Things All Dog Owners Should Know
Hey there! Welcome to The Dog Bunker…
As a dog owner, whether you’re new at it or not, there are a few things to keep in mind when you become the proud owner of a new puppy or even an older dog.
I’ve always had dogs in my life for as long as I can remember, so I thought I would share some of what I have learned over the years with you….
A Few Basics for Dog Owners to Remember
Before going out and picking out the perfect puppy or adopting an older dog, please remember:
You are responsible for their health and well-being. You can’t just put your dog up on a shelf and forget about it if you get tired of doing all the daily chores that may arise with owning a dog.
Things Your Dog Needs
- Food
- Fresh Water
- Grooming
- Training
- Exercise
- Love and Attention
- Health Care (shots, checkups, and emergency care as needed)
Your dog will need these things for the rest of its life…so, be prepared to do what it takes to do these tasks for your dog every day for the next 10-15 years, more or less.
Yes, owning a dog is a lot like having kids….in our home, they’re considered part of the family and have become our furry kids! Once you become a dog owner, you’re now this dog’s “parent” when you think about it.
Owning a dog is a lot of work and responsibility, it is also very rewarding! Who else will show you such complete and unconditional love every day…whether you make mistakes or not, your dog will always be happy to greet you at the door when you come home, ready to cheer you up with all of its silly antics!
So, if you’re here and haven’t gotten a dog yet, I’d advise that you choose a breed that is most suited for your lifestyle…
Please keep reading and look for the “Helpful LINKS” below…
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Choosing a Dog
What is best? A purebred or mixed breed dog?
It doesn’t really matter! They all need the same basic healthcare, food, socialization, and training no matter what kind of dog.
Although some breeds may need more attention than others in certain areas. Breeds that are known as working dogs such as German Shepherds, Huskies, cattle dogs or shepherds of various types, as well as quite a few other breeds, usually are very smart dogs….
but, they can be difficult to keep happy…
In other words…it’s difficult to keep them from being destructive! At least some of these dogs can and do get in a lot of trouble if left alone or not exercised enough…they get destructive and start chewing on everything, barking, and just misbehaving in general.
Some Breeds Need to Be Kept “Busy”
Not saying these are “bad” breeds to choose at all, but just be aware that most dogs that fall into the working breeds class need to be busy…
After all, they’re used to working, right?
So, yes there are certain breeds that are known to be more active dogs, and will most likely need more exercise and attention than some other breeds.
But, on the other hand, there are breeds that aren’t so active at all such as the Shih Tzu, like one of our dogs, Daisy, pictured over on the right…(and, yes, she needs a bath, again!)
All dog breeds have both good and bad points in one way or another…
My point being, a shih tzu’s hair is almost impossible to keep up on when it’s long, and she loves rolling around in the dirt outside…getting her face all filthy! Which is why she doesn’t have the long flowing hair right now.
So, Please, Do Your Homework Before Choosing a Dog
Otherwise, you may be in for trouble…
What I’ve Learned From Our Dogs
Chewed up furniture, shoes, and yes, even doors!
Believe me, I know from experience, especially with our black lab/husky mix, Thor, whom we raised and loved, many years ago. As a pup, he was not happy with being left alone for even a couple of hours in our kitchen. And, as the old saying goes…live and learn!
At the time, we did not realize how energetic he would be, especially as a pup. He was the first puppy my hubby and I were the proud parents of many years ago, and boy, did we learn a lot from him!
The First Time Leaving Thor Home Alone…Big Mistake!
We got home after a couple of hours and we were in for a big surprise! What a mess! We never left him alone in the kitchen after that! Time for crate training! …and, a new door for the kitchen!
Oh, and…believe it or not, new blinds for the kitchen window too! How a three or four month old puppy can reach a window so high up, I still don’t know to this day!
I just wish I had known more back then…
Puppies do get bored too and will chew just about anything!
We learned all too well with our dog, Thor, and with our other dogs as well…
After we realized what we needed to do to keep our house from being wrecked, and how to keep him happy, this same puppy grew up to be a very good dog.
I am hoping to be able to help you, fellow dog lovers, to avoid something like this from happening to you…and hopefully learn from my mistakes before doing them yourself!
Owning a dog is a big responsibility and a lot of work, but they’re worth the extra effort! Life would definitely not be the same without them…they’re always there to greet you at the door and welcome you home with wagging tails!
Dogs are always aiming to please….they’re Loyal, and ALL they ask for is attention from their people!
Click the following links to read more:
Helpful Links
Much more is available here now and if you do not find it yet, it will be coming soon! Much of this info can be found by clicking on the following link to go to my Blogs About Dogs page.
Feel free to look around! You may learn something that will help you with your dog. Please share any comments or questions you may have about your dogs, and come back and visit us again! I’d be more than happy to hear them and learn how I can help you with your dog.
Didn’t find what you’re looking for? Please leave a comment below or if you’d rather, you can leave me a message on our contact form.
I’d be happy to help you with your four-legged friend 🙂
It’s why I started this web site to be able to help out fellow dog lovers and learn even more about dogs and the things that can be of benefit to our beloved fur balls!
This is a wonderful site; I have learned a lot here, keep up the good work. Another place I learned from is a book that I purchased on Amazon. “I wana know what love is.” is the title. It is a Kindle book that teaches you everything anyone would want to know about how to train their pet from puppyhood on to adulthood. After reading this book, I was able to get control of my Yorkies and stop all their bad behavior. For example, to break your pet from jumping on you with his front feet, it’s best not to be a “No” person, which is negative. Teach your pet how to “sit”, this will give you control of your pet in a positive way. Once you teach your pet basic commands of sit, stay, lay down, come when called, and release, the rest is easy. Here is the link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HKK22EA
Best book I have ever read on the subject
Cheers
Hi Dwight,
Thank you very much for visiting my site and leaving such a kind comment! I certainly have to agree that teaching your dog to sit gives you a much better result than just saying “no.” It teaches them a positive thing to do rather than jumping up on you. Many people don’t seem to realize the importance of the basic commands that you mention and how much easier life with their dog can be once these are taught. I’m glad to hear you have gotten your Yorkies under control and behaving the way you want!
I haven’t read that book yet, but I’ll be sure to check it out. It looks very interesting to read and I’m always looking for ways to improve how to train my dogs. Thank you for sharing your advice here and I hope to hear from you again.
Best wishes and a Happy New Year to you Dwight!:)
-Sherry
I really like your blog.. very nice colors, theme. Did you make this website yourself or did you hire someone to do it for you? Plz reply as I’m looking to design my own blog and would like to find out where u got this from. thanks a lot
Hi,
Thank you for visiting The Dog Bunker and commenting! I’m really glad to hear you like it. I greatly appreciate the kind words! Yes, I made this website myself with WordPress. If you need help I’d be happy to answer any questions you might have and show you where you can learn how to make your own website too, plus a lot of other info that you will find you will need to get started for free! Please let me know how I can help you. Send me an email at contact@dogbunker.com and I’ll be happy to reply ASAP.
Hope to hear from you soon and best wishes to you!- Sherry
Hey! Do you use Twitter? I’d like to follow you if that would be ok. I’m undoubtedly enjoying your blog
and look forward to new updates.
Hi there!
I’m glad to hear that you are enjoying my blog at The Dog Bunker! Yes, I do use Twitter and you can follow me here at https://twitter.com/SherryB19 Thank you for visiting and leaving a comment! Hope to hear from you again soon here and on Twitter.
Have a great day!
-Sherry
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Hi Mildred,
Thank you for visiting my site and commenting. I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed your visit here and hope to hear from you again 🙂
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Hi there Concorde,
Thank you very much for visiting and commenting on The Dog Bunker…not to mention the kind words. I am glad to hear you like my site.
As for it being a great deal of work, I would say yes and no. Yes, I’ve spent a lot of time and effort putting info together, writing, and learning how to do things like how to add links, images, different text sizes/colors, etc. but, I also say no, since I actually do enjoy doing all of these things that I never thought I could do, not even a year ago today. I had no understanding of programming or building a blog or website at all less than a year ago, but I’ve been learning a lot since then.
I’d like to share with you the best thing that happened to me, which was finding the website called Wealthy Affiliates. It’s been the reason I’ve been able to learn how to do this and it is FREE to join. You can check it out for free and what I thought was great about it is the fact that when I went to check out their site, they never asked me for my credit card number to join the Starter Membership. I do not like giving out that info without knowing exactly what I’m paying for and I’m sure a lot of other people don’t like doing so either.
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