From how to feed him, which veterinarian to take him to, or what I should do to make him a polite and obedient dog , these are questions that are found among the sea of doubts that invades first-time canines.
What you do when you are a “dad” or “mom” a first-time dog
A common point that people who incorporate a puppy into their family for the first time have is that they spend a lot of time outdoors with the dog, with the hope that the animal soon learns to relieve itself outside the home. In this way, it is not strange that in the first weeks they meet a lot of people who already have a dog . Some will give advice to the novice as if they were true experts.
Doubts you may have if you are a first-time guardian of a dog:
- I don’t know what I’m going to give her
- I’m afraid to let him go, in case he doesn’t come back
- I don’t know whether to sterilize him or not
- I don’t know how to prevent it from taking everything it catches on the ground
- My puppy stands in the street and I don’t know what to do to get him to walk with me
The tips that the experts of the park give you:
- They recommend that you give him the same food that they give their dog. As if it were the best or the only one. As if each dog was not a unique individual with its own characteristics and needs.
My recommendation is that you speak and inform yourself beforehand with your veterinarian and assess the optimal options for your dog. Then choosing the best food that your pocket can afford, not the one that your “expert” neighbor buys for his dog.
- They tell you to let him go, that he will not leave while he is with other dogs : they have only seen your dog for 5 minutes. He doesn’t know if he’s scared or could run after a bike or a rabbit. What’s more, you don’t even know it, because you are starting to get to know each other. But the so-called expert, they tell you to let go, if something happens later, rest assured that he will not be held responsible.
It is very good that you give your dog freedom, but security has to be an essential requirement, delegating this security to the fact that there are more dogs around is not the best option, because on the street there are many more stimuli that can attract attention of your dog and be out of your control. It is better to look for limited areas, quiet and away from the dangers of traffic.
- As for sterilizing your dog, the “opinionary expert” tells you it is stealing its nature: sterilizing the dog is a decision that must be considered individually.
In my opinion, when it comes to sterilizing a pet, the “pros” outweigh the “cons”. If it is true, it is convenient to individualize and choose the best moment of development to carry out this intervention. Evaluating both the character and behavior as well as the health and environment of the animal.
- If you have the problem that your puppy grabs everything he catches, the “expert opinion” will tell you: “Put a muzzle on him until he stops doing it”: and the only thing he is right about is that he will stop doing it. Young dogs and puppies explore the world through their mouths, and it is normal and healthy for them to take everything they find, cut it up or carry it a few meters to leave it later.
This will go away on its own, even if you don’t do anything. Be careful, what I am telling you is in general, there are particular cases where dogs gobble things up out of anxiety, but these cases are not solved with a muzzle but with a professional treatment that your “park expert” cannot offer you.
- If your puppy stops and does not want to walk, the “park specialist” will tell you that he is hesitating or even dominating you and that you must choose which way to go, with your dog always trailing behind. What this bad expert has never done is to catch up with how a dog sees the world and think about how he is fitting this during his first walks.
The world can be overwhelming for our puppy and feel blocked. Faced with such a collapse, give it time. Neophobia or fear of the new, is something natural in the development of the puppy and that it overcomes by the simple fact of growing up. If your puppy gets stuck, you can help him continue by offering him something he loves, be it a toy or a treat, but never force him on the leash. If motivation and patience don’t work for you, go back the way you came and continue at another time.
