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Tips and Warnings before you get a Dog

Updated on May 17, 2016

It's going to cost you money

Before getting a dog you must ask yourself if you are financially prepared. Your dog will not live healthy with just your left overs, you're going to feed it lots of food and you might even need to supplement your pet with vitamins. Also, dogs should be vaccinated against a lot of diseases yearly and should be dewormed once every one or two months. If you do not have an idea on how much owning a dog may cost here is a sample budget list to give you an idea:

Item
Cost per Unit
Repeats annually
Annual Cost
Meals
0.2
1095
219
5 in 1 Vaccine
3
1
3
Deworming
1
4
4
Pet Shampoo
5
12
60
Pet Toys
5
2
10
Pet Emergency funds
500
1
500
Pet Regular Check-up
4
4
16
Anti-rabies Vaccine
3
1
3
 
 
 
 
Total
 
 
815

NOTE: Prices above are under estimate of the actual price. Therefore if you are planning to get a pet then you might possibly pay much more.

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It's going to cost you time

Taking care of your pet is just like having a baby, it will not just cost you money but it is also going to cost you a lot of time. You will need time to feed your pet, walk your pet around, play with your pet and babysit your dog whenever he/she is sick. But do not worry the time you will spend with your dog will be filled with fun, and if you really love your dog then it will be a time well spent. If you have no idea on how much time your pet will toll on you, then here is a sample time table that will give you an idea on how much time your pet will need per day:

Activity
Average Time Consumed (min)
Times done per day
Total Time consumed per day (min)
Feeding the dog
15
3
45
Walking your dog
60
1
60
Training your dog
60
2
120
Chillin with your dog
60
3
180
 
 
 
405

Time consumed may vary per pet owner. Time requirement might be shorter or longer depends on your dog.

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You gonna have to do a lot of cleaning

Even when your dog is potty trained, there will be times that your dog will poop or pee on undesirable areas of the house, especially when their sick. Aside from that, some thick coated dogs shed their furs a lot that you have to sweep from time to time to keep the house tidy. Some short jawed dogs drool. And most of all, overly active dogs, specially puppies may destroy or disorganize your belongings ending up with you cleaning it.

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Not everyone is a dog lover

Every time you are going out with your dog, make sure that you keep your dog on a leash or you have full control of your pet. Because there are people who are does not like dogs, some have allergies, or fear of them. Also it may cause accidents if the unfriendly response of other people threatens your pet. And one last thing, if other people are threatened by your dog they may shoot it dead and report it as self defense. So be very careful.

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Discipline your dog

You may treat your dog as your precious friend but your pet still needs your guidance. Thus you need to discipline your pet. Spoiling your pet leads to a whole lot problems and accidents, read all about it here:

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You need to socialize your dog

You may want a pet only loyal to you, but it is inevitable that your pet is going to have to encounter other people or animals. Therefore, you need to familiarize your pet on what he/she will have to meet. Sudden encounters to foreign people or creatures might cause over excitement, fear, anxiety and trauma that may lead to grave accidents.

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Watch what you feed your pet

You need to watch everything that enters your dog's mouth, there are common human foods that are toxic to dogs. Also some hard food such as bones may be lethal when ingested by your dog if it is not used eating one. Below is a list of food that you should NOT feed to your dog.

Food
Danger Level
Notes
Chocolate
HighlyToxic
Contains theobromine
Alcoholic foods/beverages
Toxic
 
Coffee
Toxic
Symptoms Include palpitation, contains caffeine
Avocado
Toxic to dogs on high amount
Contains Persin
Citrus
Irritant on high amount
 
Bones
Digestive track hazard
Symptoms include vomiting of blood
Cat food
Potential Allergen, Toxic if given regularly
Contains too much protein
Fatty foods
Cumulative Health Hazard
Contains Cholesterol and Fatty oils
Raw Meat
Potentially Toxic
Contains potentially pathogenic bacteria
Macadamia
Highly Toxic
 
Milk Products
Potential Allergen
Contains too much lactose
Fruits & vegetables w/ seeds
Digestive track hazard
 
Raw Eggs
Potentially toxic
Contains potentially pathogenic bacteria
Salt
Toxic on High amounts
Contains too much sodium
Sugar
Cumulative Health Hazard
 
Yeast dough
Potential Digestive Track Hazard, potential allergen, potentially toxic
Contains yeast
Xylitol (artificial sweetener)
Toxic on high amounts
 
Onions
Toxic
Contains Sulfoxides and disulfides
Garlics
Toxic
Contains Sulfoxides and disulfides
Grapes
Toxic
 
Seedy fruits
Digestive track hazard, potentially toxic
may contain cyanide
Source

Hit the comments!

Do you have any more warnings or questions before getting a dog? Hit the comments and I will try to answer them as best as I can!

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