My 5 Tips On Getting a Dog

Teddy (my Bichon Frise) is my dog and I could not love him more. He is apart of the family and means so much to us, he is now 2 1/2! Though I am defiantly not a dog expert, I want to share with you some tips on getting a dog- basically lessons I have learnt from! Obviously there are hundreds of more tips, but these are just 5 of my personal top tips I would share with a friend, therefore I am going to share with you!

Just been groomed, look at the smile!!!

1) Be prepared for your life to change

This may sound obvious or ridiculous to you. But honestly, your life will completely change: your routine, the things you do, even your friendships (dog walking friends are a thing). 

Want to book that holiday? Who is going to look after the dog?

Going to work- Have you walked the dog? feed the dog? Who is going to take care of the dog whilst your at work?

Obviously that is just two small examples but, genuinely, the majority of what you do will require the consideration of your dog. It is like another family member.

2) Research

We actually did not research very much about our dog breed before getting Teddy when realistically, we definitely should have and that could have been a huge mistake. Luckily, Teddy's breed (Bichon Frise), it very friendly and suited to our family, however you should definitely research this because different breeds do have different traits and suit different families. Did you know a Husky needs over 2 hours exercise a day? (minimum). Whilst a pug requires around 40 minutes? Obviously this is just roughly and I do not know exactly the amount those breeds require but my general point is, make sure the breed is going to work well with your family.

3) They are like children

Dogs, puppies or adults, are like children. They eat everything, they play, they require a lot of care, and although they obviously do not require the same level of care as a child, I do believe that having a dog, especially a puppy, is like having a child! Like those slippers? You better not leave them about (yes Teddy did eat my slippers).

4) Don't panic

I am not exaggerating when I say we took Teddy to the vets twice a week when we first got Teddy. Every little thing I would worry about and overthink, but really try to stay calm. There is so much to get used to and you can be so unsure about everything but it just takes getting used to- adjusting to the change! For example, it is totally normal for your pup to be a bit off their food because they are also trying to adjust to a new environment with new people. I know that I used to really worry about Teddy when actually he was completely fine. Obviously if there is something to be concerned about and you want to get it checked- DO, but just try to remain calm and think logically. 

Baby Teddy (literally about 12 weeks old)

5) Take pictures

I love looking back at the puppy pictures of Teddy, I wish there was more! Though I took lots there is no such thing as too many, all of those special memories. Puppies really do grow quickly, sometimes I look back and cannot believe how small Teddy was at first. So pictures are  an essential, whenever I am upset  I just look at pictures of Teddy and it honestly cheers me up (which may be quite sad haha but true!).

Thank you for reading, I hope these tips help you out!

Ellie x