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Preparing Your Home For A Dog

By Anvi Mehta

Dogs are a man's best friend. They are honest, loyal and are always there when you need them. Having a pet dog is one of the biggest dreams for kids as well as many adults. But keeping a dog as a pet comes with a lot of responsibilities. In many ways, a pet dog is equivalent to a new born baby. It needs proper attention, care and love.

A lot of preparations are required related with a new pet. The most important part is the house arrangement. Dogs are mischievous creatures and they do not understand the basic house manners.

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Therefore, if you are planning to get a new pet dog, you need to know how to get your house ready for the dog. You have to make many arrangements in your home keeping the dog in mind.

Preparing Your Home For A Dog

You will definitely need to think over how to get your house ready before you bring home a pet. Below are a few tips that can help you start with the arrangements:

1.Make Space - A new member is going to come live in your house. The first thing to do to get your house ready for the dog is make space. Decide a place in the house that will belong to the dog. If you live in an apartment, you can make some place in the living room. If you have a bungalow, you can construct a small dog house in the garden.

2.Equipment - To get your house ready for a dog, you need to equip your house. A dog can be quite a handful, so therefore needs a proper collar and belt to tie it down whenever necessary. The collar and belt are useful when taking the dog for a walk as well. Other equipments that would be necessary are a dog bowl, a plastic bone, a poop collecting bag, etc. All these equipments are required to get the house ready for a dog. Further if you are bringing a pup as a pet, you will need baby gates, pen and fences around your backyard to prevent the pup from going away from the house. To keep a pet dog is nothing less than having a baby.

3.Get the house dog proof - As a house needs to be made baby proof, the same way when you pet a dog, the house should be made secure and safe for the dog. For this you have to find all the objects that can be chewed or eaten by the dog. Collect all the probable "chewables" and keep them at a place that is out of reach for the dog. Similarly, do not keep any electrical wires loose and accessible to the dog. Always keep your closets and cupboards closed. And never let your homework or important papers near the dog, they might just get chewed up.

4.The List - A dog needs constant care and attention in the initial phase. Somebody must always be there to keep a watch. At this time, make a list or timetable that would specify who would do what for the dog. The dog needs to be trained as well. You can either do that at home or hire a professional dog trainer. Your dog should be habituated to poop timings, walk timings, food timings and so on. This will prevent the dog from spoiling the house.

So before you bring home your new pet, make sure your house is ready to accommodate the new family member.

Story first published: Monday, January 13, 2014, 18:58 [IST]
Read more about: pet care home