Whether it’s just you, you and a partner, or you have kids in the home, a dog can be a fantastic presence to introduce into almost any family, bringing fun, companionship, and plenty of benefits. However, before you make any decisions, you should think about what kind of dog makes the best choice for your family and, even beyond that, how you can ensure your family is a good fit for the dog, as well. Here, we’re going to look at tips that can help the transition go a lot more smoothly.
Choose dogs that are known to be friendly and gentle as you need
If you’re an adult living alone or with another adult partner, then you might be inclined to choose a more independent dog, one that might not need quite as much attention from as many people. However, if you have children, then you need to make sure that your dog is a good fit for a bigger pack, and that they bring the gentleness and patience required to ensure that children are safe and treated with compassion and love. There are plenty of gentle breeds that are good for kids, and you should especially consider them if you have younger children.
How much does size matter?
Before bringing a dog into your home, it’s important to make sure that you have enough space to accommodate them. Some breeds, like St. Bernards, are content with less space, while others may need more room to move around. To avoid problems, it’s important to research the space needs of the specific breed you are considering and ensure that you can provide a comfortable living environment for your dog. Keep in mind that failing to provide enough space for your dog can lead to behavior problems and potential health issues, with some dogs likely to become more aggressive if they feel that they don’t have enough room to both rest and roam.
Choose a loyal dog
One of the best things about dogs is the sense of loyalty that they have been raised to show humans. For tens of thousands of years, they have evolved alongside us and this has caused them to see humans as part of the pack. Specific breeds of dogs, like Lucky Labs, are known in particular to be as loyal as they are energetic and sociable. As such, they’re not necessarily aggressive to those outside of the pack, but they are especially loving and protective of those within the pack. These types of dogs can be especially important to have around children, as they are more likely to form bonds with more people, rather than just one individual member of the family, which can be the case for some other breeds.
Ensure that you take their health and wellbeing seriously
When you decide to bring a dog into your home, you are taking on the responsibility of caring for another life. It’s important to remember that this is a serious commitment and requires time, energy, and resources to ensure that your dog is happy and healthy. Some of the things you should consider include providing a comfortable place for your dog to sleep, feeding them nutritious food, regularly taking them to the vet, and making sure they get enough exercise. By following these steps, you can help ensure that your dog has a happy and healthy life. The most important first step, of course, is to find a vet, which My Pet can be a great tool for.
Be ready to get more active
The fact that dogs get you up and out of the home, taking them on walks every single day, usually multiple times a day, is often touted as one of the big benefits of owning them in the first place. After all, most of us could stand to move a little more often, and getting fit with your dog can be a lot of fun. However, you have to make sure that you’re able to free up the time, that you don’t skip out on walks regularly (if at all), and you can even encourage your family to go on walks together, doing a little more to care for everyone’s health.
Invest in the right training for your dog
Training is crucial for the vast majority of dogs, but it becomes even more important when you have children in your home. Dogs need to be taught how to socialize with other animals and people, first and foremost. Even if they’re gentle with and loyal to your family, you have to make sure they don’t experience stress or aggression with strangers. Otherwise, you should make sure that they are able to respond to commands so that, even in situations where you’re not fully in control of the environment, you can stay in control of your dog and make sure that they don’t go nosing around into any trouble.
Make sure your kids know how to behave with them
You need to train your dog, as mentioned above, but you also have to bear in mind that, if you have kids, they might need a little training of their own to make sure that they know how to act with dogs. Older kids should be taught how to clean up after the dog, how to help maintain them, and how to take them on walks (preferably with your supervision) so that they can be both more independent and dependable as they get older. Younger children, however, might need to be taught how to be gentle with dogs, making sure that they’re not likely to tug on them, and knowing when to give the dog some space.
Welcoming a dog to your family can, undoubtedly, be one of the best things you can do for it. But you have to make sure that everyone is a good match for each other and that you really commit to fitting a dog into your life or, more appropriately, fitting your life around a dog.
