Owning a dog - The Puppy Stage

If you're considering a new puppy to become the latest member of your family, there are a number of factors that you will have to consider before taking in a four-legged friend. Before taking home the first pup that tugs at your heartstrings, you will need to ensure that your home is the correct environment to bring a puppy up in and ensure that you and your family are ready for the responsibility of looking after a dog.

First of all, make sure that you have chosen a respected and well-known breeder if you have decided to purchase a new pedigree puppy as a reputable breeder will never intentionally sell a poor breed specimen, ensuring that the breeding stock is one of health. You may wish to 'test drive' the adult dogs of the breed that you have chosen to get an idea of how your dog will develop - obviously the personalities of the dogs will be different but you can get an idea of the temperament and physical properties of the breed; by taking a few days to walk these adult dogs and learn about the interaction between dog and owner you can learn a lot more about caring for a puppy of that breed.

Next, you should double check to ensure you are ready to handle the responsibility of looking after a dog - as an additional financial investment a dog can cost a lot over the years what with food, vets bills and the necessary accessories to owning a dog. If you have a child or have recently bought a home, this may not be the best time to add to your financial burdens; however, if you feel that now is the right time and you can afford to raise a dog, then you can be ready to adopt.

The most important part of choosing a dog is ensuring that the breed you select will be suitable for your lifestyle - if you are very sporty and want a jogging companion and a protective dog, it would be wise to steer clear of the smaller, fashionable breeds; and alternatively to this, if you prefer to spend your time inside with a cup of tea, an energetic and physically demanding large breed such as the husky may be too much for you to handle. Whilst all dogs have a different personality that will adapt and change depending on the owner, the breed of a dog can give important clues to how the dog will behave.

Once you have an idea of the type of dog you think would fit into your lifestyle and have found a reputable breeder, the next step is to be evaluated by the breeder; as they have raised and understood the breed as a part of their job and often hobby, the breeder will be the best at gauging the suitability for you and the breed they know and love. If they find that you and your home are indeed ready to adopt a member of their litter, then you may well be taking a new member of the family home with you.

Before taking your dog home, there will be a number of things that you must be prepared to undertake if the dog is to accept itself in a position in your family. You will need to have prepared bedding, toys, food (which the breeder can advise you on in terms of what has already been fed and what may be best to change to or to use in future) as well as having a training structure in mind. It is also wise to consider an insurance policy for your pet to protect them against accidents and illness. Check back to this lens throughout the week, as I will be updating to include important information on what you'll need for your new puppy, what you should expect over the lifetime of caring for your new dog as well as taking a look into training as a necessity in dog ownership.

Once you've chosen your favoured and best matched breed, signed the adoption papers and made sure that your home is the best possible environment to raise a dog, you may think that it should be plain sailing from here on out. Unfortunately, that is not the case as your hard work is only just about to start.

When you first bring a puppy home, expect a lot of noise; your puppy will snuffle around a lot and, depending on their bravery, run around from room to room exploring and probably yapping all the while. Depending on socialisation, how long the puppies have been away from their mother and how attached to you the puppy has become, you may have to expect a lot of yelping at night time as the puppy becomes accustomed to sleeping separately from its family unit. You may have to spend some nights on the sofa to prove that you are still in the vicinity, but this is down to preference.

Eventually the puppy should accept that, whilst it cannot see you, you are in the house and therefore it can feel safe. It is important to make sure this step is overcome, as otherwise these neurotic tendencies will continue into older life. Crate training is essential in this step, as it solidifies the crate as a secure place to play and live that you will return to for your pet to feel completely comfortable in. This can also help with barking as your pet grows older; along with proper socialisation, your pet needs to understand that it is safe inside the crate and visitors to the home are not to be barked at.

Another facet of life with a puppy is mess, a factor that you will soon be at the mercy of when looking after your puppy. Toys, cables, clothes, table corners; everything will be at the mercy of your little chewing machine, and often it will seem that your puppy has a singular, driven goal of placing bite marks on every surface in your home that it can feasibly fit into its mouth. Whilst this may frustrate you (and break the smaller items you may own) this can be signs of pain when teething - you can avoid this pain by purchasing specially designed chew toys that aim to alleviate the pain of teeth growth and also help direct the chewing to an item of preference.

Persistent chewing, even with an alternate item to chew and distract the puppy, may mean something more serious. If you are returning home and finding items have been chewed, this may be a sign that your dog is frustrated at your absence and is exercising this frustration through a physical medium. This is another form of separation anxiety and can be harmful to your relationship with your pet, as well as the health of your pet as it can risk chewing electrical cables and receiving a shock. Protect your electrical wires by keeping them out of sight and if you spot any of this behaviour, discuss with your vet the best ways to combat this separation anxiety.

Included under the mess category is the likelihood for the puppy to tear apart items such as paper or toys that come within reach; this may be annoying to clean up but after a while your pup should grow out of this stage, especially if you utilise the displacement technique to change the puppy's chewing urges towards a better suited toy. Finally, you will have to accept the little accidents that will occur whilst house training the puppy - these are smelly and obviously not nice to deal with, but they are part and parcel of owning a puppy. Over time you can train your puppy to go to the toilet at times that are more opportune for yourself, and the indoor accidents can be left behind you.

The responsibility of owning a dog is one that requires prior commitment of up to fifteen years, if not more, and in the best interests of the dog you will have to be ready to commit your entire lifetime to the pet. It is unfair to keep the dog for only as long as it is in its cutest 'puppy' stage, as you end up with a pet that is abandoned and unloved, something seen all too often across Britain's dog adoption centres. Before you ever purchase a dog, ensure that your entire family is committed to the long lifetime and costs of owning a dog, as well as the necessary levels of care that will need to be put in. Only if you are certain that your family is ready should you go ahead with getting a new puppy. This is a lifetime commitment that will bring you many years of joy and companionship.

So you've chosen your breed and know exactly what to expect when your new puppy comes to live with you; now all you need is to make sure you have everything you'll need to look after your newest addition to the family. These range from the smaller purchases that you'll make to help the pup feel at home all the way up to essential purchases such as insurance and bedding that comprise the usual facets of owning a dog. Read on to see the top purchases that pet owners make to help with their new puppy.

To start off on the top purchases that you'll need to make for your puppy, I believe that bedding is something to tackle immediately. As your puppy will need a definite and separate place to sleep that ensures it will understand its place in the family and prevent fighting for position in the family chain, a crate or bedding set up is a perfect place to begin with when starting out on purchases for your pet. Soft bedding is best, and can be anything from old blankets to specially made dog padding, and the bed itself can be anything from a simple basket to a full crate design that encompasses a play area and living space that the dog will make their own.

Food is an important factor of owning a dog; you can't be feeding your puppy the same as yourself, as this will be harmful to the dog thanks to the number of synthesised chemicals we often find in our modern food products. The breeder will be able to inform you on what they are feeding the puppies on, but this choice may not be your preferred brand or too expensive for yourself - to get the best idea of what to use, ask your vet for a balanced and healthy dog food, and investigate further on that choice. You want to avoid products that use a high amount of wheat and cereal products with meat substitute, and instead utilise those foods that have rice and meats as primary food products.

When changing foods, it is best to slowly introduce new food products over a period of time as a quick change can cause an upset for your pet as the swift dietary alteration will disrupt what the body is expecting to process - much in the same way that our own stomachs will be upset in a foreign country due to a change in the foods we regularly eat. It goes without saying that such upsets can become messy, so a slow change to accommodate a warm up to the new diet is necessary.

Toys are another associated part of owning a puppy, which for many owners can be the most fun part of personalising your pet ownership. Depending on personal preference, you can find a large variety of squeaky, rubber, ball or throwing toys, as well as hoops, ropes, treat-hideaways and much more. There is so much to choose from, but obviously your pet will end up choosing something as their favourite - this could be a shiny new rubber toy but is just as likely to be that smelly teddy that has sat in your attic for years; don't be upset if the puppy forgoes the toys you buy for an old trinket!

A collar and lead will be a smart purchase for your new puppy as well, as it is necessary to have the correct equipment for lead training and walking. Depending on the breed and/or personal preference, you may want to consider a harness as well. It is important to make sure your puppy is comfortable on the lead from a young age to ensure ease of cooperation as they grow older. Choosing a harness, muzzle, retractable lead or standard rope is entirely down to preference and your own idea of effective equipment, so it is best that you get a feel for the different products that are available before sticking with a favourite.

It might be an idea to have an exercise or walk area prepared in your mind before you get your puppy - this way you can map out future walks and exercises to engage your pet and increase their fitness whilst steadily increasing the distance you walk. This can also help get your pet into understanding routine, which is vital for those pet owners that leave the house for work or want to avoid being woken at 5am by impatient pets.

Speaking of impatience, an important factor of owning a puppy is a large amount of patience and love for the new arrival. Whilst it may seem like housetraining, grooming, feeding and every other aspect of owning a puppy is designed to make your life difficult, you have to understand that the puppy will be in an entirely new environment and will have to learn how to act in the way that you want them to. Over time the connection between pet and owner grows, so you will have to make it work for yourself; but first you have to undertake all the hard work - don't worry though, this soon pays off!

Finally, in my opinion one of the most important purchases you can make for a new puppy is the insurance. Buying a new puppy can be pricey, and the more fashionable the breed means the more you will spend. Owning a dog can cost a lot of money over the lifetime of your pet; vet's bills can come out of nowhere and seriously hurt your bank account. Insurance protects you and your pet for those unexpected moments by providing a measure of financial security and reassurance that means you need not panic whenever something goes wrong. Choosing your pet insurance provider is of course tricky, as so many companies offer different ranges of policies; personally I have chosen Animal Friends, whose great ethos and charitable donations make them stand out in a highly contested market of competitive rates. You can find out more about them by following the link to their websites in my 'Favourite links' section above.

Overall, being entirely prepared for owning a puppy takes a lot of effort and time but will leave you ready to tackle the wide world of pet ownership. If you are taking the plunge, remember to ask your local vet for any advice and also the local pet owners on their thoughts of owning a dog - you may be surprised at the tips that you can pick up! Come back tomorrow when I tackle the topic of training and how it is a necessary part of owning a puppy.

When it comes to owning a new puppy, many people may see this as the period where their pet will be at its cutest and most playful, and fully intend to make the most of this. I feel that this would be an unwise mistake to make, as this is also the stage where your puppy learns the most important skill of all - how to understand you, the owner. You need to capitalise on a puppy's dependence on you in order to ensure that the bond is formed; this will allow you to teach your puppy new skills, how to behave as well as the nuances of home life.

The first and foremost skill that you will want your puppy to learn is how to go to the toilet in an appropriate place. Whilst some people may think that dogs automatically come with an instinct to 'go' outside, a puppy comes with no such instructions. They will go to the toilet as and where it pleases them, however they will purposely avoid areas in which they sleep or eat unless under extreme distress. This can be a long and arduous process as the puppy learns control over its bowels and understands where you want it to go to the toilet in the future.

The best way to facilitate this learning is to lay down newspaper near a door leading outside. During training, keep a close eye on your dog at all times; when they look like they are going to 'go' away from the paper, quickly pick them up saying 'no,' whilst carrying them to the newspaper area. Then, praise the puppy once they've done their business on the newspaper to reinforce that the paper is the correct toilet area. Keep on doing this until the puppy is completely able to understand where you want them to go. Once this method has been solidified with the puppy, start doing the same tactics to get the dog to go to the toilet outside; before long your dog will learn that outside is the place to 'do toilet', and will develop their own way to ask to get outside - be warned, if you are not ready to listen to you dog at this point, the accidents can start over again!

This is also the stage where your puppy will try to define their standing in the family chain. Whilst one person will be established as the 'pack leader' or 'alpha' of the family (often but not always the person that walks and feeds the puppy), every other member of the family at this point will be seen as competition in terms of vying for attention and praise from that alpha. You will need to socialise the pet into understanding that everyone is equal and that attention is shared amongst the family unit. A dog can become easily jealous if that 'alpha' person isn't sharing the attention, so be wise with treats and make sure that any jealous nipping is halted before it becomes a natural response.

Behaviour is another part of the training that you will want to include for your puppy during your daily interactions. Whilst being playful and boisterous may be in a puppy's nature, this cannot last forever; a larger dog that likes to jump and bite will be seen as a nuisance and a threat, meaning that the best time to calm down the antics of your dog is in their youth. Reward good behaviour with treats and petting, and ignore bad behaviour - negative reinforcement, such as through shouting or punishment will always have a detrimental effect as dogs can act like petulant teenagers when disgruntled and simply ignore commands or become brutish. Aggressive behaviour needs to be stopped immediately and may require specialists to reverse the problem, as it can often be deeply tied in to psychological issues that can lead to detrimental effects in later life as well as damage the relation between owner and pet, risking conflict.

Looking on the bright side, now is also the time to teach your pet the tricks that you want them to have as they grow up. Fetch, play dead, roll over and fetching the newspaper are just examples of the range of skills that a dog can learn and such skills require lots of practice - the best time to start such practice is in their puppy stage, where they are more open to suggestion and positive reinforcement. By making these learning exercises as engaging and rewarding as possible you can get the most out of your puppy with minimum effort, although it may give you a headache when they don't get it right the tenth time in a row! When trying to teach new tricks, perseverance is the key word to remember - just don't give up, as your pup will be putting in just as much effort as you!

Included in this training is letting the puppy know where in the house it is and isn't allowed. Obviously the easiest way to do this would be to shut doors and use them as physical barriers to completely stop the puppy having any chance to get into the room in question, however this will not be the best option; cutting yourself off from the puppy whilst in a different room can lead to separation anxiety and attachment issues. Instead, consider utilising a baby gate across key areas, so that a dog is close enough to see, hear and smell you whilst the barrier is still in effect - this reinforces the differences between 'dog', 'shared' and 'human-only' areas of the house.

Overall I feel that it is a wise idea to begin training as soon as possible in order to achieve the best results without over-exerting your pet. Puppies are tremendously playful and it will be very difficult not to get distracted and roll around with them, but if you want to achieve the best results you have to remain in control of your little bundle of fun. Who knows, maybe the puppy will actually start to listen after a while!

This stage of owning a dog is often seen as the most rewarding, as the love and attention that you give to your dog now will create and strengthen the bond that grows between pet and owner and will remain strong for the rest of your time together. As the owner of the puppy, this is the stage where you will invest the most time, energy and frustration - however like any investment, the payoff in the long term will be much higher than any input that you make now.

Such investment comes in the form of the training and necessary items that you will be buying for the puppy at this stage. The time that you give to your puppy now will solidify your position as provider and as a dominant member of the family, leading to the respect and obedience that you wish to attain from your pet later on in life. Of course, in the immediate future your puppy may be too busy dashing about to listen to you very much; wait for them to settle down and see how much they listen to you though, and you may be surprised.

The next stage of dog ownership can come as a problematic period, as your dog ages past puppyhood and reaches the stage where you can safely take them outside after receiving their vaccinations. You can expect a large amount of pulling, investigating and smelling of other dogs and people whilst out for a walk; this may seem like a nightmare for a lot of people, but a correctly socialised dog can be well trained and avoid such confrontation.

This stage will also come with some benefits as well - a dog at this age will have spent puppyhood with you being trained, so you can expect a better trained dog. If you have instead adopted a dog at this age, you may have to expect a different level of training that will be required; don't be disheartened however, as a dog at this age is still within a decent age bracket to facilitate fast learning from the training that you can give them. An adopted dog can learn just as well as any trained-from-birth pup, so don't give up if things are difficult from the face of things.

In fact, an adopted dog at this age will already have a developed personality and behaviour pattern, allowing you to easily adapt in order to make the best of your training with minimum effort or trial and error. As long as your relationship with the adopted dog has been established, you may even find training at this stage far easier than the same training with a puppy. In either case, this means that adopting a dog does not mean that you will have an untrained dog.

This leads on to the topic that I will be focussing on next week, which is the ownership of a young to middle-aged dog. I will be touching on the topic of adoption as well as training both adopted dogs and those that you have raised from birth, and I will also touch on the changes in care for your dog that you will need to make as it grows up. If you have any particular topics or questions then please feel free to leave a comment in the guestbook, and I will try to tackle any and all queries posed for this topic in my next Lens.

Thanks for reading my lens, and I hope you'll come back to follow up on the rest of my topic - The Lifecycle of Dog ownership.