Owning a dog is a huge responsibility that requires a great deal of dedication and commitment. The hardest and toughest part of owning a dog is the amount of time and energy that is necessary to properly care for them. Dogs require a lot of attention, training, and exercise to stay healthy and happy.
The hardest thing about caring for a pet is to stop humanizing it. We humans often try to find motives and reasons for animals' behavior, thinking they might chew something on purpose or spoil things to spite us.
Dogs are our best friends but they are also a lot of work. And for a family who is already stressed out, dogs can exacerbate that stress just by having needs and wants that might conflict with a family's busy schedule.
Do you ever feel annoyance, resentment or even anger towards your dog? It happens to everyone. Even though your dog can't help making mistakes, it's normal to feel frustrated at times. Getting frustrated does not make you a bad dog owner.
Having a pet can help lower anxiety levels and has been shown to help people with social anxiety. But when something goes wrong, such as a dog having chronic illness, pet ownership can actually raise anxiety levels.
The most challenging time of raising a puppy is the adolescent period. Dogs become “teenagers” and seem to forget everything they have ever been taught. This period is individual to each dog, but it may begin when he's about eight months old and continue until he's two years old.
Here's the thing, though — when it comes to raising cute, helpless, and needy creatures, raising a puppy is way harder than raising a baby.
Female dogs tend to be easier to housebreak, easier to train, and more connected with their owners—but in certain circumstances they can be more demanding of attention. Aggression can be a problem in any dog of any breed, however it is usually more apparent in non-neutered males.
So when will it get easier? The first two months are the most difficult and the following months also bring their challenges. So the answer is, it will get easier and easier, depending on how much effort you put into educating your dog. You should therefore remain hopeful in the process during the first year.
The top three most commonly diagnosed health problems in dogs are gum disease, ear infections and obesity. Your dog's risk of developing these disorders will largely depend on their breed, age, sex, whether they're neutered and other important factors, such as diet and how much exercise they get.
Spending time with canine companions does wonders for your wellbeing. Recent research shows that owning a dog is good for you physically and emotionally. Dogs make us happier, healthier, and help us cope with a crisis—and can even help you get a date.
In fact, a study revealed that those who spent more time with their dogs experienced a 300 percent increase in oxytocin levels and experts say loving a pet is an innate part of our nature as humans. Eighty-seven point three percent of Americans were reported as happier than the average person because of owning a pet.
Difficulties faced by pet owners
Puppies are adorable, but hard work and extremely time consuming in their day-to-day care. They will need toilet training, and puppy training after they've settled in. 'It's pretty much a full-time job for the first six months, so be realistic about the commitment,' says Inga.
Female dogs are often said to be easier to house train than male dogs. "Many pet owners report that female dogs are easier to house train and are more attentive to their owners than male dogs, with male dogs being more aloof," Johanna Reel, registered vet technician for NHV Natural Pet, told INSIDER.
Female dogs tend to be more responsive to training and are often less prone to wandering off or trying to swap training time for cuddling time! They are also better at socializing with other dogs, which can make it easier when you're out and about trying to reinforce training.
From feeding on time to taking care of their health, raising puppies is almost similar to that of babies. Here's how... Ask pet owners and they will tell you how raising a puppy requires as much attention and care as does a baby.
Undesirable behaviours such as barking, chewing, counter surfing, house-soiling and jumping up commonly begin to occur at around 3-6 months of age. Your puppy will not grow out of these behaviours. On the contrary, it is more likely that these behaviours will worsen if not addressed early on.
Most puppies start to calm down as they approach their maturity age, which is usually around 12 months, but for larger breeds it can be more likely to occur between 18 months and 2 years.
They begin to feel love and affection at around 9 or 10 months. A dog will feel all the same things a child will feel up until the child reaches 2 – 2 ½ years, at which time the child begins to develop more complex emotions and a dog's emotional development will end.
Dogs can sense when humans are anxious
Dogs are also great observers - our facial expressions, posture, the way we move, the smells we give off, and our tone of voice, all give our dogs vast quantities of information about how we might be feeling.
HELSINKI, Finland (StudyFinds)— Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is not something that just affects people — it may be a problem among our pets too. A new study reveals dogs can also develop a behavioral condition that resembles ADHD in humans.
In fact: Did you know that dogs can play an integral part in your emotional well-being? Dogs can contribute to your happiness. Studies show that dogs reduce stress, anxiety and depression, ease loneliness, encourage exercise and improve your all-around health.