are shopping.
You should also make sure that you get a dog that will be safe from the small children. If one of the toddlers should fall on the dog or should happen to pull at the dog or push the dog the wrong way you do not want a dog that will get injured form this.
There are a lot of people that try to find a dog based on their friends recommendations. Although your friends will be great, you want to make sure you understand how their opinion was founded and how you can relate to their situation.
Other people want to have a dog for protection. The dog that you are buying to protect you and your family or even your possessions will probably not be the same dog that you should have in the house around your young children.
You can even look for a dog with much more specific traits. There are dogs that enjoy running or playing fetch or even dogs that are known to enjoy swimming or just enjoy being in any type of water.
Think about where you want to take your dog and how you are going to get him or her there. If you want a large dog you should make sure that you have a car that will allow you to take him or her to the veterinarian office if he or she needs to be.
Finally, you have to make sure that you are not wasting any time when you buy the puppy. You do not want to wait to start training the dog because you can instill bad habits or encourage bad habits if you do not start training your dog early.
You should also make sure that you are taking the time to love your dog. There are many people that believe that the only way to train an animal is to be loud and forceful instead of loving and encouraging.
Although it may sound ridiculous, many dogs respond much better to the loving master rather than the authoritarian master. Take the time to understand the personality of the dog and what you need to do to keep him or her in line.
