Thinking of bringing a puppy home? Do you already have it and do not know all the care you should give it?
A puppy is not a toy, that’s the first thing, and if you take it home it is because you are going to take care of it and provide it with everything it needs to be well. But not everything is obligations, dogs are the most faithful animals you can take home and the joy and unconditional love they will provide you with are enormous.
If you want to know how to take care of puppies, pay attention to this article where we are going to teach you everything you need to know to provide good care for your new companion.
Security at home
Dogs, like small children, are very curious, so you must keep dangerous products such as cleaning products, fertilizers, etc. out of their reach.
In addition, you should not leave treats and foods with a lot of sugar within the reach of the dog. Chocolate is a temptation for them, but you should know that depending on the size, health and amount of chocolate they eat, it can be deadly for your dog.
Also keep medications out of their reach as they could also become intoxicated or even suffer an overdose.
Finally, be careful with the plants you may have in the garden or at home, as some are also toxic to your dog, such as chrysanthemums.
Your place at home
Establish an assigned area for your dog. From the moment he arrives home, your dog should know with total certainty what his place is at home, where he should sleep and where he will find food and water.
You should also keep in mind that the dog must have enough space to move and exercise.
From the first moment you must establish rules and be consistent with them. You must define what your dog can do, what not, where it can be and where it cannot, etc.
Things for the dog
In general, the arrival of the dog at home implies that we will have to buy some things for him.
For example a bed, some bowls for food and water, a collar, a leash to take him for a walk, dog food, and optionally, toys.
Toys are a good idea, as it is a way for puppies to entertain themselves, and they will also use them to strengthen their teeth. (While they are small, puppies tend to bite everything that is useful to them to strengthen and sharpen their teeth, so you can teach them that they can only use their toys and that they cannot bite anything else).
Feeding
Of course your puppy could not live without food. You must feed your puppy with special food for dogs that does not mean that from time to time you can give him some leftovers from home, but in general he must eat his type of food, since it is the only one that is specially designed to provide your puppy all the necessary nutrients to grow and be healthy.
In addition, our cooked food can be quite harmful to the puppy, make it sick and even shorten years of life, especially if it is greasy, sugary or salty food.
In general, you should choose the feed paying attention to the nutrients that they contain for your dog, as well as that they are specific for both the age of your dog and the breed.
So you can find feed for large breed puppies, for small breed young dogs, for medium breed adult dogs, etc.
A dog is considered to be a puppy up to 1 year of age, up to 6 years they are adult dogs, and from this age we would already be dealing with old dogs.
You can also give him canned meats and a variety of other dog food products. Also, if you want to give him a treat to pamper him or to reward him for good behavior, choose a variety for dogs, there are many to choose from!
As for the amount to eat, this will depend on the breed, size and age of your dog. In general, puppies are usually fed twice a day, but the veterinarian will be the one who can best recommend you in this regard.
You should always try to feed your puppy following the same schedule, in this way you will be able to know what time it is your turn to eat and you will not try to get stuffed at once since you do not know when it will be your turn again. In addition, it is always good to have a schedule with our dog. Our puppy is able to know the hours of the day, so if he knows what awaits him he will not despair or suffer anxiety.
Also thanks to this schedule you will be able to control when your puppy goes out to relieve itself, you will control obesity, etc.
You must also control a certain time for him to eat, between 10 and 15 minutes, and then remove the bowl. Even if he hasn’t eaten the whole bowl, remove him anyway and don’t give him anything to eat until the next mealtime. In this way he will learn that he must eat at that moment without being distracted, otherwise there will be no more food until he plays again and if he is hungry he must wait.
Surely you think that leaving a bowl full of food is enough for him to eat whenever he wants, but this could be a problem in the case of gluttonous dogs that tend to be obese.
On the other hand, remember that you should always have a clean bowl with clean water for your puppy. So you can satisfy your thirst whenever you want and you won’t get sick from drinking dirty water.
Physical exercise
It is really important to keep your puppy healthy that you exercise him daily. Each breed has specific characteristics in terms of the amount of exercise it needs per day and intensity. For example, normally large breed dogs, such as German Shepherds, need a lot of physical activity since they are usually dogs with a lot of energy, and they will not be calm until they spend it, but that is not all, there are also small breeds such as Pinschers miniature who are also very energetic.
As far as physical exercise is concerned, you can go for a walk with your puppy, take him swimming, go for a run together or even play catch (this type of activity will not only help him spend energy, but you will also be having fun together and you will strengthen your relationship), jump obstacles, etc.
Generally speaking, it is usually necessary to take your puppy to urinate three times a day, so you can take advantage and takes a walk of at least half an hour each time.
Vaccination card
Last but not least, you should take your puppy to the vet so that the vaccinations are up to date, since these prevent possible diseases, such as rabies. In Spain, the vaccination card is regulated by the Autonomous Community. For example, in some the rabies vaccine is mandatory, while in others it is not, but it is best to get them all and avoid possible future problems.
Other details
Also take advantage of the visit to the veterinarian to inform you about the identification chip. This chip is mandatory and contains the data of the dog and the owner, so that in case of loss it can be taken home, and if the owners abandon it in a bad way they can receive a warning.
On the other hand, there are more and more municipalities that require dogs to be registered in it, so there is stricter control over the owners and the dogs in the area.
