Real People. Real Experiences. Real Helpful.
Got a new dog? Congratulations! These are the bare minimum things you need to know as a new dog owner… How to prepare for YOUR DOG’s FIRST DAYS at home, plus tips for surviving those sometimes challenging first weeks with your new dog. See what you should do before you even bring your new dog home — including how to puppy proof your house (inside and outside) to ensure that your dog’s world is completely safe. Tips for renaming a dog — how to change your dog’s name and get them to learn their new name quickly. Dog necessities — the best dog training collars, dog training leads, dog food & water bowls, and how to choose the best dog house (or build one yourself). How and why to come up with a puppy feeding & potty schedule for your new dog, plus the best dog potty training tips that work! How to start teaching your dog good manners — the 5 easiest dog training commands to teach your dog first (even an 8-week-old puppy). How to train your dog to live in a crate for their first year — so they can safely live inside your house for the rest of their life. What to expect from dog daycare if you go that route instead of leaving your dog home alone. And how to find a pet sitter quick — because you shouldn’t leave your dog longer than a few hours at a time. (See also “Dog Breeds,” “Raising Two Or More Dogs,” and “Adopting/Rescuing Dogs”)
There are benefits and downsides that you need to be aware of when adopting two sibling puppies. Here’s what I’ve learned firsthand about raising littermate puppies.
Trying to find the right puppy feeding schedule and puppy potty routine for your new dog? See why it’s important to get your dog peeing and pooping on a regular schedule every day — and timed perfectly with your dog’s feeding schedule. Plus, how to tell when your dog needs to go outside — specific signs to watch for. I’m going to show you how to set up a daily dog feeding schedule and a dog routine for going outside.
I’ve researched the cities (and states) which appear on 5 popular lists of dog friendly cities. There are 27 cities in 20 different states represented. I’m going to summarize the findings for you — to help you decide if you might want to move to one of these cities or travel there with your dog!
Believe it or not, a puppy is never too young to learn basic dog commands. In fact, you can (and should) introduce puppy training the day you bring your new dog into your house. A well-behaved dog is what everyone wants, but not everyone wants to start the dog training early enough. By training your puppy early, she will always know what’s expected of her inside your home.
All puppies nip or bite at your hands, feet, and ankles. See the #1 reason you should not allow this behavior any more, How to stop a puppy from nipping and biting, Why puppies bite, When puppies stop biting, and All about puppy teeth!
Looking for ways to prevent dog boredom? Here are 9 easy ways to keep your dog busy. See how to entertain your dog at home, indoors, outside, and while you’re at work!
Raising two dogs vs one dog. Should you raise one dog or two dogs? That’s a question I asked myself for years — until I decided to try owning multiple dogs (usually 2, but sometimes 3) at the same time. Because multi-dog household aggression is real! It’s one of the signs of Littermate Syndrome when you’re raising two puppies. I’ve been at this for decades now! Here’s how to introduce 2 dogs. Signs one dog doesn’t like the other. Pros & Cons of having more than one dog. Ways to simplify life when you have multiple dogs. How to get dogs to get along. All my best tips for how to raise two dogs in the house together!
Here is a list of common everyday objects we all have in our houses that I’ve learned firsthand (and while working at a vet) can be deadly to a dog. See what you can do to modify these things to keep your dog safe. Plus, my own DIY puppy proofing tips that I use to keep my dogs safe at home.
Wondering if changing a dog’s name is something you should do? And can you change a dog’s name regardless of age? Here’s WHEN it makes the most sense to change a dog’s name, the times when you should NOT change a dog’s name, a few things you should do BEFORE renaming a dog, HOW to change a dog’s name now to avoid problems later, and how to get a dog to LEARN its name quickly!
The usual simple steps to crate training are practical and helpful — but they overlook the day-to-day troubles that you’re likely to face in the process of crate training a dog. Here are some important things I’ve learned about crate training dogs. I did it differently with my first dog (a Labrador) than I did with my second dog (a French Bulldog). See the 10 mistakes I’ve done when crate training dogs — and how to avoid making those same mistakes.
