When you own a pet like a dog, they will always become a very large part of your life. Always being there when you’re at home, and occupying a lot of your time, there’s no doubt that you will be giving a lot to your furry friend. You need to look after their wellbeing, make sure they are eating healthily, getting in lots of walks and exercise and looking after their health and well being.
Of course, though, it may not always be enough. They may be a large part of your life, but you are everything in theirs. A dog’s life revolves around their owner, making them happy and giving them purpose in their life, and adding a lot of importance to the time you spend together. This means that you need to make sure that you’re handling it correctly.
The Time You Spend: To begin this process, you’ll have to assess the time you currently spend with your pooch, making sure that you’re leaving them on their own too much in certain areas. Below, you find some of the key times an owner should spend with their dog. Along with this, though, you could also talk to your vet to make sure that you’re not missing anything out.
- Walks: Like any animal, your dog needs to do plenty of exercise to make sure that their body is able to work a peak efficiency. A large part of this is the walks you give them, with most dogs requiring at least two each day, taking them out for a good distance. This is more than just a simple workout, though, as canines love the chance to be able to go outside as much as they can.
- Play: Of course, along with walks, a lot of owners will also want to give their dog plenty of play, too. There are loads of toys out there which can be used to make this easier, and you can get your hands on them on sites like Amazon and from your local pet stores. Some dogs will prefer larger playthings than others. To make sure you give them something they can enjoy, it could be worth trying out a few examples before you settle on something.
- Social Time: Being pack animals, dogs love to spend time with other creatures, and you fall firmly into this category. Like the people in your life, your pooch will be excited to have the chance to sit with you on the sofa, lie on your bed at night, and engage in other social activities with you, and it’s your job to give this to them. This should always include a chance to spend time with other dogs, where possible.
- Day To Day: You will get loads of chances to spend time with your dog during normal life. When you’re at home, going to the shops, or doing anything else in your free time, you will have a chance to get the dog involved. By using this time to show love to your dog, you will be able to enrich the time you spend together, improving your relationship in the process.
The Support You Can Get: There will be times in life when you aren’t able to give your dog all of the time they need. Whether you’re going on a short trip or are simply too busy, there are loads of companies out there which can help you. Dog walking services have become very popular in recent years. Along with this, you can even hire a dog sitter to spend days and nights with your pooch, ensuring that they never have to spend time alone. Online reviews can be very helpful when you’re figuring out which options to go for, as this will give you an insight into the quality of the services they offer.
The Importance Of Time: When you decide to adopt a puppy or adult dog, you are also choosing to take on a long list of responsibilities. From the small, like remembering to feed them, to the big, like the check ups they have at the vets, you have to make sure you’re giving them enough time. As they get older, their need for entertainment and attention will dwindle, while their care requirements may become a little harder to maintain. It’s always worth seeking advice when you’re handling this.
Hopefully, with all of this in mind, it should get a lot easier to start spending more time with your dog. Being the most important thing in their life, you have to be willing to sacrifice a lot of your free time to be fair to them. If you’re genuinely too busy to manage the long-term care of an animal like this, it could be worth opting for a species which is less dependent.
*This is a collaborative post*