Secure Poisons
Certain chemicals are incredibly hazardous if swallowed. Some also pose risks if they contact the skin or eyes. Your puppy is just as at risk as a person when it comes to chemical contact. In order to avoid this potentially deadly situation, make sure all chemicals are securely stored. Whether this means securing a cabinet so it can’t be opened, moving cleaners to a high shelf, or keeping chemicals in a separate room or shed, you want to make sure there is no possible way for a puppy to get into these products.

Dealing with Chewing
Your puppy is going to want to chew on things. The trick is to make sure they only chew on the things you want, and not the things you don’t. There are many dog toys designed to give your puppy a way to channel their need to chew. Try having a few options available right from the beginning, and then see what kinds attract the most attention from your puppy. This way, you can make sure they are less inclined to chew on other things, like electrical cords. If a puppy does chew cords, it is possible they will suffer an electrical shock, which may be fatal.

Little Eating Machines
Your puppy is likely growing fast, and that takes a lot of energy. This drive also means a puppy may try and eat something you wish they hadn’t. Make sure things like cat litter boxes are kept in a place your puppy can[‘t access, or they may try to find a snack there. Certain house plants, like poinsettias, can also wreak havoc if your puppy makes a meal of them.

Secure Perimeters
Just because a fence looks secure to us does not mean a puppy can’t wiggle out of it. Walk your fence line and look for any small holes that may need to be repaired. Also, make sure the bottom of the fence cannot be pulled up or easily dug under.

Make sure you supervise your puppy outside at all times. If you identify a problem area, try to find a way to make it less enticing or accessible to your puppy. It is, after all, your responsibility to keep your puppy safe.

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If you are just starting out brushing your dog’s teeth, the first step will be to find an appropriate toothbrush and toothpaste. You don’t want to just grab what you use on your teeth, as our brushes aren’t designed to effectively clean your canine’s canines. Additionally, toothpaste made for people may have ingredients that would upset your dogs system. The brushes made for dogs will have softer bristles than may be available for use on people, and the toothpaste will be safe to use, and come in a flavor that will be more pleasing to your pet. Often, your local pet store will have a selection of brushes and toothpastes, though you may also want to check with your veterinarian for recommendations.

The concept of getting their teeth brushed will seem strange to your dog, so it is best to use baby steps going forward. You will need to acclimate your dog to the idea of having their face and mouth handled, which can take some time on it own. Work up to running your fingers along their gum line until they are fairly non-reactive to the experience.

Once they seem comfortable with being handled, introduce the brush and toothpaste slowly. Let them see and smell it. See if they will lick the toothpaste off of your finger. Just as people enjoy different flavors, it is possible your dog won’t care for the toothpaste you initially chose. You may have to experiment with a few flavors until you find one that they enjoy as this will make the brushing experience more pleasant for them.

Now that your dog is familiar with the tools involved, place a small amount of the toothpaste on your dog’s toothbrush, and gently open their mouth. Angle the bristles towards the gum line at about a 45 degree angle to the teeth. Move the brush in soft circles, covering the gum line and entire surface of the tooth. You may need to work up to brushing the whole mouth, so focus on slowly increasing the duration until total brushing time is about 2 minutes, and covers the entire mouth. Once you are finished, be sure to reward your dog to encourage their future cooperation. This part should be enjoyable for you both.

In an ideal world, you should brush your dog’s teeth daily, but this can be a challenge for many people. There are special treats and toys that are designed to help keep your dog’s teeth clean, so that can help during periods where brushing is not an option. Just like we need to go to the dentist, be sure to schedule regular cleanings for your dog with the veterinarian. Happy dogs need happy mouths too.

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You Save Two Lives

This is the biggest reason why you should add a new addition to your family. You may not think it is the right time for you but to be blunt, it is not the right time for these animals to die but 2.7 million dogs and cats are euthanized (killed) every single year in the United States because no one will give them a home. This is mainly because there are way too many people that give up their pets and way too little people that adopt from shelters.

Shelters do not have enough space to accommodate all of the stray animals so they make the decision to euthanize the ones they have not been adopted after a certain time period. If more people made the decision to adopt pets from shelters, the total number of animals being euthanized would decrease significantly. What most people do not think of with this topic is that you not only save one life by adopting another, you save a second life of a stray animal by creating space for them in the shelter and giving them a fighting chance to live.

No Health Concerns

Some people are concerned that if they adopt a pet from a shelter instead of buying one privately, their pet will have health issues. This is a common misconception. Shelters are filled with healthy pets waiting for someone kind enough to take them home. All animals that are brought into shelters are given vaccinations and examinations. They sometimes even neuter or spay the animals before they get adopted so the new owner does not have to. On top of receiving medical care, the shelters monitor the animals’ behavior so that the family can get the right pet for their type of lifestyle.

Save Money

Adopting a pet from shelters instead of buying them privately is much less costly. It will save you a ton of money while saving a life. Private sources do not usually have the animals vaccinated, spayed or neutered as well while shelters take care of this and just charge a small fee to adopt.

Improve Your Life

Adopting a pet is proven to benefit owner’s emotional, psychological, and physical health. Animals give you unconditional love and you will feel happy that you did something selfless for an animal. It gives people a sense of purpose.

Don’t Support Pet Stores & Factories

Factories including Puppy Mills care about the profit from breeding animals rather than the well being of the animals that they are breeding. The conditions that these animals are in are despicable and then they get sent to pet stores. Buying animals from pet stores supports Puppy Mills directly. Adopting a pet from the shelter is helping a needy animal, not supporting a corporate greedy company.

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Benefits for Your Pet

In short, a pet sitter will be caring for your pets in your home, and environment that is familiar to the animals. The tasks that your pet sitter performs vary, from walking the pets, feeding them, to providing some companionship. If you are away at work all day, your pet not only gets lonely, they tend to get bored very easily. Using a pet sitter is beneficial for the pet because they feel safe in their own environment rather than a kennel. The pets tend to be more relaxed when they are surrounded by familiar smells, sounds, and sights in the home. The pet sitter can help your pet to keep up on normal exercise routines so that thy simply aren’t lying around the entire day doing nothing.

Why is a Pet Sitter Important?

Having a pet sitter visit your pet each day will ensure that if they need medication or treatments, the care giver is giving them those prescriptions. Dogs are social animals, and being able to play and interact with the pet sitter will help them to stay physically and mentally healthy. The love and personal attention that they receive from the pet sitter can help them to get more accustomed to their time alone each day until you arrive back home. When you put your pet in a day care facility for the day, they can begin to experience trauma in the unfamiliar environment.  Your pet sitter will become easily recognized by your pet, and each day they will experience less anxiety when you leave because they know the sitter will be there to play, feed, and spend some time with them.

Benefits for the Pet Owner

While there are a significant amount of benefits for your pet when they have someone coming into the home to care for them each day, there are also several benefits to the pet owner. Simply knowing that your pet is in loving and caring hands can make the time separated from them all day much easier to deal with. Understanding your pet sitter is there in case the pet needs any medical attention will eliminate the anxiety that can distract someone from completely their work each day effectively. Having a pet sitter in the home eliminates the drive to and from the day care facility every day. Not having to ask family and friends repeatedly to look-in after your pets will keep those relationships from getting strained.

Understand not all pet sitters are alike, so just like you would when you have anyone new in your home caring for someone in the family, do your homework first. Choose a qualified person that your pet connects with and this experience will be beneficial for the pet and for you!

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1) They Pick When And What They Want To Eat
If you are in fact, the boss of your home, then there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be able to leave out food on the table regardless if it’s an extra slice of pizza or a half eaten burrito. But if you find yourself hiding leftovers, or experience a certain degree of embarrassment, because your pet snatches away food in your presence, even if it’s from a guest, this is a strong indicator, that your pet is in control. Even though dogs in particular are notoriously known for roaming through the trash and bottom cupboards, when you are not around, if your pet does this in your presence, it’s a strong indicator that they call the shots.

2) They Become Alarm Clocks And You Become A Thief In The Night
One of the biggest signs that indicates who is in charge is if you find yourself in the predicament where your pet will wake you up regardless of the time of day or night. For example, if you take your dog on a walk each time it needs to use the bathroom due to the fact that you live in a space constricted apartment, if they wake you up in the early morning hours so that they can go for a leak, that’s quite understandable. But, if you find yourself in the predicament, where your pet wakes you up because they want to play or said quite simply, want to be entertained, they’re in charge. The sign becomes even more evident if alternatively, you find yourself tip toeing around your own house, to avoid the possibility of waking them up.

3) You Give Them An Inch And They Take A Mile
Some pets have a natural ability to sense if an owner is dominant or submissive. As such, they may intentionally do things that they know are wrong to see how you react. For example, if they realize that you do not punish them whenever they do something wrong such as dig up your backyard, pulling on the leash while you walk them, or ruin your furniture time after time, eventually they will take advantage of this fact and continuously do whatever it is that pleases them, knowing that there is no consequence that lies to be experienced thereafter.

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Image source: Raisa Ruschel / Flickr

Do you consider your pets an integral part of your home and family life?

Well, you’re certainly not alone. Studies indicate that 69% of Americans own at least one animal, and 90% of these pet owners consider their friend a member of their family. Gestures of appreciation, like purchasing your pet holiday costumes or gifts, are only becoming more and more common. And honestly, why shouldn’t they be? Our dogs, cats, and other animals bring a great deal of unconditional love and friendship into our lives. Here are five major reasons why animals are definitely family members:

1. Pets are Amazingly Smart

As animal biologists become more sophisticated in their research on pet behavior, they continue to discover that animals are much smarter than we ever thought before. In fact, some even believe that pets aren’t necessarily less intelligent than humans; they just have different forms of intelligence. Understanding this fact can lead to better animal welfare, according to Cambridge Professor Donald Broom.

2. Pets are Protective of People

While many pet owners believe that dogs are the most protective creatures, this isn’t always true. All domesticated animals maintain some wild instincts, and protection of their human families is high on this list. There is no shortage of news stories of cats saving their owners’ lives, including by alerting the family to impending danger through loud cries.

Image source: alyak / Flickr

3. Animals Experience Separation Anxiety

Animals become accustomed to routines, just like humans. While most dogs and cats are accustomed to their owners’ work schedules, trips and vacations can be very disruptive to animals. Researchers report that depression and anxiety are common when animals are left alone by pet owners, especially when they experience a major disruption in their environment or routine.
While you may not be able to communicate to your best friend that you’ll be coming home in a week, hiring a pet sitter for personalized care in your own home can minimize your animals’ risk of sadness during your absence.

4. Animals Grieve

If you’ve ever felt like you’re just a food source to your pet, you’re certainly mistaken. Science confirms what many pet owners have known all along; animals have complex emotions, and will go through a grieving process if they lose their owner or another animal in the home. Animals form deep bonds and connections just like humans, which is why it’s crucial to provide the most stability possible for your furry friends.

Image source: niels kliim/flickr

5. Pets Really Love Their Owners

You know that rush of warm, fuzzy feelings you get when your pet greets you at the end of a long, hard day? Turns out, your animal is feeling something quite similar. The structures of the brain that correspond to love and attachment are actually very similar in both pet owners and their animal friends.

Anxious about how your pet will fare during your upcoming work trip or vacation? Contact us for more information about quality, experienced pet sitting services in your own home!

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