Tips and tricks for New Dog Owners

January 8, 2024 5:16 PM

New dog owner. What are small helpful tips, tricks, or life hacks that you wouldn't read about in the books for giving the dog and their owners their best and happiest life?

I've read many books on the basics of care, feeding, health, training etc. But I find there are a lot of gems of wisdom that aren't in the books. For example, someone told me about switching out toys so the dog doesn't get bored of the same ones. Or using sounds to train the dog to wee on command when it is outside it's normal routine. Or buying a fake grass mat for rainy days when the dog doesn't want to go outside. Any more tips?

posted by roaring beast to Pets & Animals (42 answers total)

Persist with crate training! I've had dogs who were crate trained and dogs who weren't, and although it is tough at first (those heartbreaking whines) it eventually becomes a very cozy safe space for the dog that they otherwise won't really have. And then it means you can take their crate anywhere with you (within reason) and they'll have their cozy little nook right there.
posted by Cpt. The Mango at 5:29 PM on January 8 [8 favorites]

Is your new dog a puppy? Don't buy it a whole bunch of stuff. It will chew up and piss all over every bed you buy for several months, maybe a year.

A puppy will be perfectly fine with an old blanket or some towels. It needs one soft cuddly toy, one toy that makes noise when bitten, one toy to tug, and a mouth sized ball. (Better yet, buy a 6 pack of tube socks. A tube sock knotted with a water bottle in it is a fantastic toy. A tube sock with a tennis ball in it is a fantastic toy. A tube sock with a knot in each end is a fantastic toy. A tube sock with two other tube socks stuffed in it is a fantastic toy.) After that: lots and lots of walks.

Long story short, puppies just want to play with you and sleep. They don't know what they like yet, they just need attention. Once your pup matures up a bit and starts having interests, then you can spend money on a nice bed and toys.
posted by phunniemee at 5:29 PM on January 8 [3 favorites]

The best commands we taught our puppy was “Go get a toy!” and “Fix it!”. When she runs up to us with all her enthusiasm we can tell her to bring us a toy, so now we know she wants to play tug or fetch and we don’t have to guess. Fix it is for walks, she’s always getting her leash under a leg and that command tells her to stop and untangle herself. We use those commands everyday and it’s been over five years.

My partner adds that “leave it” was vital as a puppy when she had no idea what she could and couldn’t chew on.
posted by lepus at 5:44 PM on January 8 [7 favorites]

Spend time sitting quietly with your puppy. Don't offer it play, don't give it treats. A dog raised on a steady diet of play learns to expect play all the time, and will become aggressive if denied. Likewise with treats. Remember that the dog is learning from your interaction with it. If you can sit quietly with the puppy, it will learn to feel safe and happy as your companion.
posted by SPrintF at 5:49 PM on January 8 [14 favorites]

I also second crate training! It needs not be forever thing but it sure can help makes dogs feel safe and humans more calm. You can add a blanket on top or the sides too. Even cats like having their safe spots!
posted by smorgasbord at 5:54 PM on January 8 [2 favorites]

Think about the routines you are establishing as you go, and begin as you mean to continue. For example, I did not want my dog to expect to be fed as soon as I wake up (thus avoiding future furry wakeup calls), so I established that he does not get his breakfast until after I've had my coffee etc.. Remember that the little things you set up now might stick with the pup for a long time, so things like feeding in response to cute puppy barks is not a good idea.

Try to socialize your dog as much as you can as early as you can. I used to take my guy down to the park with a bag of treats and sit on a park bench. When strangers came by, I encouraged them to pet him and give him a treat. I also tried to have him play with as many different other dogs as possible.

I wish I'd been more persistent with brushing his teeth and getting him used to me trimming his nails when he was a tiny pup. Both of those would have saved us some stress and cash over the years.
posted by rpfields at 6:17 PM on January 8 [11 favorites]

Response by poster: Thanks everyone, just wanted to say that this is not a puppy but a young dog.
posted by roaring beast at 6:22 PM on January 8 [2 favorites]

For puppies/young dogs, when you play/rough-house with them, sometimes put them on their back and put your hands on their chest. This will help them to understand that you are more alpha than them. Bad behaviour in dogs often comes from misunderstandings about pack hierarchy in their household.
posted by ovvl at 6:28 PM on January 8 [1 favorite]

Ignore any advice calling dogs pack animals, referring to hierarchy, alpha, etc. Dogs are not pack animals.
posted by rhymedirective at 6:44 PM on January 8 [19 favorites]

Well, all of their relatives are...

It's just that you are their pack.

Training! Love! Exercise! Treats!
posted by Windopaene at 6:53 PM on January 8 [1 favorite]

Dogs are companion animals. What they want most is you. Not toys, treats, doggie outfits or Instagram profiles.

Quality food, exercise, mental stimulation and medical care are all super important, of corse . But just as important is time spent with YOU. Nothing else can make up for it.

Enjoy your new best friend. :)
posted by Salamander at 7:55 PM on January 8 [2 favorites]

This past year my almost 13 year old dog has gone completely deaf and I am kicking myself for not teaching some basic sign language when she was young and hearing. Now I can’t really communicate with her.
posted by Sassyfras at 8:25 PM on January 8 [4 favorites]

Stash poop bags everywhere. You'll need them frequently, and it's a real relief to have one in your pocket, car, backpack, etc. when the moment comes.

If your dog lives in a house with you and other people, make sure you're communicating about who is feeding the dog treats and meals, and when. Our dog frequently tricks us into double breakfast or dinner...he's very sneaky!

If you go out for big adventures, bring water and a bowl for the pup. They get thirsty but they can't tell you, so you just have to offer from time to time.
posted by luzdeluna at 8:26 PM on January 8 [3 favorites]

- I wish/plan to teach my future younger dog how to use dog stairs or a ramp for getting up into at least the car so it’s not a whole ordeal when they are older.
- finding a good fit boarding place before it’s an emergency (like trying it overnight one weekend while you are in town)
posted by leastlikelycowgirl at 8:34 PM on January 8 [5 favorites]

+1 for some simple signs for the commands you use all the time. My dog is nearly 15 and totally deaf now, but we had basic hand signals for sit, stay, come, look here, and release (for eating at meal time) and it's been invaluable for the last few years.

Neutral socialization is under-valued. Sitting near-ish to lots of things happening just to observe and get used to things like bikes and strollers, loud sounds (sirens, screaming kids at playgrounds, etc.), and practicing being calm and chill with positive reinforcement for being relaxed. I wish I'd known about Karen Overall's "Protocol for Relaxation" much earlier. It's #1 on my list for my next dog.

Pet insurance! Also if you rent and have renter's insurance, see if your dog is covered. We had An Incident with someone's cat and our dog and our renter's insurance covered the cat's vet bills.

Positive reinforcement over everything. Don't fall for the Cesar Milan alpha nonsense. Dogs want to love you and be your companion. Physically overpowering your pup to prove some kind of point to yourself only hurts their trust in you.
posted by komlord at 8:57 PM on January 8 [12 favorites]

Learn about positive reinforcement training, and not just because it's an empirically supported and effective method. Reinforcement is also important to know about because your dog doesn't know when it's training time. Everything you do is either reinforcing or discouraging whatever they happen to be doing, according to your dog's very own ideas about what kinds of responses are rewarding, whether you mean to be giving them or not! Most of the useful parts of the training classes we took were about teaching the human how to *do less*, in order to be able to give clearer and more precise feedback (clicker training with treat rewards in our case.)

A prime example is how you respond to a hyper dog, especially if they are big enough to really wrestle you. Ducking away is likely a wonderfully rewarding response that means "chase me, let's play more!!". Before you can make thoughtful decisions about how you want to train (reinforcing a different behavior by asking for a sit, discouraging the jump by saying "no!" loudly), you also need to know how to avoid giving those unintentional responses. One of the most useful things I learned from a dog-knowledgeable friend was how to just stand/sit there like a lump and be boring, calm, and solid in response to dog antics. Sometimes being unresponsive is enough to get your dog to slow down and try to figure out what's going on with you, and it gives you the mental space to *decide* how you want to respond to whatever the pup is doing!
posted by heyforfour at 9:20 PM on January 8 [5 favorites]

let me bring the heavies now, so you might consider…

emergency numbers are best known in advance of emergency time. know your closest after hours vet emergency clinic, keep the number and location saved in your phone contact for calls and speedy drives. also: animal poison control. in the US (also serves canada, maybe other countries) there is specialized 24hr/7 animal poison control and their number is separately worth knowing.

encouragement to learn some basic pet first aid skills, such as identifying poisons, basic wound care, and watch some videos for doggie heimlich (varies for size of dog). there are courses on this, in person and online.

things i never considered until they happened:

• someone may steal your dog if you tie they up outside a shop (i did get my dog back)
• watch out for what they might try to chew on, and don’t leave doggo alone with possible-to-destroy items. for example, cardboard can compact in a dog’s stomach and require life saving surgery. depends on the dog, but good to be aware as you learn about new dog.
• doggie blood donors are a thing!! ask your vet if they know about a donor clinic near you, and who is eligible; you dog could be a life saver :)

lastly, enjoy new dog!! what a joy to have such a special friend in life :)
posted by tamarack at 9:31 PM on January 8 [2 favorites]

The dry biscuit type of "dog treat" is not particularly appealing to a lot of dogs. If you want to use treats to reward behavior you like, you'll need to use something your dog actually sees as a treat and it probably won't be that. Semi-moist training treats like these are convenient to carry in your pocket and are sufficiently rewarding to many dogs. (Not to my current dog, though.) But it's more economical to cook some chicken breast you buy on sale or a cheap cut of pork or a package of chicken hearts and gizzards and cut it all up into little pieces. You can freeze whatever you aren't going to use in a few days. Most dogs will be pretty enthusiastic about that.
posted by Redstart at 9:35 PM on January 8 [1 favorite]

My biggest tip is that a lot of the advice out there (both in books and from people, including many "experts" who've owned or worked with dogs for decades) is not just wrong in the sense that it's not ideal, but can actually be counterproductive and harmful to the degree that it can cause long-term or permanent issues. As a new owner, I fell into the trap of reading all the "tips and tricks" I could find and assimilating it all as "knowledge", and didn't realize that this strategy could backfire in a big way. For example, I followed extremely common advice on how to approach socialization and grooming, and my dog ended up having major problems with both that may have been avoided if I'd approached it in a way that I now believe is better (e.g. "cooperative care").

I don't have real advice on sifting through it all other than to think carefully about what you're looking for in a source (I like the search terms "evidence-based" and "force-free", for starters) and rely heavily on the ones you find trustworthy, and try to take everything else you see out there, and the endless unsolicited advice you'll get from other dog people, with a huge grain of salt.
posted by randomnity at 9:49 PM on January 8 [5 favorites]

If you can afford the monthly fees, i am a big fan of a high quality pet insurance plan. Our first dog died abruptly and we lost money on the pet insurance but our second dog had cancer. Pet insurance covered 90% of all expenses (including supplements, medication, surgery, hospital care etc) after a $200 deductible (per diagnosis, so only one deductible for the entire cost of care). Our second dog is only middle aged but has had two surgeries and is about to have teeth extracted. It is absolutely wonderful to be able to decide on care based on what is best for the dog and not to have to worry about the expense. Even though we could afford the care if we needed to, I find emotionally helpful to pay the monthly premiums and know that we only have to come with 10% of the cost of any big medical expenses.

We use Trupanion - there are others. Make sure the coverage is complete for all illnesses without a maximum $ limit and don't bother pay for regular annual well-pet care via insurance - it is cheaper to pay for it yourself. Prior illnesses are always excluded which is a big motivator to start the insurance when you first get the dog, before any problems have had time to develop.
posted by metahawk at 10:29 PM on January 8

+1 to force-free training — prioritize building a great relationship with your dog, and building up their confidence. Various approaches that helped us: Play predictable games to help with distracting environments. The Playway, teaching personal play. Zen bowl / impulse training, as well as mat training / relaxation protocol is pretty essential for my herding dog but less so for friends’ companion toy dogs. Magnet hand or touch is helpful in getting around those chicken bones on the sidewalk. Middle is useful for elevators, or signaling I’m going to talk to someone for a little bit. Cooperative care: desensitization to dremel, handling paws, etc. We trained our dog to stop on the mat at the door and we wipe her paws and underside of her belly (other people use raincoats and shoes). Decompression walks. Variety of types of enrichment activities. Crate training for us was essential, but it’s certainly not universal — just work on increasing time away from doggo slowly; there are trainers that specialize in separation anxiety if it’s an issue. Learning how to read dog body language was pretty key in communicating better together.

Every dog’s different though, and will have various things to work on and prioritize. I journaled the first few months, and it’s nice to look back on how far we’ve come and to remind myself to not get another puppy. I also keep a hierarchy of reinforcers (which may be you, different kinds of play or novel smells or whatever, and that they may value peanut butter highly today but may move down tomorrow, especially if it has been immediately preceding something they’d like to avoid). We always find replacement behaviors for anything we don’t want her to do. In general, giving some choice rather than forcing her to do something has made our relationship so much better.

Little things are so dependent on the dog and your goals, so may or may not be helpful: I rewarded with 3x treats if she did an instant-pee, so she’s generally more likely to go quickly than dawdle. We got two copies of the same tug toys early on, so trading was easier (also, we had to teach tug and social play, so these behaviors don’t necessarily come out of the box). We actually decided not to teach fetch for the first few years because we had seen other dogs of her breed become ball obsessed / possessive, which makes it hard for them to be around other dogs sometimes (and also can be tough on their joints, but we’re continually evaluating). Cardboard and towels can be great, cheap nosework and destruction toys (as long as they don’t eat the cardboard and you don’t mind putting boxes away). Flirt pole if your dog loves to chase. Different treat delivery can increase excitement (movement, tossing on ground vs delivering to mouth). We avoid saying her name, which is her recall cue, but in hindsight could have used any other word as a recall, which might have been better. White noise machine by the door might help with noise sensitivity. We use a groomer familiar with force-free methods while working on cooperative care skills for grooming. I wish we did more happy vet visits earlier, and prevented strangers and unknown dogs coming up to her.

Caretaking in general: Put aside money for dental cleanings (our vet estimated 1-3k for her next dental visit in our HCOL area) along with your regular vet visits, vaccinations, and preventatives (and insurance if you can, or self-insure). We use a sleepy pod car harness, but a lot of dog people use safety tested crates; figure out what’s best for you and doggo. Our preventative was cheapest at Costco if you have a membership; our vet actually recommended it. Line up dog walkers and sitters earlier than you think you need them, and try them out beforehand on shorter timeframes (we have 2 walkers and 3 sitters that we’re comfortable with, because scheduling is hard). AirTag or one of the dog tracking collars give a little piece of mind (though they all work off of cell towers, if you do hikes with no cell service you could look into actual gps ones but they’re pretty giant and expensive).
posted by sincerely yours at 3:41 AM on January 9 [1 favorite]

Something I did with my last dog and my new puppy is I taught them "go back to bed". They both were so good naturally sleeping through the night but occasionally they wake up in the night and come to my door and just sit there staring at me and maybe whimpering a little. So I taught them "go back to bed" and I emphasize "bed" in case they can only hear one word in a sentence (how I imagine dogs think). And I say it sing-songy like I mean "everything is going to be ok, go back to bed". This works almost every time. On the rare occasion they don't go back to bed, turns out they had to pee. But 99% of the time they sleep all night. I should say I make them go out in the night when they are puppies so they learn not to pee in the house but after about 9 months they are expected to sleep through the night and they do. They shouldn't be waking you at night to pee after about 9 months. IMO. It is their job to see that you get rest. So you can work and buy them treats. That is my attitude.
posted by cda at 4:04 AM on January 9 [2 favorites]

I like the book Canine Enrichment for the Real World - it's not a training book, more about understanding your particular dog's needs and wants and structuring your day to give that to them without feeling like you have to constantly be doing tricks, agility, puzzle toys, etc.

My biggest tip is routine, routine, routine. Dogs thrive on a routine.
posted by misskaz at 5:38 AM on January 9

1. The worst behaved dogs have the loudest owners. Understand and utilize the fact that dogs listen more to your eyes and body than they do to your voice. A well trained dog will know to look to you for what to do and not paying attention to your dog or doing things like wearing dark sunglasses, limits your ability to send wordless signals. I have the happiest and best behaved dog in the park and barely speak to her in public. A simple demonstration of this can usually be had by a dog who is close by but not responding to recall. Instead of screaming Come of Here over and over again, lower yourself to your haunches and look at the dog. If they're not looking at you, clap or whistle to get their attention. Most dogs will come to you. It's even more effective if they see you lowering yourself to your haunches.

2. Dogs also use their eyes to communicate with you and generally consider a look in their eyes during a conflict as a victory. For instance, say you're walking your dog on leash and all of a sudden you get ahead of the dog realize that the dog has stopped behind you. You can turn to look to see what's causing the dog to stop (are they peeing? smelling something? want to go in a different direction?), but if they're doing something you don't want them to do, or want to do something you don't want them to do, making eye contact means you've lost. This lesson is most important in just general walking. You want to go one way, your dog wants to go another. If you know that this is the reason the dog has stopped, your best bet is to not only NOT look in your dog's eyes but not turn around at all. If you've stopped, your dog can see you've stopped. If you then continue on your way (because you're certain the dog isn't doing their business) then the dog will continue on (eventually), whereas if you turn around, they never will. You will have to drag them. In short, never, ever look at your dog when you don't want them to have their way.

A corollary of this is that pulling a dog is generally ineffective. Instead, try jingling the tags on their leash by lightly shaking the leash as you continue walking. Dog brains often associate current environment with behavior, and a dog knows that when it walks, its tags jingle. Using this trick makes the dog hear the tags and their brain go, "I'm jingling, therefore I must be walking. Let's go!"

3. Do not put a harness on your dog that clips above their back. Dogs have a low center of gravity and love to pull. If you insist on a harness, get one that clips on the chest under the throat.

4. Understand the difference between a play-alone toy that is built to be chewed and a play-together toy which is meant to be carried and not chewed. I gave a bunch of people a great light-up ball for Christmas and half of them reported their dog chewed it apart and almost got to the battery. "During fetch?" I asked. "No, at home." Toys with batteries in them are not meant to be left with dogs to chew on. This should be obvious.

5. My previous dog could do pretty much anything on command. I ran out of things to teach him. He could turn the lights on and off and anything else I imagined. My current dog can do nothing on command but sit, stay, down, leave it, and come. That's all you need. For the most part, all other "tricks" are for your ego, not the dog. There are exceptions — dogs that WANT to do more. In my experience they're a very small part of the population.

6. Touch your dog everywhere on a regular basis. Paws, privates, teeth, tail... they need to be comfortable with you and others handling them, which will help with grooming, vet care, emergencies, and teeth cleaning.

7. If you can afford it, get a DNA test to know the breed and potential issues. I recommend Embark. You can see my dog's profile here.

8. Most importantly: a dog becomes your mirror. It'll take a bit of time, but eventually you'll be in synch and you'll realize with a lot of self-examination, that pretty much all "issues" with a dog are issues with you and your relationship. Fix yourself or the relationship and the dog will be fixed as well. Understanding the mantra My Dog Is My Mirror is the most useful thing you can learn as a dog owner and will help you more than pretty much anything else. Denial of this is a denial of the true nature of dogs.
posted by dobbs at 6:24 AM on January 9 [3 favorites]

We’re glad we hired a trainer. He’s a great partner in problem-solving and also keeps us (5 people) accountable to his rules rather than negotiating our own. He also holds classes, which my puppy loves (obedience and now we’re starting rally.)

I agree with Dobbs that your dog can mirror your issues. My now-8-month-old St. Bernard/Bernese ended up with Bernese herding brain and obsession with his person, who is me. In order to help keep him secure, I’ve really had to look at a few habits. Like…lots of times when I’m startled, I laugh. Guess what my guy likes a lot? Getting me to make that sound. For a few weeks we’ve had a 65 lb puppy who likes to *pounce* me - like he hides and then jumps out at me. Learning to take the energy down the other way and convey displeasure through stillness has been new for me. (It’s working…slowly.)
posted by warriorqueen at 6:40 AM on January 9 [1 favorite]

Dogs are social and pack animals and you are their new pack. They can be alone, but generally prefer company. Dogs, like most mammals. have a hierarchy; you are the leader. Do not go nuts over these things, as some trainers recommend. Dog training is full of trends and strong beliefs. Dogs have evolved to be deeply connected to humans.

Training, find a good trainer, go to class.
It takes many dogs quite a while to settle in to a new home; be patient. Your dog will learn trust and will adapt.
Dogs like a predictable schedule, routine, structure. If you create the environment, rewards will be effective for managing behavior.
If your dog pees or poops in the house, clean well with an enzyme cleaner like Nature's Miracle.
Your dog has a personality and preferences; listen. Your dog will mostly adapt to you, but have some respect for their strong preferences.
I enjoyed patriciamcconnell.com/theotherendoftheleash/
posted by theora55 at 6:57 AM on January 9 [1 favorite]

Teaching our dogs to pee on command. When we get a new one, usually between 3 and 4 months old, every time we go outside and the dog pees we praise, say "go pee pee" and the dog gets a treat. The treating isn't constant after a while, because they always have to be on their best behavior.

This works really well because if we are going out, or it's bed time, or whatever, it's really great to get the dog to do this really quickly.
posted by Snowishberlin at 7:07 AM on January 9 [2 favorites]

When I first got my dog, she was a rescue and preferred to be alone. She would get in her bed or sit in a corner and watch us. After about a week of settling in, it occurred to me that she perhaps needed help learning how to be with us. So I started keeping her on her leash indoors, attached to me, or with my foot on the leash, so that she had to be near me. I also started keeping treats in my pockets and giving them to her whenever it occurred to me. I think this really helped her feel more comfortable with me, and also became the basis of our relationship. My vet commented early on about how she would come to me for safety/reassurance during exams. Not in a scared way, she would just turn and look at me, or come over for a pat.

Also, extendable leashes are generally bad. A dog will learn how long its leash is, and will sometimes go to the end of their leash to sniff something interesting. If they are used to an extendable leash, they will know they can go really far. Some dogs need an extendable leash for going to the bathroom -- they need to be further away from even their trusted people to do their business. When that's the case, it's best to routinely keep the extended leash at just 6 feet for walking, and let it extend for bathroom business, then pull it back to just 6 feet. You can train the dog with commands around this. But routinely walking the dog on an extendable leash and allowing the dog to choose how far away to get from you will cause all kinds of problems.
posted by OrangeDisk at 7:11 AM on January 9

Learn to read dog body language well. So many "dog people" are just terrible at it. There are some good youtube/tiktok/whatever channels where people do running commentary on what they're seeing that are helpful to help you identify more subtle signs (like ear movement) in the real world. It's helpful - and big for safety - if you can read not just your own dog's signs but also any other dog you may encounter.

Used poop bag holders like this are awesome for hiking and other walks without ready access to trash cans. I have one on every leash.

+1 for cooperative care skills. It's not something a lot of people think about until it's already needed, at which point it's kind of late to be working on it.
posted by mosst at 7:41 AM on January 9

To avoid teeth cleanings and potential extractions down the line, get your dog in the habit of chewing something every day. Bully sticks are generally popular (although not with my last two dogs; the current dog adores them), No-Hides are a good choice and every dog I've had loved them, Greenies are also good. Whimzees are readily available too, although every dog I've had has turned up his/her nose at them. Beef kneecaps and other assorted animal body parts (pig snouts! chicken feet!) are much higher on the ick factor, but dogs love them.
posted by DrGail at 8:08 AM on January 9

wow, this is a great thread and thank you for prompting it! I'm not sure about the "dogs are not pack animals" comment, in my experience they absolutely are, in fact to some extent being a pack animal somewhat defines dogs, and you (the family) are def. their pack.

I can't offer much, I'm a terrible trainer but I've enjoyed poorly trained dogs throughout my life, mostly rescues where we simply learned to live together and the dog enjoys their life. One tip I have not seen in this thread, though others have touched on it: mental activity. Physical activity is obvious (regular walks and outings) but in addition to toys your dog enjoys, I've found hiding treats to be great fun for human and dog. My current dog companion is very food-oriented, most dogs are in my experience, and having a variety of treats on the fridge ready to make a treasure hunt is such fun. We are talking small nibbles of quality treats (avoid imported, obviously, if possible.. home-made is great, but some manufactured products are excellent).. enough to present a scent signature for the dog to track, you are not trying to make the creature fat! My dog friend knows to remain seated while I distribute the treats throughout parts of the home or out on the deck and steps, then the hand clap releases her to find them all, it's great fun and is one of her favourite activities.

We also prepare a dog soup to supplement her evening meal: quality dry kibble, with some scoops of broth from boiling beef bones and chicken parts for 24+ hrs then cooling to skim the fat, portion into containers, freeze and use as you go. Container size should be whatever your dog will consume within a few days, you don't want the stuff sitting in the fridge over 5-6 days. I usually add celery and carrot bits from preparing my daily salad, so she's getting a good diet.

Last thing: echoing what others have mentioned re: kenneling and care for the dog when you are away. You really don't want to take chances with this.. make sure your dog is with someone you can trust.

Some of us really love dogs, just look at this thread.
posted by elkevelvet at 8:20 AM on January 9 [1 favorite]

I don’t agree with the advice for pet insurance. If you have $5k in the bank and you are comfortable with conservative measures for problems that are potentially more expensive, you can self-insure.

Have styptic powder, first aid supplies to bandage a cut on an extremity, and a cone on hand. You don’t have to run to the vet for every cut and scrape.

A work up for undifferentiated diarrhea and vomiting will cost at least $800 in a major urban area. You can wait a couple days if your dog isn’t otherwise acting sick, they’ll be fine.

Your dog can wait for the regular vet more often than you think.

Nature’s Miracle smells awful, try Skout’s Honor instead.
posted by shock muppet at 9:11 AM on January 9 [2 favorites]

- "leave it, and "drop it" is so much better than chasing your dog around with a mystery yuck in his mouth than prying his mouth open to retrieve it.

- "calm" Its when your dog is quietly lying down even when things are happening around them.This video explains how and what it looks like. Its different from a "down, stay"

- Get your dog used to you touching his feet, mouth and generally just handling them. Its better for everyone when grooming and vet check ups aren't as stressful. For us a cuddle includes a look at the toes or holding a paw etc. building trust with him.

- Make an emergency pet kit appropriate to the location you live.
posted by ljesse at 9:25 AM on January 9 [2 favorites]

Socialize the f*** out of your dog. Spend hours doing this if necessary, so that they are safe around strangers. Dogs are dogs and there is a limited amount you can do to override early conditioning and natural disposition if they don't point in the right direction, but your dog, and by extension you, will end up housebound if you do not do everything you can to make your dog unafraid of strangers and capable of ignoring them at close range.

Whatever their characteristics, like humans, dogs get more so over time. If your dog pulls when new, it will probably pull more with every year. You can end up unable to go down the sidewalk if other people will be there, because your dog will turn the whole trip into a miserable contest of you trying to control them, and if you have a small dog, putting it at risk of being kicked unintentionally or tripping someone.

If your doggo is a bit snappish when young, consider that when they are old and feeling sick and get startled, someone may get bitten. Hours of training your dog to be less reactive will pay off in saving you from dealing with consequences if later in life the dog, being a dog, uses its teeth in a stressful, overwhelming situation.

If you dog is small DON'T mistake picking it up and stopping it from being capable of misbehaving with it being trained, or safe. There will be times when you can't pick it up and will need your dog to stand peacefully beside you. Picking up a small dog just teaches it that it can get away with being aggressive, or out of control, and the consequences are only that its will will be thwarted by positive attention.

Many clever dog owners carry treats, which they hand to strangers who express an interest in interacting with the dog, and the dog gets the treat by sitting still and accepting the approach of the stranger.

I guess 'train your dog really well' is probably not an unusual tip. But perhaps the warning that you will feel really miserable if you don't and your dog is hurt or hurts someone counts as a tip. Training your dog to stay at heel is for the purpose of keeping the poor creature alive, not for your convenience.

If you find yourself not giving the dog enough exercise, get it a treadmill or start an indoor exercise program for it. Lack of exercise frequently is a trend. It gets worse as the years go on.

Get it used to staying with other people, if you can. Just like humans, a dog who has one person and only one person, is a dog that is socially isolated and not living their best life, and is going to be traumatized if their person becomes unavailable, even if only for three days.
posted by Jane the Brown at 9:25 AM on January 9 [2 favorites]

2nding to teach them to pee and poop on command.

Regarding crating, as someone who's fostered around 100 dogs, I feel reasonably qualified to say that there's a certain percentage of dogs who are not compatible with them. Unless you can go weeks without sleeping, you'll break before they do. As long as they learn how to handle themselves without being crated, it's fine. My permanent dog is one of them - he couldn't be left alone for 5 minutes at first without destroying stuff. These days he just happily chills on my bed (or the forbidden sofa) while I'm gone, even for extended periods.
posted by Candleman at 12:43 PM on January 9 [1 favorite]

In my experience, positive commands are effective (with children, too). Your dog doesn't grasp Don't Jump, but can learn Sit, Down, Go to Your Bed. Also, my dog sleeps on my bed, and it is, in fact, a bonus in Winter. Sitting helps a dog calm a little, so Come, Sit works for mild barking and other behaviors.

Your dog needs exercise, physical and mental. Walks, runs, a place to romp off leash (this can be hard to find; we are all worried abut a new dog illness). Play games, train new skills. Many poorly behaved dogs I've met really need exercise and consistent training.

There are many myths about dog food. Buy a reputable brand, it doesn't have to be fancy. My dog is seriously food insecure and her behavior is much better when there is always plenty of kibble in her dish. She only overeats if she's anxious about food. Dogs in the wild are omnivores. I feed my dog food scraps in moderation, and hardly ever sweets. You can buy expensive treats, and sometimes I do, but my dog loves pork rinds, cheezits, stinky salami, etc. Be careful of repeated behaviors. My dog knows what the drive-thru is, and expects chicken nuggets or a burger(no bun, I order a triple and she gets one).
posted by theora55 at 12:47 PM on January 9 [4 favorites]

Ignore any advice calling dogs pack animals, referring to hierarchy, alpha, etc. Dogs are not pack animals.

Dogs that run together amongst themselves instinctively form social hierarchies.

Well-intentioned experiments in dog ownership based upon democracy often result in poor behaviour.
posted by ovvl at 5:44 PM on January 9 [1 favorite]

Despite what some people on this thread are saying, all the NEW science on dog training says to forget about the whole 'alpha' thing. I would suggest you look this up. Treating your dog as if you are the alpha just makes them fear you. I don't know about you, but I don't want my dogs to fear me. I've got two dogs and they are extremely lovely and very good boys - establishing routines is the way to go in my opinion. Just repeating, repeating, repeating, without getting angry, and doing things at the same time every day so they can expect it and feel safe and easygoing. This way, they will do what you want without the need to 'show them who's boss.' They learn very quickly if they are relaxed and in a positive environment.

Please don't go all alpha on your dog.
posted by thereader at 6:41 PM on January 9 [1 favorite]

Also, you SHOULD get pet insurance. One of my dogs is perfectly fine but the other got diagnosed with Addison's disease at 2 years old and spent 11 days in the hospital. All up getting the diagnosis cost over 10k and he needs ongoing treatment. We wish we had insurance.
posted by thereader at 6:43 PM on January 9

if they're doing something you don't want them to do, or want to do something you don't want them to do, making eye contact means you've lost.

Yes! I didn't figure that out for years but it's absolutely true.
posted by tangerine at 9:59 PM on January 9 [2 favorites]

Also, as you can see in this thread, people get hung up on the "pack leader" notion, pro or con. That's a red herring. It's just a metaphor that helps some people behave with calm, responsible authority. Obviously your dog knows you're not another dog.
posted by tangerine at 10:13 PM on January 9

You should know how to vomit a dog and have a kit ready to go with the supplies (on trips, it should travel with you). Dogs eat a lot of things they shouldn't, so you should also be sure you know the basic poisons and keep the Pet Poison Line number handy. Even a single grape or raisin can kill a dog.

The kit is hydrogen peroxide, an empty syringe, and activated charcoal for after they vomit (mix the latter with milk or broth). Write the doses for your dog on the bottles, and be mindful of the expiration date.

It's so important to be prepared because the available time window is pretty short. And even if you can get to an emergency vet in time, you can save quite a lot of money doing it yourself.

The Heimlich maneuver can also be used on choking dogs, and it's worthwhile to watch a few youtube videos on the technique.
posted by veery at 7:42 AM on January 10 [1 favorite]