How to Know If You Should Get a Dog

Getting a dog is a decision that should not be taken lightly. It is a long-term commitment in which you will be responsible for another life. So, before you rush out to your local shelter to pick out a dog or send a deposit to a breeder for a new puppy, ask yourself these 4 questions.

1. Do you feel confident that you will have room in the budget not just now but for years to come?

To know if it's the right time to have a new puppy or dog, it's wise to first have a good look at your income, financial responsibilities, and your spending habits. Getting a dog does involve an initial expense; however, it goes far beyond that.

For at least a decade, and longer in many cases, you'll need to be able to pay for dog food, care items (bowls, leashes, collars or harnesses, grooming items, toys, etc.) and veterinary bills. Some pet owners try to save money by avoiding yearly wellness checks at the vet; however, this can lead to more bills down the line due to health issues not being caught early.

The cost of taking care of a dog depends on the quality of the care items that you'll be purchasing and variations of store pricing. If you expect to have at least $200 a month for both ongoing costs and starting an emergency vet fund, this is a good start to knowing if you're ready to have a new dog or puppy.

2. Is your home pet-friendly? Not all dogs need large yards to run and play, and in fact toy breed dogs can do just fine in small apartments. However, there are other things to look at.

You'll want to have an easily accessible outdoor area for the dog's bathroom needs. Since daily exercise is important for dogs, there should be an area for daily walks.

While dogs can enjoy an active and large family, most do not do well with chaotic or stressful households, so this should be considered as well.

You'll also want enough room so that the family (both humans and pets) do not feel crowded. And the puppy or dog should have his own area for resting, sleeping, indoor play, and eating.

3. Do you have time for a dog? It is quite common for owners to be away from home for work, school, or other responsibilities. However, you'll want to know that you have time to spend with your new pet if you do get a puppy or dog. Will you have time each day for walks? Grooming? One-on-one time for play and perhaps command training? Dogs love human interaction and do not do well when isolated the majority of the time.

4. Does your urge to get a dog go beyond just thinking that dogs are cute? Dogs are indeed cute. But, they can also have barking issues, housebreaking issues, and marking problems. A teething puppy may nip and an adopted adult may not like children. It's more common to have a dog with a few issues and quirks than a perfectly behaved canine family member.

To know if it's the right time to get a new puppy or dog, think about how you feel about having a dog every single day, through good times and bad, without any breaks in pet ownership.

If you've answered 'yes' to these four questions this is a great sign that you are ready to bring a new puppy or dog into your home.

Source:http://ezinearticles.com/?How-to-Know-If-You-Should-Get-a-Dog&id=9714303

4 Indoor Exercise Tips For Your Dog

Even though they can't tell you themselves... what dogs really want are boundaries, limitations and rules. And if you want a good relationship with your dog you want to make sure to give him those things. But before you give them what they want, you need to focus on what they need; exercise, discipline and affection.

Exercise truly is one of the most important factors to creating a healthy relationship with your dog. But how do you make time for your dog's exercise if you struggle with your own exercise routine? There are unlimited excuses we can use. In the winter it can be too cold outside; in the summer it can be too hot outside. Truth be known, both these conditions can be dangerous for exercising so there is some validity to these excuses, sort of. Of course you still have rain, snow, wind... then you have the time issue. I barley have time to fit in a trip to the grocery store and I haven't been able to make time to get my hair cut now for weeks. How on earth am I supposed to make time for a daily exercise routine for my mutt?

If you can't make the time for outdoor exercise every day, at least make the time for some indoor activity. An active dog and an active mind makes for a much more content dog. The more content the dog the fewer chances of undesirable behavior and less stress being associated with pet ownership. Have a look at some of these suggestions and see which ones you can incorporate into your daily morning or evening routines.

1. Stairs offer a great option for your dog. If you have an indoor staircase take advantage of it by utilizing it to provide your dog with a challenge that typical walking doesn't offer. We all know how climbing a flight of stairs uses some of the muscles walking does not. If your dog plays fetch, incorporate a game a fetch into the stairs. Stand at the top of the stairs and toss your pet's favorite toy down the stairs and encourage them to retrieve the toy. A few quick rounds of this will have your dog tuckered out in no time.

2. Arrange your furniture to provide a running path. I know that sounds a little odd, but think about it for a moment. If you can arrange your furniture so that in your most commonly used room you can provide a clear path that during a game of fetch will provide a straight shot for running, you can adequately play fetch inside and minimize the risk of breaking delicate household items. This is a very popular option for smaller dogs who do not require as extensive of an exercise program as larger dogs. When possible find a way to incorporate that pathway into the path of a hallway to make it even longer.

3. Setting up an obstacle course can provide both physical and mental challenges for your dog. Larger dogs may benefit more from an obstacle course if you can't provide a path for running. Use old hula hoops to provide an obstacle for jumping through. Large pillows or cushions can create a tunnel for him to navigate through. Boxes can also be useful. You may not be able to leave the course up all the time, but if you can quickly grab and rearrange things within the room, it's a great option for indoor activity. Map everything out and lead the dog through the obstacles. Come up with a few different setups to add a little variety throughout the week.

4. Of course a common indoor game is keep away. When you have more than two people available you can toss the dogs favorite toy between yourselves providing an engaging game of keep away. You can also incorporate this game into any of the others. For instance, sitting at either end of the staircase. Or either end of a clear straight running path. You can even add a few obstacles for jumping over to increase the activity.

Plan ahead and think about what you can do. Set up a routine with some variety in it and you can successfully provide enough indoor activity to keep your dog active, engaged and mentally stimulated. A side effect of this will most likely include some discipline and a lot of affection. Once you get into the routine as well, you can let go of the guilt for not getting the pooch out and about as often you would like. And if you have children in the house it helps teach the importance of responsible pet ownership.