Essential Puppy Care Tips Every New Pet Parent In India Should Know: A Guide By Premium Pet House

ATK
New Delhi [India], August 20: A dog may be a man's best friend but it needs care like a little child. These furry friends are sensitive during their initial months and require precise care. While India is a land of dog lovers, there is a need for more responsible pet parents. After bringing a puppy home, it is important to look after its physical and mental health at least until it becomes an adult.
It does not take much for an individual to buy a puppy by making Google searches like "dog breeders near me." However, it takes months of effort to care for a puppy. Every new pet parent in India should consider this a duty. For example, breeds like Siberian Huskies and Lhasa Apsos are bred to thrive in sub-zero temperatures. If a pet parent lives in a city like Mumbai or Bangalore, they will need to be extra vigilant while caring for their furry friend. Such small yet important care tips help new puppy owners become responsible pet parents.
Considering this need to provide puppies with the care they need, Premium Pet House, a two-decade-old team of dog breeders in India, shares essential puppy care tips for new pet parents across the country:
Knowing What To Feed The Puppy
Different dog breeds have different eating habits. A single dog will have different nutritional requirements at different life stages. While some furry friends will never say no to anything offered to them, others are way too fussy about every food item.
A new pet parent should be mindful of what their puppy eats. In most cases, very young puppies (<2 months old) should be allowed to free-feed. As they get older, their feeding routine should be fixed. It is also important for pet parents to get only high-quality wet or dry kibble for their puppies. Feeding a puppy table scraps is never a good idea. While a pet parent can give their pup home-cooked meals, they should cook them, especially for the furry friend.
Not paying enough attention to a puppy's diet can lead to health complications, the most common being obesity. If one has a dog breed that is not high-energy, it is more likely to get obese by eating more than it should. Prepare a precise meal plan with the help of a trusted vet.
Ensuring Vet Visits
New pet parents often make the mistake of limiting vet visits to the times their pets need vaccination. Just like humans, dogs need regular health checks even if there are no visible symptoms of a disease. Pet parents should start with vet visits a few days after bringing their puppies home. Over time, vets will provide them with a vaccination schedule depending on the puppy and its breed.
Pet parents should never take vaccination lightly. Every puppy needs vaccines to stay safe from health conditions like distemper, rabies, parvovirus, and many more. They act like a shield making puppies stronger and more protective against such complications.
Vet visits are also important for tick and flea removal. Even if a puppy is suffering from a disease whose symptoms are not overt, a vet can identify it and treat the condition before it worsens. While such visits should continue throughout a dog's life, they should be more frequent during the first two years after a puppy comes home.
Training A Puppy Well
Training plays arguably the most important role in the nurturing of a puppy. The training a dog receives determines its life-long behavior. Well-trained dogs are easy to live with and control. More stubborn dog breeds like Siberian Huskies, English Bulldogs, and Beagles require more extensive training. Despite being intelligent, these puppies may refuse to follow commands because of their inherent personalities.
Also, the best way to train any puppy is to start early. Dogs get increasingly more stubborn as they age. If training a pet seems difficult, parents should hire a professional trainer. They will train their puppies before they grow into adults. If nothing else, starting with basic commands like "come," "sit," "stop," and "stay" works well in the case of most puppies.
Pet parents should always use positive reinforcement to train their puppies. This training technique involves rewarding a puppy with a treat every time it obeys a command. After the reward is combined with the action a few times, a puppy will follow commands on its own. A few intelligent breeds like German Shepherds, Golden Retrievers, and Labradors can learn basic commands after only a few repetitions.
Socializing Furry Friends
While socialization is a part of training a puppy, it needs to be discussed separately. Every furry friend should be socialized between the ages of three and sixteen weeks. This helps it grow into an obedient and friendly dog. While some breeds are naturally sweet and friendly with everyone, others are born with aggressive traits. The latter category of dogs needs more extensive socialization training.
Along with teaching a puppy basic commands, socialization involves exposing it to new experiences. Pet parents should make their furry friends meet new people every day and take them out more often. This familiarizes them with the world and makes living in it easy.
Gradual exposure is important to make a puppy more friendly with strangers and other animals. If a pet parent already has another animal at home, socialization becomes even more important. Keeping a furry friend aloof from the world is likely to make it more defensive and territorial in the future. With effective socialization, a puppy can become the star of every party it attends!
Keeping Puppies Fit
All puppies require some degree of exercise to stay healthy. While humans can spend days lazing on their couches, this should never be the case with dogs. If a pet parent has a high-energy breed like Golden Retriever, Labrador, German Shepherd, Rottweiler, etc., it will need a more extensive exercise routine. The walks will be longer and the need to indulge in indoor games will be greater. Exercise keeps a puppy mentally stimulated and physically fit.
However, not all dog breeds require strenuous exercise. Breeds like Pugs and English Bulldogs suffer from overheating tendencies. If their pet parents make them exercise beyond a limit, their health may go for a toss. On the other hand, keeping these furry friends idle for too long will make them obese in no time.
New pet parents should keep a balance between overworking their puppies and keeping them completely idle. If there is any confusion, they should consult a dog breeder or a trusted vet.
Looking After The Grooming Needs
Irrespective of the breed, every puppy needs basic grooming throughout its life. This keeps its skin healthy and coats beautiful. Breeds like Golden Retrievers, Shih Tzus, Lhasa Apsos, Pomeranians, and Poodles have long and flowy fur. These furry friends need a more extensive and elaborate grooming routine. From trimming their coats (if needed) to brushing them every day, pet parents should look after the grooming needs of their puppies depending on their breeds.
Regular grooming also keeps issues like matting and tangling away. It increases the overall aesthetic appeal of a puppy and gives it a healthy life. Every pet parent should get their furry friend a puppy-safe shampoo and brush. The safety of a puppy should always be a priority. Especially if a dog has drooping ears, its pet parents should check their ears for infections. If they do not have time to look after their puppy's grooming needs, they should take it to a professional groomer regularly.
Preventing Separation Anxiety
Most dog breeds get too attached to their pet parents. They consistently need love and attention all their lives. Breeds like Beagles, Golden Retrievers, Shih Tzus, Labradors, Pugs, English Bulldogs, Cocker Spaniels, and many more are prone to separation anxiety.
Separation anxiety is a mental condition that develops if a puppy is left alone for a long time. This makes the furry friend feel lonely and unwanted, leading to strange behavior patterns. Puppies suffering from separation anxiety may get aggressive, run around frantically, or just get grumpy. If a pet parent notices this, they should take the matter seriously and resolve the issue. The only way to tackle or prevent separation anxiety is to give a puppy all the love and attention in the world.
If a dog lover stays busy throughout the day and cannot give a lot of time to their puppy, they should purchase more independent breeds. Such furry friends include Siberian Huskies, Lhasa Apsos, Alaskan Malamute, Chow Chow, etc.
Puppy-proofing The Home
Every dog breeder will recommend new pet parents to puppy-proof their home to take better care of their furry friend. Becoming a pet parent is not too different from raising a human child. People need to change the way they live to nurture their puppies and keep them safe.
It may sound trivial but puppy-proofing a house involves minor considerations. From keeping electrical chords and sharp objects away to keeping cleaning supplies and toxic substances out of the pup's reach, such actions ensure the safety of a furry friend at home.
If a pet parent can, they should give their puppy enough space in the house to roam around. Larger breeds like German Shepherds and Great Danes need quite a lot of space to stay healthy.
Getting The Right Chew Toys
Puppies love chew toys as they prefer exploring through their mouths for the first few months. Especially during their teething period, puppies develop chewing as a natural behavior. Pet parents should purchase chew toys along with their puppies. As most puppies have the urge to protect their belongings, safe chew toys help them satisfy the same.
Depending on the breed a new pet parent has, they should buy chew toys that are made from durable and safe materials. It is also important to get a toy that suits the size of the concerned puppy. Puppies should stay away from toys with small parts as they may accidentally swallow them or mistake them for food. Giving puppies chew toys also prevents them from chewing on items like furniture, carpets, and bedsheets.
Patience And Consistency Is The Key
While loving dogs is easy, becoming a pet parent comes with a plethora of responsibilities. New pet parents need immense patience and consistency to make things work, especially during the first few years. If one has no experience of having a pet at home, they should not go for breeds like German Shepherds, Rottweilers, Great Danes, and Pitbulls. Breeds like these often get difficult to control for first-time pet parents. It is better to consult professional dog breeders in India before purchasing a new puppy and finalizing the breed.
New pet parents should always remember that things may not always go their way. Puppies can be stubborn, sassy, and full of mood swings. Having patience while dealing with them makes parenting easier. It is also important to know a breed well before purchasing it. Pet parents should do their homework and read up as much as possible about a breed's characteristics before bringing a furry friend home. This prepares them for the challenges they may come across in their parenting journeys.
Ultimately, if a pet parent has enough love for their puppy, caring for it becomes easier!
Premium Pet House
Premium Pet House is a team of ethical dog breeders in India. The company breeds and sells puppies across the country. Its dedicated pet store helps pet parents purchase supplies for their furry friends. Premium Pet House also facilitates doorstep deliveries of puppies across the country. Customers can reach out to the company with their requirements and it will send a puppy to their doorsteps.
Moreover, Premium Pet House provides its customers with dog kennels in major Indian cities. These kennels look after dogs while their parents go out of town. The company has been offering its services for more than twenty years.
(ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by ATK. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same)