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5 Simple Steps To Be A Pawsome Puppy Owner

puppy ownership

Pat yourself on the back! You’re now the proud parent of a puppy, so memorable times lie ahead. Get ready to love, grow and laugh with this furry companion.


Sure, welcoming a furkid to your family can be extremely exciting, but taking care of a puppy is no simple feat. Rather, it is a rewarding challenge that requires never-ending learning. We understand that the prospect of taking care of a puppy can be anxiety-provoking. 


As such, we wrote a crash course about how to take care of puppies. While the information in this article is not exhaustive, it will outline the basics of puppy ownership.

This article will be an easy read that provides multiple tips on how to take care of your furry friend. Crucially, you will also find evidence-based suggestions about what you should do to best take care of your puppy. Thus, it will help you learn how to be an amazing dog owner—the smart way.

  

So, keep reading to level up your puppy care skills!


This article will:

- Introduce what it takes to be a puppy owner

- Outline best practices on how to take care of your canine friend 


WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE A PUPPY OWNER?


 heart shaped sign puppy


Taking care of a puppy is similar to looking after a newborn human baby. Both are helpless, so they demand a lot of your attention.The first few months are the most challenging because both your family and the puppy need time to get used to each other. However, trust us, it gets better over time. Numerous dog owners report that things get much easier after the 5 months mark (although this timeline, of course, differs according to each individual puppy).

As long as you are loving and are willing to invest the time to train your puppy, this furry companion might become your new best friend! Just like many puppy owners,  your relationship with your canine has the potential to blossom like flowers.  To make this vision a reality, let’s start learning, shall we?

 HOW TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR PUPPY

1. Shop for nutritious dog food

puppy eating food

For your puppy to eat well, grow well and live well, it needs to consume nourishing food that will best support its growing body. Because dogs are largely carnivores, their diet should consist mainly of premium commercial food that is specially formulated for puppies. We do not recommend feeding your puppy adult dog food because they do not provide all the nutrients that a growing canine needs.

A key benefit of feeding your pup nutritious food is that will help it to attain a clean, shiny, and glossy coat.

Side note: Click
 here to read more about tips for keeping your dog’s skin and coat healthy.

2. Establish a bathroom routine

puppy and pee pad 
The winning formula for creating a bathroom routine is one word: consistency. Time-wise, create a timeline to follow and stick to it. Schedule potty time at the same time every day (e.g. 15 minutes after its meal), so that your puppy knows what to expect. Location-wise, always take your dog to the same spot when you bring it out to eliminate (using a collarharness and leash). If you are undecided about whether a collar or harness is more suitable for your puppy, read this article.

If you have trouble regularly taking your pet outside for its bathroom time, another option would be to use pee pads (also called potty pads, wee-wee pads, piddle pads, or dog training pads). These are layers of absorbent material that can soak up urine. For example, Cocoyo’s pee sheets offer layer after layer of protection to absorb and lock in wetness to ensure your floors stay dry.  Don't worry, many pee-pads are odour-eliminating. Thus, you don't need to worry about unwanted odours permeating your home.

3. Train your dog

The goal of obedience training is to get your puppy to grasp basic commands.

How can you encourage your beloved puppy to listen to you? The golden rule is to use positive reinforcement in your training so that your dog actually wants to follow your instructions. Positive reinforcement means rewarding your dog for good behaviours while ignoring the behaviours you dislike. Some enticing rewards that you can offer your canine include praise, dog treats, food, and toys

For example, if you want to train your puppy to sit, you could reward it with a Brit Care dog treat  immediately when it sits. You must offer the treat as soon as possible whenever your dog sits so that a strong pleasant association between sitting and the treat can be formed. After repeating this conditioning multiple times, your puppy will soon associate sitting down with a reward. As a result, it shall be motivated to sit down because it is anticipating a reward since it has learnt that it shall be rewarded for that behaviour. We all love being rewarded—your puppy included.

We recommend feeding your pup Brit Care’s dog treats during its training because it is a healthier choice. This is because Brit Care uses freshly prepared meat (e.g. deboned chicken or salmon) in its recipes.


4. Play with your puppy

puppy play tug of war

Of course, it is not enough to only meet the physical needs of puppies (nutritional, etc), ensuring that your canine is also mentally stimulated is just as vital. Adequately stimulating your curious puppy is especially crucial, because at that age, it is often a hyperactive bundle of energy. As the adage goes, 'the devil makes work for idle hands'.  if you don't entertain your bored puppy, you run the risk of implicitly encouraging bad behaviour. For instance, since puppies naturally need to chew, your canine might destroy household items if you do not proactively plan regular playtimes for your doggie.

So, the next time you are tempted to scold your puppy for its naughty behaviour, first pause and ask yourself, ‘Am I partially responsible for my puppy’s misbehaviour? Have I been fulfilling my responsibility as a pawrent by playing with it for at least 20 minutes a day?​​​​​​​Thankfully, there are numerous types of terrific toys that you can buy to entertain puppies, such as stuffed toys, balls, squeaky toys, tug of war toys, chew toys, dog treat toys. Do check out Pet Master’s wonderful variety of exciting toys that your puppy will adore.

5. Watch for early signs of illness

sick puppy

For the first few months, puppies have a higher risk of suffering from unexpected bouts of illnesses. It, therefore, pays to be extra vigilant. If you observe any atypical symptoms (e.g. vomiting, swollen abdomen, lethargy, diarrhoea, coughing, eye discharge) in your puppy, do contact your vet. 


Some puppies with medical conditions will benefit from consuming certain supplements, but consult your vet before making any major changes to your puppy's diet.

Of course, prevention is better than cure, so besides the aforementioned curative points, you should be proactive about making sure that your pup leads a healthy lifestyle. This means doing your best to maintain your dog’s dental hygiene and taking steps to reduce your pet’s risk of getting illnesses like cancer early on.

 

Visit Pet Master’s outlets today


Friendly pet master staff and dog


Image: Oreo the Shiba Inu enjoying its interaction with our friendly East Coast outlet staff, Jude and Francis 

Pawrents, that's all. We hope you learnt something useful from this article. Visit our retail stores at East Coast Park, Simei and Bedok for your pet supplies shopping.

Our professional retail staff can also give you further advice on how you can best take care of your puppy. Pet Master’s staff are all passionate about pets, so you will have a fruitful time interacting with them!



Tags: puppy

Written by Jolene

Jolene
Jolene is a writer who adores animals. That is why she derives deep satisfaction from researching and writing about animal-related topics.