My wife and I recently took the plunge and got a dog. It’s the first pet we’ve had together, and while we’re pretty excited, we’re also quite nervous. Bringing a pet of any type or size into your home requires adjustments to your lifestyle and how you organize things. Plus, the cleaning. We’ve already swept up our fair share of dog hair (sorry for the rhyme) and wiped up some mud and leaves from our entryway—our pup, Saaz, loves to run in the muddy dog park nearby. So, anyway, considering the new pup in our home, I thought I’d share what my wife and I are learning.
Dog-Proofing
You know how there’s baby-proofing? Well, dogs are kind of similar. You need to keep certain things out of their reach or straight up locked away. My wife and I added some childproof locks to our lower cabinet doors so Saaz—it’s the name of a type of hop that I use in my home-brewing—can’t get into her treats or our food. Move precarious items onto higher shelves. Once you train your dog, you can probably move things back, but for now, with an energetic puppy, we’re trying to keep damages to a minimum.
Training
Designate an area of your home that will largely be the domain of your dog. We plan to crate-train Saaz, so we set up a kennel with some blankets in the corner of the kitchen. Marking off some territory for your dog will help them feel safe, and it’ll provide clear boundaries. And as far as verbal training goes, decide on a list of commands so that everyone who interacts with your dog will speak consistently.
Cleanliness
I mentioned above that we’ve already dealt with some shedding, and we’ve also done some clean-up since Saaz gets excited and forgets her house training. These are just things you deal with when a dog comes into your home. But there’s one thing you can do to keep clean, and you barely have to lift a finger. Get yourself a furnace filter with a high MERV rating. The higher the rating, the more particulates are captured, such as pet dander. This works out well for us since my wife’s father is mildly allergic to dogs, and we’d like it if he could continue visiting us. And while we’re talking about cleanliness, I’ll also plug the goodness of green cleaning products. These are good for us humans, but they’re especially useful when you bring pets into your home. Green cleaners are going all over the floor after all, and if they’re anything like Saaz, they want to lick everything.
My wife and I love our little (for now) German shepherd. She’s curious and energetic, and she gets us out of the house more often. We’ll see if I’m as excited when there’s several feet of snow on the ground! For more tips on bringing a pet into your home, visit this site. Enjoy your new pet!
