A must-read guide for newbies to prepare for raising a dog for the first time
Dogs are good friends of humans. Many furry parents will keep dogs as companions. However, raising a dog for the first time will inevitably make you panic and confused. You don’t know what to prepare. In order to give your dog a comfortable and healthy environment, Preparation beforehand and care afterward are very important.
In this article, we’ll provide some tips for keeping your dog happy, healthy, and safe.
Do you also want to have a cute and loyal dog Gou? Do you know the rules and precautions for raising a dog? This guide to raising a dog organizes the key points of raising a dog so that novice owners can get started quickly.
7 Things to Know About Dog Ownership for Beginners in Hong Kong Article Table of Contents
1. Sufficient space and time
Raising dogs will require enough space and time for them to rest and play, and provide dogs with a safe, clean and comfortable space for raising dogs, which can be a room, a dog house or a yard.
Of course, building a dog house requires an extra amount of dog-raising expenses to protect them from the wind, rain, rain or cold. Daily exercise and training are also necessary dog-raising expenses. If you cannot follow this dog-raising instructions , then you should rethink your decision to get a dog.
It is very important to give your dog enough space to move around, as dogs need appropriate exercise and activity to maintain physical and mental health.
If the dog does not have enough space to move around, the following consequences may occur:
- Insufficient exercise: If your dog does not have enough space to exercise, he will become lazy and not exercise enough, which may lead to health problems such as obesity and cardiovascular disease.
- Behavioral Problems: Dogs need appropriate exercise and activities to burn off energy and energy, otherwise they may exhibit restlessness, destructive behavior, aggression and other behavioral problems.
- Health problems: If a dog is kept in a small space for a long time and lacks exercise and activities, it may cause health problems such as joint disease and muscle atrophy.
Therefore, dog owners should ensure that their dogs have enough space to exercise and activities, such as walking the dog, letting the dog run on the lawn, providing appropriate toys, etc. Of course, exercise and activities should also be appropriate for your dog’s age, size, and health to ensure they remain healthy and happy.
2. Proper diet
The second thing you need to know about raising a dog is that you must give them a good diet, which is also an essential cost of raising a dog.
You should choose a dry food suitable for your dog's age, size and activity level, and feed it regularly, supplement vitamins, keep the water source clean, and more importantly, use toothbrushes, toothpaste, and insect repellents.
To help with the cleaning work of dogs, remember to bathe, groom, etc. about 3 times a month, and remember to use dog-specific shampoo. Remember not to use human shower gel!
When raising a dog, the dog's diet is very important, as improper diet may lead to health problems. Generally speaking, dogs need a balance of protein, carbohydrates and fats, as well as nutrients such as vitamins and minerals.
Dog Diet Supplements
- Dogs over one year old are in the "adult dog" stage. They no longer need to take in high amounts of nutrients like puppies. At this stage, you can choose dry food and food that your dog likes to eat and is suitable for eating based on the dog's appearance and living habits. Wet food.
- Generally speaking, there is no age limit on the feed, canned food, fresh food, etc. that dogs can eat. However, "senior dogs" may need to change their diet due to difficulty chewing, poor digestion and absorption, and changes in metabolism and immune systems.
- You can consume a high proportion of protein to avoid muscle loss, pay attention to sodium intake limits, and supplement with appropriate nutrients, such as omega-3, glucosamine, lutein, etc.
3. Health examination & vaccination
Before the examination is carried out, complete information must be established for the dog. The veterinarian will first conduct a consultation to understand the dog's daily living habits, and then evaluate the pet's basic physical condition through inspection, palpation, auscultation, etc.
Blood tests, X-rays, and ultrasounds are also necessary parts of health examinations. Blood test reports can detect abnormalities that are invisible to the naked eye, including the dog's coagulation function, whether the organs are sound, and whether there are parasites in the body.
To help with the cleaning work of dogs, remember to bathe, groom, etc. about 3 times a month, and remember to use dog-specific shampoo. Remember not to use human shower gel!
There are many types of dog vaccines, divided into two categories: "core vaccines" and "non-core vaccines"
- Core vaccines: Vaccines designed to prevent major infectious diseases that are highly contagious and fatal, such as canine distemper, canine parvovirus, canine infectious hepatitis, and rabies.
- Non-core vaccines: Vaccines against canine parainfluenza virus, leptospirosis, canine coronavirus, Lyme disease and other diseases are considered non-core vaccines in Taiwan.
The following vaccines are required for raising dogs:
- Rabies vaccine: Dogs must receive the first dose when they are 3 months old, and then annually. This is the most important vaccine for dogs because rabies is a fatal disease that can cause serious health hazards to humans.
- Five-in-one vaccine: includes the prevention of canine distemper, canine cough, canine Toxoplasma gondii, canine hepatitis and canine coronavirus. The first injection is given when the dog is 2 months old, and then once a year.
- Canine Distemper Vaccine: Canine distemper is a serious viral disease that can cause severe damage to a dog’s respiratory, digestive and nervous systems. The first injection is given when the dog is 6 weeks old, and then annually.
- Canine coronavirus vaccine: This virus can cause gastrointestinal distress and diarrhea in dogs. The first injection is given when the dog is 6 weeks old, and then annually.
In addition to the above-mentioned vaccines, there are other vaccines, such as influenza vaccine and canine infectious hepatitis vaccine. The best advice is to consult with your veterinarian to determine which vaccines your dog needs.
4. Cleaning supplies
Just like people brush their teeth and take a bath every day, the dog's oral and body cleaning and deworming are equally important.
Although there are many teeth cleaning bones or teeth cleaning feeds on the market, they are all auxiliary cleaning. Fur owners still need to use toothbrushes, toothpaste, and mouthwash to help their fur babies clean their teeth thoroughly.
When cleaning the body part, remember to buy a "dog-specific" shampoo. Because the pH values of human and dog skin are different, you cannot directly use human shower gel to bathe your dog.
The frequency of bathing is one to four times a month. You can first comb the dog's hair and remove waste hair before starting to wash.
5.Social training
Dogs that have not been socialized are easily restless and fearful in new environments and people, or they may bark, run away, or attack each other.
It is recommended that dogs get used to people, leashes, noises, other fur babies, and environmental changes when they are puppies. However, each dog has a different pace. Fur owners must not teach by scolding or beating, but need to teach through Socialization training through "positive reinforcement" methods such as praise and rewards is the basis for good interaction between dogs and owners.
It is very important to properly train and socialize dogs so that they can get along peacefully with other people and animals, starting with basic commands such as sit, come back, and go.
It can make other people feel more at ease when interacting with your dogs. If you don’t know how to do this, you can start by asking a veterinarian, a dog trainer, or interacting with other owners.
6. Fixed and moderate exercise
Dogs of different sizes and weights require different amounts of exercise.
The larger the body, the greater the amount of exercise required, so after raising a dog, you must set aside time for the dog to go out for a walk every day.
Some dogs don't like to urinate and defecate indoors, so they should make sure to use the bathroom outdoors to avoid holding back urine, drinking less water, or constipation.
7. Give absolute love and patience
On the road of raising dogs and interacting with dogs, there will be times when the dogs are disobedient and unable to understand words, and there will even be times when they cause trouble to the owners, such as defecating in the open or chewing things at home before they are properly trained. , even accidentally breaking or knocking over various items, etc.
At this time, all pet owners must provide guidance and training to the dogs with good patience and love, and must not express anger to the dogs or even abandon them.
Before they are well trained, they defecate everywhere, bite things at home, or even accidentally break or knock over various items, etc. At this time, all owners must uphold good patience and love to guide and train their dogs. , you must not vent your anger on dogs or even abandon them. They are very innocent. You must first establish a good attitude and patience, and give more care to dogs, so that you can go further on the road of raising dogs!
Summarize
Raising a dog is not just about looking at the dogs, it is a very responsible thing. In addition to love, raising a dog also requires patience, time and a lot of dog-raising expenses.
In Hong Kong, raising pets is a very common family activity, especially dogs. If you are considering getting a dog, you need to make some preparations before bringing it home to ensure that your dog can live in a safe and comfortable environment.
Taking care of a dog takes time and effort, but it's well worth it. By following the tips provided in this article, you can ensure that your furry friend is well taken care of.
