We recently brought home a new little Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, and she has been a great addition to our family. Our kids adore her, and we love having her around to cuddle and play with. We didn’t come to the decision of having a family pet lightly, we knew it was going to be a lot of work and also that we were going to have to rearrange our lifestyle a bit to accommodate this new addition.
Although we are no experts on the subject matter, we wanted to share with you some tips and tricks that we have learned along the way, that are helping us keep our home beautiful and functional, as well as allow our puppy the freedom to enjoy her new home and surroundings.
Creating a specific space for your dog is key to keeping doggy clutter to a minimum and sets clear rules to where their things belong at the end of the day. We chose to put our puppy’s belongings in a corner of the office, where she could have everything that she needs. A place to sleep, eat and play.
Because our main floor living isn’t very large, it can easily get overtaken by whatever gets left around the house. By having the designated “doggy den” it’s easier for us to keep dog toys and treats picked up and out of the way, which in turn leaves our home looking nice and neat, but still allows those items to be easily accessible to our puppy.
Along with her crate for sleeping, we have included her food and water in the same space to avoid any confusion during our meal time. What I mean by this is, by having her food out of the kitchen she doesn’t associate her mealtime with the kitchen. If you are careful to not feed your dog human or dog food in the kitchen, then they will learn to have no interest in that space. It is working well for us, and it’s nice that when we sit down for a meal, our pup will usually just lay on the carpet in the family room and watch us, instead of barking or whining at our feet for scraps.
If there are areas in your house that you want off limits to your dog, use baby gates or simply close doors.
Accidents are inevitable with any new dog, but knowing how to care for them in your home, and hopefully eliminate them all together, is key.
We didn’t want our carpet to get ruined by our little puppy, so you have to start at the source of the problem, their diet. Do your research on dog food, and find something that is high quality with little to no fillers, to avoid any residue left behind from your puppy’s accidents. This will save your carpet from stains and your puppy from having any unwanted tummy problems. If your puppy does happen to have an accident, make sure to invest in a cleaner that contains enzymes that will break down the order really well.
Find a system that works best for your dog, when it’s time to go outside. Some homeowners install doggy doors, which work great. Others have dogs that bark when it’s time to go out.
We decided that in order to avoid having our dog bark or scratch the door, potentially doing damage to it, we’d train her with a little bell, simply hung by a small hook.
Every time she needs to go outside, she swipes the bell with her paw, and we open the door to let her out. This system, just like many others has to be learned and practiced over and over, but eventually your dog will catch on, and hopefully no more accidents will be had.
A dog’s natural instinct is to want to be outside, sniffing the air and running around. Having a well fenced in area for your dog to play in, is really important to your pets well-being. Just like a child, it helps them get out their pent-up energy when they can run and play outdoors.
Before you bring you new dog home, make sure your yard is ready for them. Do you have a space big enough for your new pet? Is there an area to store their toys, leash, treats and other things you’ll need for them?
Having all of these tools and tips ready to go, along with a plan of action, beforehand, will not only help you to be more organized, but will also serve as a great way to get your home and family ready to welcome in your fun, furry new addition to the family.
