I am not a Veterinarian, so this is not a professional inputs, okay! :) Just want to make it clear. But I am a proud owner of a five year old black and white Shih Tzu named Mia. And currently Mia just gave birth with three cute, adorable and lovable little puppies namely Pep, Tof and Ogie. Anyway, if your a new dog owner or want to have one, read on, maybe you can get something from my experiences.
- Don't get a dog if you don't have the the affection, the space, the time, extra money, the love and the patience. THEY ARE NOT TOYS!
- Love them as if they were you own children. In our family, we treat them as part of the family. They even sleeps in our own bed and gave them presents every birthdays and Christmas. Bring them in every family out of town trips, if the place is a dog friendly place.
- Never ever forget to feed them and give them clean water everyday. If you are going to leave them for few days, ask someone who can check on them and feed them once in a while. Don't leave them alone in the house without any food or water. It is still best if you let them eat dog food rather than human table food. It is more healthier for them and safe. For me, Mia prefers the brand Pedigree and Alpo. We alternate them once in a while so she won't get fed up with it but sometimes, she eats table food too. She started eating table food when she was already 4 years old. If you will let them eat human food, just make sure not to give them fish or anything under water creatures because that can make their hair worn out.
- Potty train them as soon as you have them. Like for me, I trained Mia already when I bought her when she was just 3 months old to poop or pee on a mat. Whenever we go, she never pee or poop without a mat, ever. Some people use like newspapers, cartons, etc.. Use whatever you are comfortable with. But if you can walk your dog every morning and every evening for them to do their thing outside the house, much better. Just don't miss a day because they will surely dispose it inside your house if they can't hold it any longer. And please if you are going to do this, pick it up and throw their poop properly, so no one can step on it while walking.
- Be a pack leader! As Cesar Millan always says from the Dog Whisperer show. Watch the show if you haven't heard of him yet. You will learn a lot from him, in managing dogs. Here's his site : http://www.cesarsway.com/. Anyway, set some rules and let them follow you and be firm so they won't be a headache like you teenage daughter do (just kidding!).
- What I know is (correct me, if I am wrong), it is better to train them until they reached 8 months of age. They will absorb every thing you teach them faster than the later months. So if you have the time to teach them such things as sit, roll over, jump and other things, teach them before they are already too stubborn to follow you.
- Bring them to the Veterinarian as soon as you have them and bring them when necessary. Complete every boosters, shots, tablets like heartworm, deworming, etc. they need especially on their first year for them not to get sick easily. They are some air borne virus for dogs that they can easily get if they are not healthy and protected. They can be deadly. So, if your dog is still a puppy and haven't completed all the protection he/she needs, don't expose them with other dogs that maybe a carrier of some deadly virus or with an environment you think is not safe. And give them vitamins each day.
- Take them for a walk or run everyday if you can or set a schedule each day to play with them. First, because they need exercise too like we do. Second, they need activities to loose those energy they have inside especially when they are still young. Or else, they will surely make your furniture, shoes, or anything they can see looks like a toy that they can bite and destroy before you know it. One tip is, buy them toys to play with so they won't pick your slippers as teeter.
- Bathe them! Me, I bathe Mia twice a week. Since she is hairy and all, she gets so dirty after 3 days and will surely smells bad after sweeping every dust and dirt on the floor every time she walks and lie down. Use a blower when drying them, try to buy the one with the cold blowing option so their skin won't get irritated or burned when you are drying them for too long. Make sure to dry them thoroughly, because if there are moisture between those hairs, bacteria will starts to grow and your dog will surely have a spot on their skin that will sore. And once they got this, it will surely come back every now and then. So better avoid that. Comb their hair each day if you have time and especially if your dog's hair is long. Groom them or if don't have time, take them to the Animal Center where they have services like haircut and everything. It is not actually a treat for them when they visit a parlor like we do feel but it's also for their own good. :) Me, I always avail every services I can for Mia, like haircut with style, milk bath that will make their hair sifter and smells good too, ear cleaning, anal sac, have their nails cut, etc..
- When your dogs have ticks and fleas which they can get pretty much easily, especially if your walking your dog outside everyday. Get rid of them as soon as possible! I recommend the brand Frontline Plus. It is a chemical thing that you put in the dogs nape and I can guarantee you it is effective and you will surely get rid of those ticks and fleas fast. I have tried other things like powder, soaps, shampoos and sprays already but Frontline is the only effective one.
- When your dog is a female, expect them to have their period 2 times a year. You can buy a dog diaper if you don't want their blood be on the floor during those periods but dogs lick it all the time so they won't leave any souvenir on the floor but if their period is heavy, you better buy one. And if you are planning to have little puppies from her in the future, make sure to start when she reach 2 or 3 years of age. Dogs gave birth after 2 months or 63 days after mating. It is much safer for them to get pregnant younger (believe me!) because if you get them pregnant on much later date, there will be some health issues she needs to undergo or she may experience a miscarriage. Like Mia, she is already 5 when she gave birth with the triplets. She don't have that enough strength anymore to deliver the babies in normal procedure so she undergo Cesarian operation which is much expensive and more difficult to take care of. So make sure you have the time to take care of the puppies before letting her mate with another dog, okay.
to be continued...
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