Ruh Roh! 5 Issues You Shouldn’t Do as a New Dog Parent

The day after Christmas (2023), my spouse and I rescued the latest member of our household. It was really fairly a tragic story. Someone had dumped 5 puppies onto the facet of the highway who have been picked up by some passersby on trip. They reached out to the small Kentucky group we have been residing in through Facebookasking for individuals to take among the pups off their fingers. My spouse despatched me a screenshot of the submit, and half-hour later I picked up little Luna from a Walmart parking zone.

My spouse, Amber, grew up round dogs. I didn’t. The solely pet in our home previous to Luna was my 13-year-old cat named Ash, whom I additionally adore. So the following couple of weeks have been actually a frightening expertise that taught me some essential do’s and don’ts of canine parenting. Some of them ought to have been extra apparent to me than they have been initially, however hey, all of us stay and study. Here is what I’ve discovered:

1 – Don’t Feed Your Dog Taco Bell

Amber and I like Luna, or “Lou,”  as we’ve begun calling her. The day after we introduced her home, we took her to the veterinarian for her preliminary pictures and to get an concept of her general situation. The veterinarian stated she was in good well being, and we then started feeding her Purina Puppy Chow. Over the following few weeks, we expanded that weight-reduction plan to incorporate pup cups at Dairy Queen and even some plain burgers right here and there.

One day, I made a decision to seize a fast chunk at Taco Bell and took Lou with me. She knew as quickly as we pulled as much as the drive-thru what I used to be doing, and he or she needed one thing from the window too. I ordered Lou what I believed was plain hen, however apparently it was laced with some form of spice. Let’s simply say I had a few messes to scrub up over the following few days. Our home on the time additionally had WHITE carpet, so you’ll be able to think about how that went.

2 – Don’t Feed Your Dog From Your Plate

I’ll be sincere—I do not even personal a kitchen desk. I have not purchased one just because it will by no means be used. My spouse and I typically eat our meals in entrance of the TV, which simply so occurs to be the identical place that Lou likes to hang around round meal time. I as soon as gave her some dog-friendly human meals off my plate, and he or she started whimpering and begging for extra. Luckily, I caught this error early and have not carried out it once more since.

3 – Don’t Treat Your Dog Like a Cat

Having principally been round cats throughout my life, I used to be shocked at how a lot consideration a puppy required. Cats are easy and require solely a small quantity of affection on their phrases. Dogs are a lot totally different, and our new puppy confirmed me that very early on in our interactions.

Lou has loads of power and likes to play fetch, tug of struggle along with her little rope, and run in circles round the home. When she wasn’t getting consideration, she would typically chew on issues to maintain herself occupied. I discovered inside a matter of days that if I needed to maintain my sofa intact, the puppy and I have been going to should spend some high quality time collectively, which I now sit up for day by day.

4 – Don’t Use Your Dog Crate as Punishment

The first few weeks we had Lou, we saved her in a crate in the course of the night time, however that later turned practically unattainable. My spouse and I’s work schedules have been very totally different beforehand, so I might be home alone within the afternoons with the pup. When she made a large number or chewed on one thing she wasn’t purported to, I might give her a stern “no” after which a brief timeout within the crate. It later turned increasingly tough to get Lou to remain within the crate whereas we have been asleep or out at dinner. She does higher with the crate now since we stopped utilizing it for timeouts, however it took loads of restore work.

5 – Don’t Rush Boundry Training

As I stay out within the nation, I need Lou to benefit from the outside as a lot as I do. One of the issues I knew we wanted to do was prepare her to remain within the yard. We began by walking her on a leash across the yard, and he or she was doing so effectively that, after every week, I made a decision to let her off the leash. Big mistake. We lived subsequent to a cattle subject on the time, and Lou thought that was simply the right place to go for a stroll. This left me with one more mess to scrub up.

Having a canine round hasn’t been straightforward, however it’s been a really rewarding expertise. I’ve by no means seen a lot persona in a canine. She’s nice with the cat and loves assembly new individuals. While we have nonetheless obtained some extra work to do, I believe she’s price each dirty paper towel and vet invoice.