Owning an animal can be a tough task, and whether you’re buying one for your family or simply to keep you company, there’s certainly a lot of work involved! Take puppies for example – as soon as they’re able to see and walk they love to explore, and you’ll probably find yourself chasing after them to make sure they don’t hurt themselves.
However once puppies get a little older and they are comfortable in their environments, you’ll see that they become more loving as they learn to trust their owner. This trust forms an unbreakable bond, and most families look after their dog until the end of its life. K-9’s really are a man’s best friend, but there’s something about puppies that makes us go all soppy inside. Let’s take a look at some of the reasons why we love puppies so much.
Love At First Sight
For many people, the moment they first lay their eyes on their new puppy, its love at first sight. Not only are puppies small, fury, cuddly, warm and playful, but the older they get, the more they look to you for guidance. In order to strengthen this bond, you have to invest a lot of time with your pet, and make sure that they get all the necessary injections they need to keep them healthy.
Just like many of the adverts you see on television, a dog isn’t just for Christmas, and although they may seem cute and adorable when they’re a puppy, dogs can get very boisterous as they get bigger. This means they can damage your home, and end up costing you lots of money in vet fees too. If you’re not financially, physically and emotionally prepared to bring a puppy into your life, then don’t make the mistake of buying one.
Spend Time With Your Puppy
The more time you spend with your puppy, the less time it will take for them to trust you, and to respond to your calls. Many people believe that all they have to do is take their puppy to the nearest dog-training camp, and a few weeks later they’ll have the perfect household pet. Although professionally training your puppy is essential to its development, it also needs the same amount of attention within the home too.
Dogs, unlike cats, can’t be left alone to fend for themselves, and it’s important to consider what you need for a puppy to make their life as good as possible. As a puppy-owner, you must be prepared to take your dog for daily walks, wash its fur, feed it, play with it and keep it healthy. All of this can take up lots of your time, and if you haven’t got it to spare, then you must reconsider getting a puppy.
Socialization
While training your puppy, it’s important that you introduce it to other people and dogs to get it used to a variety of smells and experiences. If you keep your puppy in your home and don’t allow it to socialize, then it could be detrimental to its future development. If you’re ever in doubt, make sure you visit your local veterinary practice.
For more on puppies and dogs, go to the RSPCA site.
I love dogs. Socialization and care are easy for me. I recently puppy sat for a friend and took her out for a pee walk once an hour. She did her duty and I was so proud of her progress. It was only after she left that I found the spots under a table where she still was naughty. That is the part that challenges me the most.and my next dog will probably be an adult or semi-adult from a rescue group so I can avoid it. Even though, those puppies are hard to resist.
We’ve had two family dogs and adopted both of them (fourteen years apart) from an animal shelter. They both were about a year old at the time, and we did feel that it was a little easier for them to adjust to our home without completely destroying it. On the down side, they both had previous experiences unknown to us that tweaked their personalities in some negative ways. We adored both of them in spite of that and are happy we saved two good friends from the shelter. This is a great article with terrific advice about the challenges and rewards of owning a puppy.
I love dogs, and puppies are particularly adorable. I find training them to be so hard though. I’d prefer to go to a shelter and get an older dog for this reason, and because I think it’s important to save an animal.