Adopting a dog can bring you untold amounts joy, and will bring you incredible benefits that you may never have thought of. There will be a few teething problems along the way, especially if you aren’t used to having a dog as a pet. But ultimately, there are plenty of unexpected things that occur when you have adopted a pet dog. They really do become part of the family quite quickly, and mostly you will need to consider how they are going to fit into your day-to-day life, but when she has thought everything through and prepared the best you can, then you will find yourself pleased with your decision. Even if you are a seasoned pet owner, there will be some challenges that you will be met with along the way. So there is always something unexpected to deal with. As with any other animal or, in fact, humans, each dog is different and will have different needs and quirks that you have to navigate to look after them. So what other unexpected things do pet owners report happening once they adopted a dog?
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Embarrassing yourself in public
When working on your pup’s recall you may find yourself shouting their name a few times more than you imagined you would have to, dogs take a little while sometimes to learn precisely what you want from them, and sometimes they like to push the boundaries, especially the younger ones through puppy to adolescent age. This isn’t a bad thing, but you may find yourself in public quite often shouting their name and getting no response, this is why being very strict with your training regime, and making sure that you aren’t getting this wrong is so important. Remembering to keep your dog safe at all times while working on certain training aspects is also of the utmost importance, puppies look to us for their guidance, and until we gain a right amount of communication, and we know that they can be trusted to react appropriately. You will need to be careful and put up with the public embarrassment for a while.
Breaking the rules
Many people say that they aren’t going to let the dog get on the sofa or anywhere near their beds, but research shows that many pet owners don’t always stick to this, and will find themselves Cuddling with her new pup on the sofa in no time. Also, this comes down to treats, activities, and just general things you said you would never do. Bringing a pup into our home really opens our eyes and can reduce our stress levels and help us relax the rules a little. We start to realize what is truly important when we have had our prep for a while, and this is no bad thing because we soon realize what exactly is essential and what isn’t about owning a pet dog.
Researching obsessively
From the time we realized that we are going to get a pet, to the time they end up in the vet’s office for one reason or another, we find ourselves researching obsessively to make sure that we are doing our best for our pet. A dog really does become part of the family, and just like we would any other family member, we do our best to make sure that they are well looked after healthy and cared for. This takes a significant amount of time and knowledge, and it’s important to note that medical advice should only ever be made from a professional. However, there are many online groups and pages that you can read for general information that may help you on your journey to ensure that you have all the information you need. As with anything important in our life, researching our dog is a great thing to do. From finding out What the top orthopedic dog bed of the year is, to the best toys to keep your strength to your loud chewer entertained, The information is all out there, and you can spend hours happily reading about things to improve your dog’s life.
Becoming an expert
Moving on from the last point, most dog owners become experts in no time at all. The reason for this is because we just love the dog so much that we really want to do the best for them. And to be able to provide the best for them we need all the knowledge, knowledge is power, and if we don’t do our best for our pups, they let us know. Before long you will be able to answer questions from your friends and colleagues, about dogs, you will be given advice on social media to people who ask questions, and you will be just waiting for the opportunity to help any when you can with your new-found knowledge. Many people have started in this way and ended up becoming actual experts in dog behaviour, dog walkers who love to help others and even written a book about their journey into the dog world. So nothing is stopping you from becoming an actual expert, doing some training, and helping other people with professional knowledge that you’ve picked up along the way. And what better way to use your new knowledge than to turn it into a career?
Change in your life
Adopting a dog can change your life completely, many people struggle with mental health issues, and mobility issues, that report once they adopted their dog, they have improved their health significantly whether physical or mental. This is a fantastic thing for everyone, and many dogs are even used as therapy dogs in hospitals and care homes. This can really change a person’s day and improve their mood just by petting a dog for 10 minutes or so. Adopting a dog can relieve loneliness in older people, it can help others overcome phobias, and it can give someone a purpose if they are struggling. The whole family will fall in love with your new pet dog, and children especially benefit from increased confidence, a sense of responsibility, and just having a friend that loves them unconditionally when they are growing up. It’s a beautiful thing to do for yourself and your family, not to mention the dog itself when you take the plunge to rehome and adopt a dog and welcome them into your home. Unfortunately, many dogs need rehoming, and unfortunately, not enough homes to go around. So not only can a dog change your life, you can change your dog’s life.
Mess
We know that dogs have to go to the toilet somewhere, and we know that they like today. Still, nobody can quite prepare you for the vast amount of mess that the dog can make, from taking up your favourite rose bush, to poop in every way they can in your garden, you will be quite surprised at just how much mess a dog can make in such a short time, but that’s apprising thing about this, is how little you care when you have fallen in love with your pup, I really don’t mind that they buried another bone, and if you do when you care You work on training, and managing your expectations rather than blame the dog.
So as you can see, a dog can bring you until dry, as well as many unexpected joys and not so joyous moments. But being realistic and knowing precisely what you’ve got to come, will reduce the shock for you. Then you can enjoy your new family member once they arrive.
