Dog Ownership: Getting Your First Puppy

After weeks of researching and discussion, you have finally selected the puppy destined to be the newest member of your family!  Your life will never be quite the same again from the day you bring your puppy home.  Enjoy all the excitement and anxiousness, but don’t forget there is quite a bit of preparation to be done for the big day.  If you planned ahead, believe me, you will enjoy every bit of the experience even more. 

The big day is near – grab your credit card and head for the pet supply stores.  You may be overwhelmed by so many products, ranging from all kinds of cute toys to designer doggy attire but don’t start buying everything that appeal to you or you will regret having wasted money.  Stick to the basic items, which are: 

Crates are important.  It is recommended to crate-train your puppy.  The crate is an enclosed space that offers the sense of security for dogs, much like the feeling their distant relative the wolf feels inside the cave.  They also come in handy when you need to bring your dog for car rides or even plane rides.  Ideally, the crate should be placed in your bedroom because that is the place where the puppy will sleep at night and puppies hate to be alone in the dark.  However, it must be noted that crates are not meant to lock up your dog for long hours or used as a tool for punishment.  It is more like the dog’s own little bedroom within the house, a place for him/her to rest peacefully and comfortably.

Foldout pens are pretty standard stuff that confines a boundary where your young puppy can play in the day.  Having a confined area for the young puppy to learn how to relieve him or herself on the newspaper will lessen the clean-up work you have to do.  But make sure the confined area is not too small that there is not enough space.  Increase the number of pens to expand the area where your puppy can move around as he/she grows.  When he/she is reliable enough, you can remove all the pens and let him/her roam around your house, as he/she likes.  Remember; never leave any chemicals, detergents, medicines etc. at places accessible to the dog, as they might be fatal to the dog when he/she innocently consumes them as puppies are naturally inclined to explore and try everything they encounter.

Baby Safety Gates are necessary if you don’t want your puppy to go into a restricted area.

Stainless steel bowls are recommended as they are completely hypoallergenic, easy to clean and bacteria grow slower on their surface compared to other material.  Put water (tap water is fine) and some dog treats in the bowls before you bring the puppy home.  That will give him/her a pleasant surprise!

Do not grab the first choke chain collar you see at the store.  Those are training collars and should be worn only during training, after a qualified dog trainer has taught you the proper way of using it.  They are NOT for choking your dog.  For the time being, buy a buckle collar without sharp edges for the purpose of carrying your dog’s identification tag that states out your phone number, which is the most important information that needs to be there.

Dry dog food is best in the long run, though it may be a little hard for your puppy’s first months so adding a little water to it to soften it does help.  Or give canned food.  When the puppy is over 2 months old, he/she should be able to chew the dry food even if it is not moist.  Do not give deliciously flavoured home cooked food to your puppy or he/she will become a fussy eater and refuse to eat any dry/wet dog food or anything else other than the same delicious home cooked food you have made him accustomed to.  As a general rule of the thumb, avoid giving home cooked food if you do not have any idea what your dog should eat.  Stick to dry/wet dog food.

Most dogs love toys, especially the squeaky ones.  Toys satisfy a dog’s natural desires to chase, chew and tug.  Chew bones exercise the puppy’s jaws, clean his/her teeth, and assist in the physical and social development of the puppy.  By consistently providing toys and chew bones to your dog, you create and enhance the bond between you and your dog.

Nail clipper is not a must before you bring your puppy home but it is essential when grooming your puppy later on.  If you are not confident in cutting your puppy’s nails yourself, you should ask a professional groomed to do it instead.  This is especially true for those dogs with black nails which do not allow you to see where the “quick” (the tissue part of the nail).  It is excruciating painful for the dog if you cut into his/her “quick” as there are lots of veins and nerves there and it will bleed for hours.

If you are bringing your puppy home by car, you should be prepared for your puppy getting carsick.  It is common for young puppies to be carsick.  Have towels and weties ready.  It is recommended that you put the puppy in a box lined with towel.  This way it is relatively easier to clean up if he/she vomits or eliminates inside the box.  Drive slowly and meander each curve slowly.  Try not to play loud noisy music or talk loudly inside the car.  If the puppy whines or barks, don’t correct him/her, as it will only make him/her more nervous.

There you are at the doorstep of your house.  If there are other family members at home, make sure they do not rush up to look and pat the puppy all at once.  That will scare the poor creature out of his/her skin!  Dogs don’t see things like we do, they sniff.  So, allow him/her to slowly sniff out the people and things in the house at his/her own pace.  Speak to him/her softly and sweetly.  If there are children at home, do explain the situation to them beforehand and keep them calm when the puppy arrives.  If he/she pees or poops, do not correct him/her as he/she is too disoriented to remember anything and you will just frighten him/her and that will definitely compromise the effectiveness of training you have to do later on.

Ideally, your dog should sleep near you at night in the same room in a box with an open top or a crate.  Be prepared for disrupted sleep for the first few nights as he/she may whine.  Puppies can’t hold their bladder or control their bowels yet so you have to wake up a few times in the middle of the night to clean him/her as soon as she eliminates.  Dogs are naturally clean animals, so they don’t like to stay in a dirty place stained with urine and feces.  Don’t force them to get used to a dirty place.  Don’t play with him/her after you are done cleaning up the box or crate unless you like the habit of him/her playing with you in the middle of the night from then on.

If keeping the puppy inside your bedroom is out of the question, crate or enclose him/her in a small area but be prepared to attend to his/her needs as and when he/she whines or barks.  Unfortunately in Singapore, it is common for pet shop staff to tell people to simply fence the young puppy inside a bathroom or balcony and just ignore the puppy when he/she whines at night.  It is not only inhumane to treat a young puppy that way; it is also very inconsiderate to disturb your neighbours.

For the next few weeks, you have to get ready to be nipped, mouthed and scratched by the newest member of your family.  Remember the puppy is not intentionally vicious, that is how he/she plays and communicates with you, just like a baby piercing his sharp fingernails into your palm or pulling your hair.  How fast your puppy breaks out of these habits depend on how you react.  If your puppy is still nipping and mouthing by 4 months old, it is definitely your fault.  Consult a qualified dog trainer immediately.

Among all the excitements, do not forget to bring your puppy to the vet for his/her puppy vaccinations and deworming.  Before the vaccinations are totally completed, try to avoid bringing your puppy outside or mingling with other unfamiliar dogs, as the puppy has not attained immunity against virus, which may be present outside or on unfamiliar dogs.

If all of these sound troublesome for you, then you should consider getting an older dog instead, one who is over 2 years old.  Older dogs are calmer, less active inside the house and generally not as destructive as a puppy.  It is absolutely not true that older dogs would not be close to you.  As long as you are consistently providing food, adequate exercise and love for the older dog, he/she will love and respect you as the head of the pack and be in every bit as bonded to you as one raised from puppy hood.

In conclusion, having a puppy is very much like having a newborn baby.  It involves planning, hard work and commitment but if you do it properly, the rewards you get are a hundred times more than the efforts you put in.

Do a kind deed: Adopt a homeless puppy instead of buying from pet shops.