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Should you Adopt a Dog?

Pet adoption, just like regular human adoption, can be an extremely rewarding experience. It is an opportunity for someone seeking a new family member to help someone who desperately needs a family - whether that someone is 2-legged or 4-legged. There are many benefits to adopting your next dog, rather than purchasing a dog from a breeder or regular pet store. There are also many things to consider prior to taking that big step:

Prior to choosing to adopt a pet, consider whether you would have the time or dedication needed to train or retrain your new pet in order to make him/her more comfortable in your home or yard. Some pets available for adoption may have bad habits and will need to get this worked out of them. Some of them may develop anxiety issues as well because he/she has lost everything he/she has known and now has to adjust to an all new world. This can leave him/her feeling alone, lost, scared, and uncomfortable. You will need to take the time to help him/her feel at home, loved, cherished, and treated with consideration. Treats, toys, a comfy bed, and chew toys are going to be needed to help your new family member get used to the world.

If you feel that you can indeed take on this responsibility, then its time to consider the benefits of an adopted pet over a purchased pet from a breeder or pet store. Adopted pets are often required to be spayed or neutered prior to being adopted and will be up to date on all of his/her vaccinations. They also have a full health vet check completed prior to allowing you to leave. All of this is usually included in your adoption fee - making the overall cost of your new dog much cheaper than it might normally be otherwise.

You also get the satisfaction of giving a home to someone who wouldn’t have one otherwise. Puppies are cute and can almost always find a good home, but animals available for adoption don’t always have that promise of a good future home waiting for them. You are doing a good thing by giving one of these animals a permanent home where he/she can be loved and feel like part of a family once more.

Next you will need to locate a place where you can adopt a dog. There are usually three main places for animal adoptions - open access shelters, humane societies, and foster groups.

Foster groups work as “foster parents” for pets that don’t have a home. They provide temporary placement for pets while seeking new families for them, providing them with a comforting, “homey” place to live before their new family finally finds them.

Humane societies are considered private facilities and usually run off donations or contributions. The adoption fees they charge go to the caretaking of the animals and the running of the shelter, but it is usually a minimum fee. They tend to be open during certain hours but are available to the public in general. Contact your local human society to find out their policies and adoption fees.

Open access shelters are considered on the lower end of these types of facilities. They take in all stray animals and are run by a county or city. Many of these shelters have euthanization policies and will euthanize dogs if they cannot find homes for them. This is usually where animal control will take animals they find as well, and sometimes they end up with excellent animals who may have been abandoned, neglected, abused, or left behind. It can be quite heartbreaking to visit these facilities, but you will do a LOT of good by giving one of these animals a home.

Even the sweetest of dogs, however, have the potential to bite. The best way to avoid dog bites is through careful behavior. As sweet and cute as it may be to have your puppy lick your face, don’t let him/her do it! This breeds bad behavior. Dogs may easily confuse signals and think that he/she can play with you like he/she plays with other dogs. Dogs frequently bite each other in many places, including their faces. Your dog needs to understand that your face is completely off-limits. To do this, you may need to knock him/her away from your face whenever he/she tries to get too close. Don’t be afraid to push him/her away, smack him/her on the nose, and raise your voice. You do not want this bad habit!

Also, make it clear to your dog that playing with you is NOT like playing with other dogs. If he/she even attempts to bite your hand, even playfully, smack the dog on the nose and give him/her a sharp reprimand. Do NOT let him/her bite you, even playfully. This breeds bad behavior and may lead the dog to think that it is OK to bite you.

However, dogs may bite when afraid, anxious, or startled. You can avoid startling your dog by letting him/her know that you are approaching - announcing your presence verbally whenever possible. If your dog displays signs of fear or anger such as his/her hackles standing on end, tail tucked between his/her leg, growling with teeth showing, ears laid flat to the head, whites of eyes showing predominately, or other fearful/angry behavior, do not approach directly! Stay back and talk soothingly to the dog. Let him/her hear the comforting sound of your voice. Keep your voice low (not loud) and change your posture to avoid appearing as a threat to the dog.

Do not reach out with a hand! If talking gently to the dog does not help, give the dog some distance. Back away and wait the dog out. Eventually, he/she should realize you are not a threat and approach you. However, if this does not change, you may have a serious threat. Your dog could be injured, sick, or even have the dreaded rabies disease.  Something is probably wrong.

If you can see an injury on the dog, call a veterinarian to see what the best course of action might be. If you see foam around the dog’s mouth, call animal control! If there does not appear to be any injuries and the dog’s behavior still won’t change, you may want to contact your local veterinarian to see if they have a recommended course of action.

Another thing to avoid with dogs in order to be avoid dog bites is to keep young children away from your dog as much as possible - and never leave a young child and dog alone without supervision. Even the most tame and docile of dogs can react horribly to a child’s cries, pokes, prods, or general clumsiness. Kids do not know that a dog does not want his/her tail pulled and this can provoke a bite from the dog very quickly. Too often, people assume their typically docile dog would never hurt a child, only to experience the tragedy of their dog snapping at a child and injuring the child. Don’t let this happen to you, your dog, and your loved ones.

Dogs may also bite other dogs or animals, especially on first contact with that other dog or animal. The dog is doing one of several things: establishing dominance, injuring prey, or trying to “play” but not knowing his/her own strength. A dog may think your cat is a superb play toy - but your cat may not agree at all! As your cat tries to run away, the dog thinks this is either further play or the behavior of prey and could easily damage and hurt the cat in his/her attempt to keep “playing.” The cat can also damage the dog if he/she has any claws and is willing to use them. Too many dogs have scars on their noses from just that situation!

Bigger dogs are likely to pick on smaller dogs, as this is what would happen in the wild for such animals. In the wild, dogs are pack animals and the pack survives because the pack works as a team against others. The pack play fights together to practice their skills for real fights against prey and other predators. Weak, sick, or deformed dogs are not going to last long in the wild and will slow the pack down. Dogs are more likely to kill, damage, or abandon the weaker pack members if the weaker members cannot keep up. This is why your dog may not be safe around smaller, weaker dogs.

Adopting a pet can be a wonderfully rewarding experience, but you have to take it seriously. Think about your home - is it going to be big enough for your new family member? Will he/she have a safe area outside to romp and play and chase the butterflies?

If you feel you can handle a new pet, give it what it needs for a healthy life, and provide the love and nurturing environment the dog will need, then adoption may be the way for you! Good luck finding that new family member!

Supplies for Your New Puppies

Your new puppy is going to need supplies! Taking on a puppy is a big responsibility and you need to be sure to have the right equipment to handle it. When you get your first puppy, don’t forget to get your puppy the following items:

1. Food and water dish. The first thing that puppy is going to want when he/she gets to your house is water! After that, probably food. Feeding and watering your puppy are going to become high priorities are your daily to do list. Make sure you check on them frequently.
2. A crate or soft bed. Your little puppy is going to need somewhere to sleep at night - somewhere where the puppy can feel safe, comfortable, and at home. Your puppy will quickly accept this new place as his/her very own home and seek it during times of high stress or when he/she gets tired.
3. Tick and flea products. Not all climates have fleas and ticks. If you are at a higher elevation, fleas cannot survive in your local neighborhood, but ticks are still possible. However, most climates will have fleas. To protect your puppy from these little parasites, try drops and/or a flea/tick collar. The collars are very useful if your puppy is going to live outside a lot.
4. A travel cage or pet carrier. It is best to have a special item in which to carry your puppy. Remember that he/she is going to need several vet visits over the next few months and it is better to have your puppy in a carrier when driving to and from the vet as well as while sitting in the vet - having your young puppy on a leash and not in a carrier increases his/her risk of illness and/or injury through encounters with strange other animals. As your puppy gets older and builds up a stronger immune system, this is not as big of a worry.
5. Dog bath products (shampoo), toe nail clippers, and a brush. This will allow you to keep your puppy looking and smelling his/her best every day. Be careful when you clip a dog’s nails. You do not want to cut too deeply or close to the “quick” as this will cause the dog to bleed. Puppies with thicker hair will need more frequent brushing than shorter hair dogs.
6. CHEW TOYS!!!! Your puppy NEEDS to chew things! He/she just can’t help it. There is nothing your puppy can do to stop his/her own instinctual need to grab on to something with both jaws and just chew at it. Part of this is because your puppy is going to shed puppy teeth and grow into his/her adult teeth. Make sure you get things that are particularly good for chewing - it’s good for the teeth and it’s good for your shoes!
7. Toys and treats. Toys such as rubber balls, rubber bones, rope toys, stuffed animals, and other toys will keep your puppy happy! The puppy will get a chance to really play, satisfying his/her need to socialize, play, and practice his/her instinctive need to pounce, chase, attack, chew, and tug. Treats can be used as rewards for good behavior. When your puppy sits properly at the command “Sit,” give him/her a treat. You’ll give more treats out during the early parts of training, and less later on as the puppy starts to learn better. It makes the treats just that much more of a reward of the puppy has to really do something good in order to get them. However, don’t feel adverse to just rewarding your puppy now and again… just because he/she was oh so cute just now. Treats are a much better item for your puppy than table scraps - don’t let him/her get into THAT bad habit!

Puppy Weight Chart

Puppy Weight Chart

How To Use This Table:

The left-hand column of the table gives the age of the puppy in weeks. To determine it’s expected weight when fully grown, weigh the puppy in ounces, look along the line of figure against the number of weeks of its age, and take the figure nearest to the present weight of the puppy. The expected adult weight of the puppy will be that given at the foot of the column in which the figure nearest to its weight occurs.

NOTE: Weights before the age of eight weeks are liable to be in-accurate.

This weight chart was taken from a book written by and English woman, Hilary Harmer.
Several other ways to get a puppy’s future weight is by assuming that a puppy is at 3/4th it’s future adult weight by about 6 months of age. You can also double a puppy’s weight at about 14 months of age in order to determine what it’s future weight will be.

Extend the life of your new puppy

The best way to keep your puppy healthy is to keep track of your puppy. Good, healthy, nutritious food, clean water, and lots of exercise are the best possible methods to keep your puppy healthy longer.

You need to make sure you choose appropriate, adequate, and healthy food. This does often mean you puppy food will cost more than normal puppy food. However, it is better for your puppy’s future to eat that cost. Keep in mind though that your puppy will actually EAT LESS when he/she has GOOD, NUTRITIOUS food because he/she is not wasting energy on attempting to take nutrition from bad food!

Give your puppy plenty of exercise. Play with him/her, provide him/her with toys, and when he/she is old enough, take him/her for walks on a lease. Not only will you get to spend time with the puppy, you are also helping to both train and teach your puppy about life.

ALWAYS provide clean water for your puppy!!! This may mean you need to dump and replace the water frequently, but this is much healthier for your puppy and he/she will appreciate it!

Housetrain your Puppy

Uh oh!

Now that you have brought your new puppy home…. how do you keep it from making a mess in your house??

It is tempting to get mad. You want to yell at your puppy, throw a fit, rub his or her nose in it, and swat his little behind with a newspaper. However, you should not do any of these things. Ignore the puppy and clean up the mess. The puppy will not connect the punishment or negative behavior with the mess he or she made - especially if it did not JUST recently happen. Clean up the mess and neutralize the odors as best as possible.

If you see the puppy starting to squat down to urinate or go potty on your floor, what should you do???

Don’t panic and don’t freak out on the puppy. Get his or her attention and get him or her to notice you. Get the dog outside as quickly as possible so that he or she will be able to make it outside instead of in your house. Once he/she has gone potty outside, praise him/her for doing a good job!

How can you avoid having your puppy “go” in the house?

Keep in mind that puppies are most likely to need to use the restroom first thing in the morning every day. They will also need to go potty every night before bedtime. They will need to go after playing before eating and after eating, before playing. It will become less frequent as the puppy ages, but consider that your puppy has a little bladder and may need to go fairly frequently.

Puppies will often rarely go potty in places where they have to sleep. If the puppy has a designated create or bin in which he/she sleeps, it is unlikely that the puppy will “go” in there as long as he/she gets regular trips outside to use the restroom.

A puppy of about 2 months old can generally hold his or her bladder in for about 3 hours and a puppy of about 5 months can hold it for about six hours so keep this in mind with your puppy.

Don’t forget to praise!!! When the puppy goes potty in the places and times where he/she is supposed to, reward him/her! Give him/her a treat, play a game, and talk in a positive manner. This helps to reinforce your desires on the puppy so that he/she will want to earn your praise by doing the right thing.

Feed your New Puppy

For puppies, food is terribly important. As puppies are going to grow up very fast, their bodies need plenty of the right kind of food and protein in order to develop into its adult body.

Your vet may recommend a brand of food and you may choose to go with that brand. If you don’t, try looking for a high quality brand of food. The food needs to be of a high quality and nutritionally balanced for a puppy. You may choose to combine canned and dry foods. Canned foods may be easier for your young puppy to digest, as he or she is still trying to adjust from being away from its mommy’s milk. A combination of both dry and canned can be the best option to have a fully rounded puppy diet.

How often should the puppy eat?

Your puppy will need to eat more frequently than an adult dog would need. Puppies from 3-6 months old often eat about 2-3 times per day - he or she is a very fast growing little pup and needs all the nutrition he/she can get! Check the manufacturer’s guide on the dog food to determine the appropriate amount of food based on body weight.

You won’t need to change your puppy’s food from puppy food to adult food until the puppy is 12 months old. This is where the puppy transitions to an adult dog and does not need the highly concentrated protein in puppy food.

Of course, we all want to give our puppy treats! How can you not? Make sure that you give your dog commercially made puppy treats - not just table scraps or left overs.