There are many things to take into account and think about when the dream of a little warm puppy comes knocking.
In collaboration with instructors and behaviorists from Powerdog, we have collected 10 pieces of advice for the future dog owner in a small mini guide.
Did you miss the first three parts? You can find them here:
Advice 7: Parenting
Dogs are not pre-programmed to know what is right and wrong. Basically, a dog does what it thinks is safe, fun and secure. We can show it and teach it what is safe by praising and rewarding it for everything it does right, and make sure it always does the right things to a large extent by being ahead of the situation. And instead of scolding, we can ignore what it does wrong.
A small puppy does not know that it is not allowed to pee inside, and it cannot stay there for very long at a time. If the dog pees on the floor inside, scolding it will not help. If we scold it, the puppy will just learn that it is not nice to pee when the owner is nearby. When the pee routine is to be taught, it is an advantage to always try to be ahead of the game and get the dog outside before an accident happens. Take the dog outside very often at the beginning and always after it has slept, eaten or played. When the dog is outside and sits down to pee, you can say “pee-pee” or another word while it is peeing and then praise the dog, so that the dog begins to associate the word with peeing and being praised. When the dog gets older, it is very practical to be able to tell the dog that it is welcome to pee when you say so, for example if you are going on a long drive or to a competition, and it is important that the dog has peed before.
If the dog jumps up , it is almost always because it wants contact and because it is happy. The best thing is to be upfront and teach your dog from a puppy that we always come down to it and pet it - and therefore it does not have to jump up to get contact. If the dog already has a bad habit and we push it away with our hands, it continues to experience getting the contact it was looking for, and it will therefore do it again and again. Instead, when the dog makes an attempt to jump up or is already jumping up, we can ignore it and turn away so that it does not get anything out of it, and turn around and praise it and give it contact when it has all !four paws on the ground. Over time, it will no longer try to jump up.
In the same way, we can guide the dog in all situations where it needs to learn that there is something we want and something we don't want by praising and rewarding it for what it does right and ignoring what we don't want.
Tip 8: Finances
Typically, there are a number of expenses associated with getting a dog. Of course, there is the price of the dog itself, which can vary greatly – anything from 5,000 DKK to 15,000 DKK is very normal for a puppy. At the beginning, some veterinary checks and vaccinations will be needed, and you should expect this at least once a year for the rest of the dog's life. Liability insurance must be taken out for the dog, and if you want to be on the safe side, you can also take out health insurance, so that if an accident happens, you will get part of the veterinary bill covered.
Typically, you need to buy a lot of different things when you get a dog. It needs a food bowl, water bowl, a basket, toys, harness, collar, leash and various training equipment. Some of these things need to be replaced as the dog grows. The dog also needs something to eat. Depending on the needs, type of food and size of the dog, it can cost around DKK 200-500 per month. And then you will probably also need to buy chew bones and dog snacks from time to time.
Unforeseen expenses can easily arise when you have a dog. If you are going on holiday, there may be an extra expense to have the dog looked after in a good boarding house, which may cost a few thousand kroner if you are not lucky enough to have someone who can look after the dog. Perhaps the dog will often be in the car, so it needs a solid cage. Be sure that your finances can cover both the fixed expenses and the unforeseen ones.
Powerdog is a gathering place for dedicated instructors and behaviorists.
Here, students are offered many different courses within most dog sports both online and in the premises in Roskilde. The motto behind Powerdog is that dog training should be fun, for everyone! Both the dog and the owner.
The team behind Powerdog covers a wide range, from the family dog to the hardcore competition dog, and they all love to give dog owners new knowledge and understanding of their dogs.
SEE MORE AT POWERDOG.DK
Mini guide - part 4: 10 tips for choosing the best dog for you
There are many things to take into account and think about when the dream of a little warm puppy comes knocking.
In collaboration with instructors and behaviorists from Powerdog, we have collected 10 pieces of advice for the future dog owner in a small mini guide.
Did you miss the first three parts? You can find them here:
Advice 7: Parenting
Dogs are not pre-programmed to know what is right and wrong. Basically, a dog does what it thinks is safe, fun and secure. We can show it and teach it what is safe by praising and rewarding it for everything it does right, and make sure it always does the right things to a large extent by being ahead of the situation. And instead of scolding, we can ignore what it does wrong.
A small puppy does not know that it is not allowed to pee inside, and it cannot stay there for very long at a time. If the dog pees on the floor inside, scolding it will not help. If we scold it, the puppy will just learn that it is not nice to pee when the owner is nearby. When the pee routine is to be taught, it is an advantage to always try to be ahead of the game and get the dog outside before an accident happens. Take the dog outside very often at the beginning and always after it has slept, eaten or played. When the dog is outside and sits down to pee, you can say “pee-pee” or another word while it is peeing and then praise the dog, so that the dog begins to associate the word with peeing and being praised. When the dog gets older, it is very practical to be able to tell the dog that it is welcome to pee when you say so, for example if you are going on a long drive or to a competition, and it is important that the dog has peed before.
If the dog jumps up , it is almost always because it wants contact and because it is happy. The best thing is to be upfront and teach your dog from a puppy that we always come down to it and pet it - and therefore it does not have to jump up to get contact. If the dog already has a bad habit and we push it away with our hands, it continues to experience getting the contact it was looking for, and it will therefore do it again and again. Instead, when the dog makes an attempt to jump up or is already jumping up, we can ignore it and turn away so that it does not get anything out of it, and turn around and praise it and give it contact when it has all !four paws on the ground. Over time, it will no longer try to jump up.
In the same way, we can guide the dog in all situations where it needs to learn that there is something we want and something we don't want by praising and rewarding it for what it does right and ignoring what we don't want.
Tip 8: Finances
Typically, there are a number of expenses associated with getting a dog. Of course, there is the price of the dog itself, which can vary greatly – anything from 5,000 DKK to 15,000 DKK is very normal for a puppy. At the beginning, some veterinary checks and vaccinations will be needed, and you should expect this at least once a year for the rest of the dog's life. Liability insurance must be taken out for the dog, and if you want to be on the safe side, you can also take out health insurance, so that if an accident happens, you will get part of the veterinary bill covered.
Typically, you need to buy a lot of different things when you get a dog. It needs a food bowl, water bowl, a basket, toys, harness, collar, leash and various training equipment. Some of these things need to be replaced as the dog grows. The dog also needs something to eat. Depending on the needs, type of food and size of the dog, it can cost around DKK 200-500 per month. And then you will probably also need to buy chew bones and dog snacks from time to time.
Unforeseen expenses can easily arise when you have a dog. If you are going on holiday, there may be an extra expense to have the dog looked after in a good boarding house, which may cost a few thousand kroner if you are not lucky enough to have someone who can look after the dog. Perhaps the dog will often be in the car, so it needs a solid cage. Be sure that your finances can cover both the fixed expenses and the unforeseen ones.
Powerdog is a gathering place for dedicated instructors and behaviorists.
Here, students are offered many different courses within most dog sports both online and in the premises in Roskilde. The motto behind Powerdog is that dog training should be fun, for everyone! Both the dog and the owner.
The team behind Powerdog covers a wide range, from the family dog to the hardcore competition dog, and they all love to give dog owners new knowledge and understanding of their dogs.
SEE MORE AT POWERDOG.DK