Types and Tricks to Easy Dog Ownership - Start Out Right!

First step in becoming a dog owner is well, getting a dog! This isn't something that should be taken lightly. Sit down and ask yourself the following questions: are you an active person or not active person? How much time do you have to train, work with, play with, and be around your dog? Are you willing to change some things about your routine or life to accommodate your new furry friend? Are you willing to incur extra expenses i.e. vet bills? Finally, are you willing to make extra accommodations for your dog? If you have answered these answers truthfully you can start researching breeds of dogs that are right for your level of activity and who may not need allot of training. Do not tell yourself you will change once you get a dog.

This should start before you bring your new furry friend home. If you have answered all the questions in first step truthfully you will now be able to build a routine that will allow you to spend time with you new furry friend. It is important for you to practice your routine before you bring your new furry friend home so that you can work out areas where you may need to spend more time or less time either training, playing with, or spending time with your furry friend. This is not as hard as one may thing. For example, if you already run each day you can just as easily take your dog on the run with you or build in some cool down time by taking your dog for a walk. By practicing your routine before you bring your new furry friend home you'll set both of you up for success right off the bat and you will cut down the stress that can be associated with new pet ownership.

Now that you have reflected on what having a dog means to you and you have developed and practiced a routine for you and your furry friend, you are now ready to begin searching for your new furry friend. If this is your first time owning a dog on your own I would suggest finding a dog that already has some training, such as a service dog or shelter dog that is at least a year old. If you are lucky you will have a shelter near you that has failed service dogs. This means that for one reason or another that dog failed a service dog program, this doesn't mean that they are bad dogs, on the contrary, they have allot of training and will make perfect companions. After all, becoming a service dog is a very intensive process. By selecting a dog with some training you will be able to more easily adapt both yourself and the dog to your household and routine. The other added benefit of adopting a shelter dog is that most shelters will let you take the dog home before you commit to adopting. Along with this added benefit of minimal training, and a test drive, you will also have the basic vaccinations and other vet concerns taken care of by the shelter.

So locate the shelters in your area, read the bios of the dogs, go and meet the shelter and the dog, take the dog home and see if you are a fit for each other, adopt the dog or continue the search. I would suggest going through shelters in your area verses pet-finder because you will have more success locally and will have more opportunities to meet your dog before you commit to an adoption.

When you bring your dog home for the first time introduce them to any other occupants outside the household in a neutral environment. After the introductions are done take your dog around your entire house allowing them to see every room and area. This will give you a chance to see how the dog reacts to new spaces, it will also help the dog get used to the new space. It will also help the dog to not become overwhelmed when entering a new space. After this show the dog where the bathroom is so that the dog knows where they can go or how to get to the door. The final step is to observe the dog in the new space and whether the dog favors one are over another.

For most dogs you will make decision to let your dog roam free or to implement a crate or doggie area. This is completely up to you and how you want to manage your house and your dogs presence in your house. There are no right or wrong answers here. Pick which ever method you feel is most applicable to how you want your dog to fit into the new space.

Dominance is how a dog develops its own understanding of how it fits into your family. If you do not set this correctly your dog may see it's self as the one who runs your household and may be aggressive towards family members and will not listen to commands. In order to set who is dominate you must demonstrate that you are the alpha, you do this by flipping your dog over and holding it down by it's neck. This is how dogs demonstrate dominance within their own social structures and will instantly show your dog that you are in charge. Once you have flipped your dog over and are holding it with light pressure, wait for your dog to start panting, at this time your dog has relaxed and you are now the alpha.

This is not being mean or mistreating your dog, it is healthy for the dog to have structure and to know where they fit in the social structure of your family. Any time your dog acts or is not listening to commands this technique can be used and it will have instant positive results for you and your doggie friend.