Having a dog can change your life for good. But there are many factors which must be kept in mind while deciding to become a new dog parent. Dogs or any pets are just like humans, they have bad days as well as good days. And as a new dog parent, it’s not easy to understand their every little behavior. They cannot speak like us, but they do express their problems, happiness or any kind of emotion on their own way. Owning a dog is a huge commitment, one needs to take professional help whenever required.
Veterinary Doctor Ajoy suggest that, as a dog parent one needs to be highly proactive, and constantly monitor their behavior. Below is a list of 10 things which can prove handy for new dog parents.
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Know your dog well
As a dog parent, understanding their body language is really important. Dogs express a lot through their behavior. Whether they are hungry, sad, feeling uncomfortable, annoyed, every little things are expressed by them through their body language. This is how they communicate and it is really important as an owner to understand the body cues. It is the duty of the owner to learn the meaning behind those signals. So it is really important to interpret those signals correctly and for this one must do a proper study. They must consult a vet if needed.
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Know everything about the breed of your dog
Before adopting a dog, it is really important to know everything about that breed. Starting from what they eat, their likes, dislikes, what makes them happy, how they react to situations, every little detail about them is a must. This will help the owner to understand their dog and communicate accordingly. Knowing about the dog from beforehand will help the owner to motivate the dog to action. Just like humans even dogs or any other pets deserves the equal amount of attention and importance from their owner.
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Training your dog is a must
Training should never be an option. Learning the basic skills of sit down, stay, fetch, is a must to ensure them a happy living in the house. A dog is just like a child, unless and until the parents takes the charge of teaching the child what is good, how to behave, what to speak, what not to do, the child will never understand the differences. Train your dog everyday for 5 -10 minutes maximum. Be gentle and never be strict or too loud with them. More than harsh or loudness, dogs understand better when explained nicely. In this way they will also start showing their interest towards the training. Make the training fun, interactive, rather than strict or boring.
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Be patient and consistent
As mentioned earlier that dog or any pet are like human beings. Just like a newborn child they too take time to learn everything. Be consistent and patient, carry out the training and don’t leave it midway. Always be consistent when it comes to training the pet, because it is their action through which they try to communicate with the humans.
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Be logical
A child never learns to walk and talk the moment he or she takes birth. They learn it slowly and eventually with proper training, and guidance from their parents. Similar is with dogs, don’t expect your dog to know everything from beforehand or react a certain way you want them to. A dog inspite after receiving training may take time to understand everything and it is the responsibility of the owner to give the little creature that amount of time. Comparing your dog with the neighbor’s dog is another big and must be avoided at any cost. Each and every pet has their own limitations and capability power which must be respected.
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Give them your time, care, and affection
The language of love is really simple and beautiful at the same time. There are some owners who feel that keeping their dog or any other pet under strict guidance or showing them less care will train the dog more effectively. This thinking is absolutely wrong, a dog understand the language love more quickly than the language of anger or leadership. When a dog gets attention, love, care, they feel secured and also look forward in listening to the owner as well.
You may also like to know how frequently you should bath my dog.
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Keep your dog active
Expose your dog to the outside world, take them for a walk, allow them to play and enjoy their life. Keeping your dog inside the house most of the time can make them unruly and rude at the same time. Fitness is not just about physical, mental fitness also plays an important role. And it is applicable for us as well; we as human beings need to be fit both mentally and physically. Chalk out a plan and take them for a regular walk, allow them to play outside, this will give them a happy life.
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Be strict at the same time
In the event of showering love, care, and affection, it’s really important to be a strict leader at the same time. This means that the owner must have the ability to both create and make the dog follow the rule at the same time. A good leader is one who is strong and emotional, loving and firm at the same time he or she is clear with their actions. A little bit of scolding, a little bit of harsh rules is essential to make them understand.
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Form a strong and firm relationship with your dog
As an owner you are everything to your dog and it is your duty to make him/her listen to you. Be strict and caring at the same time is the key to successfully train your dog. A dog as said earlier understands the language of love, care, and affection more than the language of rude or rough behavior. Trust, understanding, comfort, is the base of every relationship and so is the case with dogs. They look for safety and comfort, and once they feel the same they are the best friend one can ever have.
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Establish strong rules
We all are following some rules or routines, similar is with dogs. They also need a well structured routine to make their life run smoothly and on track. Keeping them under some rules, restrictions, helps them to lead a predictable and safe life. Not needed to follow a strict or rough routine, but something which will help in maintaining the decorum of the house is good.