7 Most Common Concerns of New Pup Parents

Bringing home a new puppy is extremely exciting. However, it is understandable if you are a first-time pup parent and worry before you bring them home. 

After all, a puppy is not a light responsibility to take on willy-nilly. This puppy will likely be yours for a decade and more.  

Before you get a puppy, here are some concerns that you might run into. Once you have gone through this list and are prepared to tackle them, you can start planning to bring your beloved new doggy angel home. 

The Right Pup

Each puppy is an individual. It has its specific personality, needs, and attitude. It can be challenging to get a clear picture of what your new puppy will be like unless you spend some time with them first. 

However, their breed can tell you a lot about their usual behaviour, needs, and medical concerns. That said, you should first choose a breed of dog that is suited to your current lifestyle. 

Home Preparation

Another thing you will have to ponder about before impulse buying a puppy is whether your house is ready for a change. 

Just as living spaces need to be baby proofed before a new child enters the home, you have to make similar preparations for a new puppy. 

Some things to consider before you bring a puppy home include:

• Where the puppy will sleep.
• What supplies do you have for it?
• What could be poisonous or dangerous to it?
• What could it damage?
• How much space can it access?

These are essential aspects to think about as you do not want to wake up the morning after bringing the puppy home to find that a tornado has been through your house.  

Socialization

Puppies have a lot to learn when it comes to their interactions with the world around them. Beyond needing to get used to its new surroundings, it also needs to get used to you, your family, neighborhood dogs, and any other pets you already have.  

There is a learning curve and adjustment period for you and your pup regarding getting used to the new experiences inherent in welcoming a new puppy home. 

You need to be patient. One way to speed through this process is by signing your puppy up for socialization classes. 

Basic Training

While it is fun to have a dog, who can do tricks on command, you must first go through some more basic training beforehand. 

The first thing you will want to get out of the way is toilet training. This can be particularly challenging as it means lots of clean-up for you in the beginning. 

From there, you can start working on crate training, which is necessary for when you need the puppy to be in a confined space for any reason, such as transport. 

You will also want your puppy to have some discipline to ensure that it does not wreak havoc in your home. After that, you can think about tricks about handshaking and playing dead.  

Health Issues

One of the most important things to know before getting a pet, any pet, is the location of the nearest vet clinic. Ideally, you should also have some back-ups in mind.  

You will need to ensure that your puppy’s vaccinations are completed. Beyond that, puppies have a developing immune system that may leave them vulnerable to illnesses. Therefore, you and your wallet should be prepared before getting a new puppy. 

Exercise

Not only will it be challenging for you emotionally and psychologically when you get a new puppy, but you also have to be prepared to be physically strained as well.

This is because puppies have a lot of energy that they need to work off. Thus, you will need to maintain a healthy exercise regimen for them. 

This goes beyond taking your puppy out for its daily walk. Puppies need to run and play to burn off their energy lest they end up taking it out on your furniture. 

Sufficient exercise is also required to ensure that puppies maintain an ideal size and weight. 

Puppy Behaviour

One of the worst and most heart-wrenching experiences you will have when you get a new puppy will happen during the first week or so of its arrival. 

At first, it will cry and whine from being away from the environment it is used to. Later, it will also need to learn how to handle being home alone. 

Separation anxiety in pups can be very damaging to it as well as your property. Thus, it needs to learn how to stabilise its emotions when you are in another room or away from the house completely.