Think Before You Buy a Dog. You Can't Think Later

Some people just don't get what it is like to have a dog as a best friend in their home. They get all hung up on how owning a dog is like taking care of a small child. You have take care of his toilet time, bathe him, brush his teeth, groom him, teach him things, take him out to play, take care of his medical needs and so on and so forth. Of course, they completely miss the point just the way a childless person misses the point when he says that taking care of a child is just too much trouble. But they do have a point in how when you buy a dog, you don't want to set yourself up for any more work than you have to do. Come to think of it, most parents do wish parenting wasn't just this demanding.

For some reason this whole "looks don't last forever, it's what's inside that counts" thing just won't leave us be. It isn't just women, cars or homes or anything else. It's dogs, too. You can't buy a dog because he's cute-looking. Because you know, he is going to outgrow it.

Deciding to not buy a dog for how totally cute he looks as a puppy can be very difficult. Because hanging out in a public place with a totally cute 10-week old puppy is going to get you more women than you ever dreamed of. If you want to buy a dog, buy a dog because you really want the love and friendship of an animal companion. Not for this. Because before long, the cute puppy is going to grow into a big high-maintenance dog that sleeps all day and barks all night.

Somehow, we've been hearing about not being able to teach an old dog new tricks forever. Once we buy dog in puppy form, we could still hear that 10 times a day and we wouldn't really understand what it meant because that saying has just become scenery. With forgotten to pay attention to it. That's the truth.

You cannot skip training your dog. And if you are buying a grown dog or rescuing him from certain death at the shelter, while that's a wonderful thing, you do have to realize that it takes a lot to live with a dog that's not trained and that is this mistrustful of people. You have to spend about 10 times as much time and money on training him. It's just the way it is.

And finally, perhaps the number one mistake we make is to buy a dog first and then to think about how much time we have. It's a criminal thing to buy a dog and then to lock him up or tie him up all day without human company. Make sure you have the time.

Crate Training a Puppy

Dogs have instincts that make them feel safe only once they are in a small den-like area. That's the way they are evolved. Being in a wide open house feel less than safe to them. That's why crate training a puppy is a good idea. It achieves two things at once. The begin with, it really helps potty train him. A dog who's closed up in a little den that is all his own will not be willing to soil the place. And so, he'll wiil hold it in and ask to be taken out. That trains him right there. The other thing it achieves is that it helps him find a way to deal with his separation anxiety. He is confined to the crate for several hours at night, and he will learn to be by himself.

A kennel crate is a little container that they sell ready-made at any pet store, that you're supposed to use when you take your dog traveling by plane or something else. Why, if you're taking your dog on vacation, staying at a hotel most of the time, the hotel will require that you keep the dog crated. If your dog is pre-trained, this should not be a problem. It should be a great idea to start crate training a puppy right at the start and then to do it from time to time to keep his hand in.

The first thing you need to do to start crate training a puppy is of course, to prepare the crate. Your dog won't go in into an enclosure just like that. He will fear this feeling of entrapment that is involved. So what you need to do first is to detach the top half of the crate so that he can sit in there and understand that it isn't a threat. Once he gets used to it, you can put it back together and help your puppy stay in there, first without the door closed.

Your puppy will find his crate infinitely more welcoming if it's decorated with all his favorite stuff – soft chew toys and so on. You should make sure that there isn't any small object around that he might choke on. Round out his own little special room with a little food and water too.

Most puppies like soft bedding. You will need to find out. Some puppies don't like it at all soft; they like a hard surface to sleep on.

To help your puppy get used to his crate, first, throw bits of dog biscuit or kibble in there so that he will often have reason to think that this crate is a place where special things happen. You need to lavish your puppy with praise each time he goes in there voluntarily. Don't ever try to force him in there. When you put your puppy in there and lock the door for the night, make sure that the crate is right next to you, so that your puppy doesn't feel scared and lonely.