Welcoming a dog into your home brings with it all sorts of benefits, everything from improving your happiness and health and wellbeing to reducing stress, easing feelings of anxiety and depression… and even helping you live longer!
While you can, of course, find a dog through a reputable and experienced breeder, you may also want to consider adopting a rescue dog, which can be an incredibly rewarding route into dog ownership, although it may be a little trickier and you may have more you need to think about before you do bring your new pup home.
Firstly, it’s important to get as much information as you can about the dog you’re interested in so you can get an idea of their background and what sort of life they’ve led up until now.
Questions to ask include how long they’ve been at the rehoming centre for, whether they’ve been rehomed more than once and if they’ve ever displayed any fearful behaviour in the past.
Also make sure that you get an idea of their medical history, as well. Find out if they’ve had any surgeries, if they’re currently on any medication, if they need to have a special diet and so on. These questions will help you work out if it’s the right pooch for you… and don’t forget to factor in the potential future costs of any medical issues they may have.
One of the most important aspects to bear in mind, however, is the behaviour of the dog. Find out more about what training they’ve had in the past and what their energy levels are like, so you can see how they’d fit in with you and your lifestyle.
Questions to ask include how much exercise they’ll need, what they’re like with other dogs, if they’re house trained, if they have separation anxiety, what they’re like around children and so on.
If you have brought a rescue dog home recently and feel as though you need a bit of extra support from a dog trainer in London, get in touch with Sean Hyden today to see how he can help.
