Welcoming a dog to your life for the first time is an exciting and joyful experience. There’s nothing like the amazing feeling of knowing that you will share your life journey with a dog, which will accompany you and love you no matter what. Watching it grow, develop, play, go for walks, meet other dogs and other humans is all part of the wonderful experience of having a dog in your family.
As much as having a dog can bring you happiness, it can also be quite a challenge, especially during the first weeks or months. Moreover, if this is your first dog, then you must have many questions and doubts! No worries, we are here to help. In this article we’re going to tell you all about the best tips and ideas to take into account if you are a new dog owner or are about to become one.
Getting the gear ready
There are a few indispensable items that you will want to get before your new puppy arrives. So, our first tip for you is: be sure to get all the things that your puppy will need so that, when it arrives, everything is settled.
What are the main items that a new puppy-owner must have? To point out a few, this would be: a collar and an ID tag, water and food bowls, a few toys for the puppy to chew and play with, soft treats for training, a bed and a crate.
It’s bedtime!
Just like it happens with human babies, initially puppies don’t have fixed sleeping routines. Especially during their first weeks of life, puppies usually wake up several times in the middle of the night, and it takes them some time to adjust their sleeping patterns.
Our main advice to help your puppy adjust its sleeping times is to create a routine that they can follow and get used to. Try to schedule the meal times, playing times and sleeping times so that the puppy can get used to the routine. This way, it will start to have a more fixed sleeping pattern that will be better for the puppy and also for you and your family. Crate training can also be very useful for this, as it’s a way of providing the puppy with a safe space that they can get used to, recognize easily and feel comfortable.