강아지나 반려견을 맞이하기 전에 알아야 할 것 #10

impulse buy. You might be at a, like at a farmer's market and see a box of cute little puppies. That impulse buy may end up costing both you and that dog down the road. So, take your time and do your research. Research what kind of dog would be great for you and your family, your lifestyle, because dogs have been bred for different reasons. Some dogs are bred to guard and you might think, oh yeah, that's what I want. I want a dog who's going to protect me. But just like having a loaded gun in your house, there's a danger to having a dog who's been bred to protect. Because if that gets misdirected, that ends up being a lawsuit and it's not the dog's fault, right? You need to be well aware when you're going in that dogs that have been bred to protect, they could be great family pets, but they require a lot of knowledge and a lot of investment of your time training and directing that drive to protect. Likewise, like I have border collies. They've been bred to herd. If you have little kids, they may end up getting nipped as puppies. You might end up getting nipped when you have these guys as puppies. I love border collies. I can't imagine my life without them. But here's what I recommend you do. Most people, and I was the same way, got attracted to the breed by the look. My first love was a chow chow. You need to Google. We've got Dr. Google now. What are the worst traits of a chow chow? You may find they're on the top lists of dogs who bite. So, there's a lot of things you need to know. Google the worst of the dog. And then how would I prevent that? And go in with your eyes open what dog you may be deciding would be best for your family. Now, of course, I don't want to eliminate the thought of rescue dog. That would be my number one thing to encourage you because it's a entry point financially that most people can afford. And not only that, you're saving a life. And a lot of rescue dogs aren't in rescue because they're bad dogs. They're in rescue because the people didn't do the research ahead of time. Or the dogs got spoiled and got the run of the house and now just need somebody who understands they need to invest in this animal because it is somebody that needs to be part of your family. All right. They can't, they aren't goldfishes. They just can't be ignored. So, be prepared. Don't impulse buy. And please don't buy two dogs at one time. There's a number of reasons why you shouldn't do that. Most of all, they're social creatures and they bond to each other far faster than they're going to bond to you. And it makes

training doubly difficult. So many people will say, oh, I'm prepared for that. And then they end up regretting it, especially when it's litter mates. You know what? Cats, different. Buy two litter mates. Dogs, absolutely the wrong thing to do to buy two litter mates. I have multiple dogs. I'm not saying don't have multiple dogs, but get the second dog or the third, or in my case, the fifth dog, for the right reasons. Go in there. My dogs are three years apart in age. Some of them are four years apart in age. So, I am, I understand what goes into making the decision to bring in that second dog. And I'm not bringing in another dog just to keep the first one company. That's your job. Engagement, right? So, if this is your second dog, do as much thought as you did putting into the first dog and maybe even more, because maybe that was an impulse buy. Okay. So, let's talk about the investment financially. There's obviously the purchase price if you are going to buy from a good breeder. A good breeder is going to cost more money because there's a lot involved in doing good breeding. Health checks of not just the parents, but the parents' litter mates, knowing the lineage, the dogs behind, how healthy were those dogs. It doesn't mean there's any guarantees for you, but if you go to a backyard breeder or a puppy mill, then there's a higher probability that you're going to have a health challenge with the dog and it's going to be heartbreaking. And it's also going to cost you money. Of course, when you, when you buy from a rescue, you could very well get the breed you want if that's something that's important to you, because there's a lot of association breeds that have rescue associations that these are dogs who need a love, like adopt a senior dog. Oh my gosh. There's so much joy in that. So, the purchase price of the dog doesn't have to be formidable if you go to a rescue association, but that is a consideration. That is a financial investment, but that's a place that you could save money. Accessorizing. There are things you absolutely need to have, but you don't need to spend a lot of money because you could do things like look at Facebook marketplace, garage sales, yard sales, thrift shops. I've donated brand new items to thrift shops. So, things like buying a crate for your new puppy, please buy one that is going to fit the puppy maybe in the next month. And then you can trade it in at the thrift shop or an upgrade. Don't buy a crate the size of your adult dog because that dog may have a crate that's so big,

they decide, oh, I'm going to do my tinkling and pooping at this end of the crate and I'll sleep at that end of the crate. You don't want that. So, buy one that's the appropriate size of the puppy. So, you need crate. And I'll go into detail maybe in an upcoming podcast of what we do on that first day, to make sure that first day that puppy hits the ground running, gets a full night of sleep and equally important, make sure you get a full night of sleep without getting interrupted. So, all of that we'll cover in an upcoming episode, but you need to buy all these things ahead of time, save money by start looking now. You may not be in the market for a new puppy because you're just starting your research, but get an X-Pen. That is a pen that your puppy can be in, is going to dramatically minimize damage to your house, dramatically minimize behavior problems that are going to start. So, X-Pen, obviously you're going to need a leash and collar, some stainless steel bowls. I highly recommend good quality stainless steel to feed your dogs out of. Don't just go with the pretty ones because they're the plastic ones that are pretty. A lot of times, those could be toxic if the dog eats them. Also, don't save money by going to a thrift or by going to a dollar store. A lot of things that you buy in a dollar store comes from less than reputable sources that end up even having lead in them. It's been shown that some of the dog toys at dollar stores actually contain lead. So, not a good place to do your shopping. So, you want to be prepared. Fenced in backyard. If you're getting from a rescue, a lot of them insist on a fenced in backyard. I can say I've owned dogs for 30, more than 30 years, and I've never had a fenced in backyard. What does that look like to me? It means when my dogs are puppies, they go out on a leash every day of their life. And I go out with them. It allows me to see what their business looks like, if it's runny, if they're having a problem. So, I see some real value. It's bonding time again. You might want to say, Oh, I don't want to go out with my dog. But again, starting with a puppy, you should be going out in that, if you're going out in the backyard, I still recommend you go out on leash. We'll talk about that in the upcoming episode about what to do when your puppy comes home. But I'm just saying a fenced in backyard isn't necessarily a must unless you make that commitment to going out with a dog on leash all the time, especially for that first year. Okay. We've covered the purchase price, accessorizing food. Yes, we have to feed the dog.

It is not a place to cut corners. I feed raw. I strongly recommend everybody feeds raw. There's a lot of scaremongering out there about feeding raw. Again, another episode, I'll bring in an expert. I'll tell you why. You know, I love the fact that you get increased longevity. And yes, you have to be careful when you feed raw that you clean up the area. But guess what? The people telling you that there's a risk, you know, there is a risk of salmonella from feeding your dog raw food. But if you're feeding chicken, unless you're a vegan like me, you're bringing chicken into your house, there's actually an equally or a higher risk from grocery store chicken than there is from the raw dog food that you'd feed your dog. So, don't cut corners. Because if you cut the corners on what you feed your dog and going to some cheap big box brand dog food, you'll end up having health problems. You might have lower food problems, but you'll have higher veterinarian bills. So, trust me when I say really good quality dog food. Veterinary bills, there is a way you can cut those as well. And it's not by going to the cheapest vet in town because the cheapest vet in town is rarely the best vet in town. All right. Do your research, find a good veterinarian, don't cut corners there. But here's how to cut corners with veterinary bills. There are unavoidable veterinary bills and there are avoidable veterinary bills. The unavoidable ones are things like the puppy just catches a virus and gets sick. I mean, stuff happens, right? The avoidable veterinarian bills are your dog got hit by a car, your dog ingested some chocolate or got into the garbage or your dog got into a dog fight. Now, it's unavoidable if you're walking your dog on leash and some thug comes and jumps you. It is avoidable if yours is the dog that goes and initiates the fight. So, the avoidable veterinary bills, you can avoid them by really investing your time and money in good quality dog training. And this is something you can do right now. And if you're listening to this podcast, you've already began, right? Listen to all the podcasts here. Go to my blog at dogsthat.com. Dogs that. Think dogs that run, dogs that smile, dogsthat.com. That there's tons of great educational articles all for free. Sign up for my newsletter list. And then once a year I do a free educational masterclass for people. So, there's a lot of ways to get great quality education for free. And you can get a product like our program, Homeschool the Dog for under $200 or Recallers for under $500. You might say,

$500? I don't have $500. Save it, save your money because that will be the greatest payback of an investment you will make in all of the financial investments you have to make when you get yourself a dog. All right. So, training is not an area you cut corners. Food is not an area you cut corners. Going to the cheapest veterinarian in town is not an area that you cut corners. You're accessorizing, they don't need 55 leashes and they don't need clothes. Now, if you have like a dog that has thin skin, they're going to need a coat. But a lot of those things you can get used guys. And it's, you just have to start looking now. Up here in Canada, we have something called Kijiji, Craigslist in the US. Wherever it is local, you can buy a thrift shop. Those are areas that you can cut costs. Every dog deserves to live a life of enrichment. A dog where they're loved. A life where they're made to feel important and loved. Enrichment means you spending time with them. And when you train the way that we do in reinforcement-based, game-based training, every moment you spend training that dog is a moment you are spent investing in a relationship. And we all know what that does. The more you invest in a relationship, the more it grows. Because relationships are never static. They're either getting better or they're going down the toilet. And when a dog is not engaged, when they do not have a life of purpose, they start to find their own life of purpose. Which might mean aggressing at dogs in the window or aggressing at the mailman or neurotically chewing up your furniture. They will find a life of purpose of their own. But when you invest the time and you engage in the dog and you help create the best life ever, a life of freedom where they're allowed to make choices, that is an investment that will pay you dividends that I can't even begin to tell you how great they are. Every dog deserves a great life and every human being deserves a life with a great dog in it. I'm Susan Garrett. That's it for today. Please, if you haven't done so, subscribe to this podcast. Let me know what you think of it by leaving a review. I read each and every one of those reviews and I appreciate them. Every one of them. Thank you. And we'll see you next time on Shaped by Dog. Video Video