Image Credit Unsplash Andrew Branch
Bringing a four-legged friend into your home can be a great delight. But, getting a dog is a considerable responsibility. There are a great many pets that you leave at home all day long, and you won’t need to worry about. Birds, fish, hamsters, lizards, and even cats are happily able to live their days unsupervised occupying themselves. But when it comes to dogs they can be more like family members than anything else. You will need to take them out for exercise and leaving them alone for long periods can get difficult. Dogs are very intelligent and are capable of complicated emotions. They can be great for giving you support and they can learn so many different behaviours. So, when it comes to thinking about getting a dog, you will need to take a lot into consideration.
Do You Have The Time For A Dog?
Dogs will generally need to be walked at least once a day. Some dogs will need long and energetic walks, and many can go on for hours if they are allowed to. Different breeds have varying needs. When thinking about getting a dog you will need to ask yourself if you can commit to walking your dog each day.
Of course, there are dog walking services that are available, but when if you need to pay out for someone to walk your dog on most days, it can get quite costly.
Understanding The Needs Of The Breed
Each breed will have its own needs, and health concerns. For example, pugs have many respiratory problems. If they become overweight, this can worsen this greatly and many require surgery to help their breathing. Getting a pug will mean factoring the high likelihood of managing this health problem in your dog. When it comes to great dane care, you will need to know that they are prone to bone and eye problems. With their long bodies, dachshunds are known to get problems with their hips and spines.
While these problems can generally be managed, and may not be a problem until later in life, it is important that you are aware of the potential problems in the breeds that you are considering and how much this may end up costing you in vets bills, as well as the level of distress it may cause for you and the dog to have to go through that.
Dogs Get Anxious Too
As previously mentioned, dogs have complex emotions. They really do love their owners and very often can get very upset when they are left alone. Separation anxiety is a problem that faces many dogs. This is a problem that can be worked through, however, it can take a lot of time and effort and it might be quite difficult to deal with.
Another problem that some dogs face is a fear of people or other dogs. If you have a dog that is scared or nervous around others, then it can cause them to get aggressive or twitchy.
It can be difficult to tell if your dog will suffer from any of these problems. They may well be fine, however, if they do struggle with these issues, you may need the help of a behavioural therapist.
Using Positive Training Techniques
If you want your dog to be a happy and well-behaved member of your household, you will need to invest time in teaching them how to behave. The best way of doing this is by using positive techniques. Rewarding your dog when they exhibit a behaviour that you want rather than punishing them for the things that you don’t want them to do will mean that your dog learns in a much better way.
Dogs are very clever animals. You can teach them where they are allowed to go in your home, they can learn routines, and you can get them to sit, lay, move away from you, and go to bed on demand.
Dogs Are Rewarding And Beneficial To Your Health
Once you have considered whether you have the time to give your dog all of the things that it needs, you should think about how a dog will benefit you. Dogs can bring immense happiness, they will bring their own personalities and they will very quickly become a full member of your family. They can be very loving, and the affection that they show can often lift you up in times of need. If you need the motivation to exercise, a dog can help you with this too meaning you will be much healthier as a result.