Dog Care Step-By-Step Guide; Having a dog as a pet is not only rewarding but a fulfilling experience. The dogs have been known for providing emotional support and are lovely creatures that provide love & care. Dogs are one of the most selfless beings on the planet that bring love and positivity into your life.
If you are someone who is planning to bring a pet into your house whether you are a first-timer or it’s been a while since you last took care of any pet, My Cheery Pet is here for you.
My Cheery Pet has designed the ultimate checklist on dog care that you might need as a reminder. In this Dog Care Step-By-Step Guide, you will find all the essentials that are required to take good care of your pet and keep them active and healthy.
Dog Care Step-By-Step-Guide: Puppy Care Guide
The first thing to understand before adopting or buying a puppy is that taking care of a pet is a lifetime commitment and it’s your responsibility to take good care of your furry family member as his/her health and well-being depend on you.
However, raising a pet as a puppy could be overwhelming as it’s not easy to raise a puppy as they are not mature enough to get trained. It’s with proper time and proper training they start to hear you and start listening to your command. So, it’s your responsibility to be patient with your puppy and give your puppy the time they require to fully adjust to your home environment.
Puppy Care Guide: What Puppy to Buy or Bring Home?
Dog care step-by-step guide: Choosing a puppy for your home could be a challenging task especially if you are a first-timer or someone who has never been a pet parent. There are a number of things that you need to keep in mind and take care of while buying or adopting a puppy for your home.
(You can know more about family dogs here)
The first thing that you might be confused about would be whether you should buy a puppy or adopt it. Well, let me narrow it down for you. If you are someone who is looking for a purebred puppy then the best option would be for you to buy it, this way you don’t have to worry about whether you have a purebred dog you wanted or if it is a mixed breed that you got scammed for.
However, if you are an animal lover like me and do not care about purebred or mixed breeds then you can simply just go for adoption as there are a number of pet shelters that would be happy to welcome you to adopt a puppy from their dog care shelter.
The other thing that you need to take into consideration is their size. You can not have a puppy of giant breeds if you live in a small compact house or apartment. This will not only make your life difficult but your dog’s as well. So, it is advised that you must adopt a dog according to the resources you have and can provide.
Size is not the only factor that you need to take into consideration, it’s also the breed and group of dog your puppy belongs to. For example, working dog breeds require more physical activities than that of lazier dog breeds. This means that you need to put in more effort if you have a dog from the working group.
Now, it’s important for you to understand the needs and requirements of the puppy of your choice and the efforts and resources it’s going to take to raise them. Owning a pet not only takes extra effort but it also has its own expense.
You also need to understand the financial commitment before you bring a puppy to your home as it’s going to keep costing you money for its entire life. For example; dog food isn’t cheap, dog medication isn’t cheap either, then there are other courses such as training classes for your dog to teach him/her discipline and essential commands to communicate with them and so on.
So now if you have made the commitment and are ready to buy or adopt a puppy, let’s continue with our Puppy Care Guide Week-by-Week.
Puppy Care Guide: Preparing Your Home For Your Puppy
After taking the first step towards becoming a pet parent your next step should be to start preparing your home for your puppy. Puppies are like kids, they are stupid, stubborn, and can put anything in their mouth and they could be delicate to deal with.
Preparing a safe, healthy, and comfortable environment for your puppy is the one thing that you must do before bringing him/her home. Remove stuff that can cause discomfort to your puppy, give him/her a nice cozy area for resting, and make sure you have all the important things at your home that you require to take care of your puppy.
Dog Care Step-by-step guide: checklist for preparing a safe environment for your puppy at home requires;
- Proper healthy and nutritional dog food
- Dog food and water bowl & tray
- Toys for puppies & dogs
- First aid kit especially assembled for puppies and dogs
- Collar & leash
- Grooming Tools
- Secure all electrical chords
These are some of the basic things that you need to take care of your puppy at home.
Puppy Proofing Your Place For Your Puppy
As I have mentioned above, raising a puppy is exactly like raising a 2-year-old kid. So it is advised you treat your puppy exactly like your family member, with love, care, and patience. Now you would not want your 2-year-old toddler to go around the places in your house unsupervised.
The perfect way to secure your house for your puppy is to get to the ground level and start thinking about a puppy. Remove anything that your puppy might put in his/her mouth, anything chewable which is not good for your puppy and can cause potential harm.
Remove sharp objects from the ground area, secure the electrical cable, and safeguard the sharp and pointed edges of your furniture.
What to Feed Your Puppy: Nutritious Diet for a Puppy
Puppies are not easy to deal with and feeding them with proper and nutritious food could be overwhelming, especially for the first-timers. So the best thing you could do as a pet parent is to search online about the foods that are great for the puppies or you can just consult a veteran and find out the foods that are not only nutritious but easy to digest as well.
(You can read more about the best food for dogs here)
As for the bowls, I would suggest you go for stainless steel bowls rather than buying bowls made of plastic as stainless steel bowls do not contain any chemicals and are easy to clean, durable, and puppy proof as your puppy can’t ever hope to break it.
One more thing that you need to keep in mind is to measure the food you give to your puppy with a measuring cup to make sure you are not overfeeding your puppy and that it gets the nutrients it needs on a daily basis.
How to Train Your Puppy?
Training your puppy is not an easy task and it is one of the most important things as well. There are ways in which you can teach your puppy to listen to your commands such as instructing your puppy to follow your command based on the action you make and offering them a treat after each successful command. This also helps you bond better with your puppies and dogs.
This method could be overwhelming for some pet parents and we all can understand how time-consuming it can be. The other option you have is to hire a certified trainer who will train your dog on your behalf but this option is going to cost you some money as buying training courses for your pet doesn’t come cheap.
Physical Exercises: Tips to Keep Your Dog Healthy and Active
Physical activities play a vital role in a dog’s overall health and well-being and it’s important that you take your pet for walks on a daily basis. Give your puppy or dogs proper playtime by taking them on walks, in a playground where they can meet new dogs and puppies and play with them.
If you are someone who does not have time to take your dog out for walks or in the playground you can opt for a dog care shelter or dogs gym where they have all the equipment and exercises to keep your puppy physically active and healthy.
Puppy Health Care Guide: Routine Healthcare Checkups
Regular healthcare checkups are essential for your puppy as there are diseases and viruses which can be deadly such as Parvo, rabies, heartworms, and so on. As a pet parent, it’s necessary for you to take proper vaccines for your puppy and get a vaccine card for your dog to keep track of its healthcare routine.
Regular healthcare checkups also help you monitor the puppy’s health and help you prevent your puppy from fleas, ticks, and any other potential health issues.
Puppy Grooming: Step-by-Step Guide on Puppy Grooming
Grooming and hygiene is also an essential part to keep your puppy and dog healthy. Grooming of a pet requires hair trimming, nail trimming, paws and ear cleaning, and brushing their hair to remove dirt from their coat.
There are several products available in the market that you can buy for your puppy such as dog shampoo, conditioner, oil, soap, comb, and so on.
These products are safe and specially designed for puppies and dogs and do not cause any skin irritation. Though it is still advised you consult a veteran before buying these products as there are dogs who can develop allergies to some products and food over time.
What Are The Sign of a Sick Puppy?
Dog care step-by-step guide: There are a number of signs a puppy can exhibit while he/she is sick or when his/her health is compromised. If you ever notice that there is something wrong with your pet and that it might be sick, it is essential to visit a Veterinarian without wasting any crucial time for proper treatment.
Some of the common signs that you can notice in a puppy when it’s sick are:
- Loss of Appetite
- Lethargy
- Coughing & Sneezing
- Fever
- Skin & Coat Changes
- Sudden Weight Loss
- Watery & Red Eyes
- Lumps & Swelling
- Changes in Behavior
- Difficulty in Breathing
- Excessive Thirst or Urination
These are some of the signs that you don’t want to ignore if you care about your puppy’s life. Being a pet parent is not an easy job, it is one of the most responsible things and it can be tiring as you never know what goes through the minds of these beautiful selfless beings.
All you can do is pay attention to their body language and never ignore any hint your dog gives you because this is the only language they use to communicate with you.
Bottom Line
In the above article, I have provided you with the ultimate dog care step-by-step guide which I hope you will find helpful and use it to take the best care of your furry family members. At last, I would just suggest you to take your time before you make a decision on whether you want to buy a dog or adopt it.
Learn all about Dogs here
Because being a pet parent is not just about cuddles, pats, and tricks, it is to make sure you provide a safe and healthy environment for your furry friend where it can grow and be healthy. It is to make sure your furry family members are getting all the love, care, and affection it deserves.
How can you take proper care of a pet dog?
Our mentioned dog care step-by-step guide teaches you how you can take proper care of a pet dog. Taking care of a pet dog requires providing them with a safe and healthy environment to grow, grooming & hygiene, nutritional & balanced diet, regular healthcare checkups, and so on.
How do you take care of a pet step by step?
Feed your dog with nutritional foods, take your pet on walks on a regular basis, spend playtime with your puppy, take care of its health with regular vet visits, train your dog for better communication, and make sure it is vaccinated.
How to make dogs happy?
Feed your dog with its favorite food and treats, play with your dog, take your dog out to play, buy your dog a toy, spend time with your dog, pat your dog, and rub its belly, this will make your dog happy.