I think that dogs need to be walked regularly and that people need to be responsible before getting a pet. I saw on one of the selling sites someone was rehoming their puppy when it was 16 weeks old! Most dogs don't go home until 12 weeks old- that is awful! If you don't have time to keep up on all your other activities and are not willing to ship them all over the world with you, don't get one. Dogs are for life, not for Christmas like the Dogs Trust says.
Rant over!
Okay for my tips:
- Don't waste too much on toys and other accessories. Ruddles hardly ever played with any of them. Dusty's never lasted more than 5 mins.
- Take the dog out frequently, a lot of behavior problems are due to pent up energy. England doesn't really have dog parks as such because they take their dogs out with them. If you are worried about them running off, you just need to train them to walk off a lead. I did this by taking Dusty to footpaths that I knew he could not get too far away and then giving him treats whenever he came back to me. Thetford Forest is a good place. Now we can walk through parks in Cambridge off the lead and he has good recall but that comes from practice!
- If you need help, get a dog trainer. I know this sounds like an expense but if it stops them running off or runing your stuff, I say that is a saving :)
- Train your dog and have patience. Dusty still isn't perfect but he is good and that enables us to go out for walks. If they don't walk perfect, keep trying, Dusty is a joy to walk now, thanks to Jon.
- Get pets insurance. I know many pet owners think it is too much but it has saved us loads of money in the long run. Ruddles was hit by a car and it took care of his scans and treatment. Also last year, Dusty was diagnosed with a congenital cataract and it covered a lot of the costs, the operation was 3,500 pounds itself! Also recently Ruddles was locked in someone's garage by accident, and the insurance would have paid for advertising for him- he is safe now! They do not give you discounts for taking your pet to the vet for regular checkups because that is viewed to be part of owning a pet- insurance is for the things you cannot plan for. Also if you do not keep your pet's vaccinations up, it can invalidate your insurance. But in my experience it has been worth it.
- Shop around for food but choose quality over quantity. I went to a local feed shop and found working dog food. It is about 2 pounds cheaper per bag to what I used to get from a pet store, unless its on offer, but Dusty eats less and his backend movements are better. I would pay more for that.
- I find having a dog, we get out walking through town and parks and this is free. It keeps us both healthy and entertained.
- If you want a dog but can't give the full attention, offer to pet sit as so many people over here want to travel. You can make a bit of money and get your fill!
No comments:
Post a Comment