Bringing a puppy home is super exciting, but owning a puppy brings a lot of responsibilities which are often underestimated.
Beyond choosing the perfect breed for your family and lifestyle, and the basic supplies to get them settled in, there are other things to think about, like time, routine, cost, training and the long-term commitment involved when getting a puppy.
Real Cost Of Owning A Puppy
Puppies are very cute, but the real cost of owning a puppy hits your wallet way before you even take them for their first vet visit. You’ll obviously have to pay for their adoption or purchase fee, their vaccinations, microchipping and their spay or neuter surgery.
You’re going to be paying their vet fees, like their annual checkups, flea and tick prevention, and their dental care costs too.
When it comes to the puppy food, they do eat smaller meals, but they need quality nutrition, and larger dog breeds can dramatically raise the monthly costs.
Grooming costs can be expensive, as they’ll need regular nail trims, baths, haircuts (depending on their breed), and the basic supplies, like brushes and shampoo.
Always get pet insurance to look after your puppy, and your wallet, but policies all vary in their coverage, deductibles and exclusions, so always read the fine print when choosing your perfect puppy insurance.
Choosing A Breed That Fits Your Lifestyle
You need to choose a puppy that is going to fit in with your everyday life, and not just your budget.
If you love going on long runs or hikes, you can handle high exercise requirements some breeds have. If, however, you work longer hours, or you prefer quieter evenings, look for calmer breeds that will enjoy shorter walks, and lots of couch time.
Think about the breed’s grooming needs. If they have long, dense coats, they’ll need daily brushing and regular professional grooming, whilst shorter coats usually need less effort, and costs less to maintain.
You also need to think about the potential temperament traits for your potential dog breed, so you can see if the breed would work for your family situation.
Larger dog breeds will eat more food, which will cost you more, as well as them needing more space, and be harder to manage physically, whereas small breeds can be fragile and less suited to rough play.
Preparing Your Home Before Day One
You need to puppy proof the home by tucking away electrical cords, picking up any small chewable items, securing all trash cans, and blocking off stairs or balconies.
You need to create one or two “safe” indoor zones with baby gates, or exercise pens, so your puppy has somewhere to go to settle, without feeling overwhelmed.
Make an essential supplies checklist, including food/water bowls, appropriate puppy food, a crate or bed, a few age and breed appropriate toys, poop bags, cleaning products and identification tags.
Before you decide on a dog, decide who in the family is going to handle the feeding, walks and bedtime, and agree on where you’re going to let and not let the puppy go, within the home.
Training Needs From The Start
Start with simple puppy schedules for their feeding, potty breaks, play and sleep, as the predictability will help your puppy to relax and learn faster.
Introduce basic commands like sit, down and come, and their name, in short and fun learning sessions, using positive reinforcement like tiny treats, praise and play, whenever your puppy makes a good choice. Make sure you reward what you like, instead of punishing mistakes.
If you’re going to be using a crate, start crate training right away, so the puppy will see the crate ans a safe and calm place, and not a punishment. You can feed them their meals in there, or nearby, as well as giving them special toys there.
Use early socialization tips by exposing your puppy to new people, sounds, surfaces and gentle dogs in a controlled way.