So, you’re planning to get a dog, eh? Congratulations! You’re on your way to having one of the most satisfying, enjoyable moments of your life with your loyal friend and companion. But before you start picking out which cute pooch you’ll be taking home to meet your family, you have to keep in mind a few important things first. Buying a new dog is more than simply finding the cutest puppy in the store and buying a bag of dog food. Getting a new dog is almost like having a new child. They need constant attention and love, especially when they’re young. Buying the proper supplies can be as confusing as deciding what kind of dog to get in the first place.
Walking into a pet store without any prior information as to what you really need will just confuse you more and waste your money. It’s not going to be any use talking to the salesmen; their goal is to sell you everything you lay your eyes on, whether you need it or not. There are only a few essential things you should get for your new pet. My suggestion is first and foremost, get a good book and learn about your dog’s breed and its characteristics. All breeds are very different and have different needs and personality quirks. But don’t think of the book as the ultimate authority on your dog. The book is there simply to give you guidance.
After this, get a good collar, and make sure you can stick at least two fingers between the dog’s skin and the collar. Also make sure you get a collar that allows plenty of room for growth. Some breeds grow very fast, and you don’t want to be replacing the collar every two weeks during your puppy’s first year.
Also, get a good training collar, the most popular of which are the choke chain and the German pinch collar. Nevermind the scary names; these two collars work great at training your dog to behave properly at the end of a leash without tearing your arm off its socket. The biggest thing to remember with both collars is to never use the collar as your dog’s everyday collar. It’s not uncommon for an owner to forget to check the collar after training their dogs and end up having to cut them off after a few days because their dogs grew so big that the collars wouldn’t fit over their heads anymore.
The other supplies needed are simple. Get a weighted water bowl and a food bowl. Puppies love to play with and in their food, so it helps to have weighted bowls to avoid having them tipped over. A dog crate or dog house is next, depending on whether your dog will sleep outside or inside. You will also need three leashes of different lengths, to be used for walking and training the dog. This is another thing you’ll need that dog book for. It will explain to you how to use these different leashes in training.
Don’t forget the chew toys! Dogs, especially puppies, need to exercise their gums regularly, so get a variety of chew toys for your pet, unless you plan on replacing your furniture and your slippers on a regular basis.
Of course, we can’t forget the dog food! If you don’t know it yet, dogs are carnivores, despite what animal rights activists might say. They eat meat. So check the ingredients first. If corn and other types of vegetables is the first ingredient listed, your new four-legged friend is not getting what he needs. Look for chicken or beef to be listed as the first ingredient.
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