6 Mistakes All New Dog Owners Must Avoid

12th February 2024 by Sarah

If you’re about to purchase your first dog or you’re thinking about getting one, these are no doubt exciting times!

With that said, you’ll need to educate yourself before you jump straight in and buy a pooch as those who buy a pooch while they’re underpre[ared for life as a dog owner can run into problems.

If you’ve never owned a dog before then you’d be forgiven for thinking there’s nothing to it. But sadly, that’s not the case and you should know that there’s a range of responsibilities you’ll need to see to that extend way beyond simply filling their food bowl and picking up their poo!

So in the interests of keeping your new dog healthy and keeping you sane, here are six mistakes many new dog owners often make that you should avoid.

Missing Injections

If you’re considering purchasing a puppy or adolescent dog then they’ll need to have their vaccinations. These help to ensure the dog’s immune system is strong enough for their environment, as well as protecting them from certain viruses and diseases such as canine distemper virus and canine parvovirus.

Whether it’s through negligence or a lack of knowledge, some new dog owners fail to get their dogs injections, which can have fatal consequences. So to give your pup the best start to lie, be sure to take it to the vet for their necessary injections.

Keep in mind that some breeders will already have arranged this, so check when you’re purchasing the dog.

Microchip

These days, it’s illegal for anyone to own a dog and not have it microchipped. So check whether the dog you’re buying has been microchipped and if not, arrange it right away.

Failure to do so could land you in trouble with the law, and your dog may be unretrievable if it goes missing. So there are multiple reasons why this law is in place – and multiple reasons why you should always abide by it!

Oh and if you move home, remember to update the details. Thousands of dogs end up missing because their owners can’t be traced due to outdated info on the system. So whenever you change address, inform the company that registered your details.

Failure To Train

You’ll no doubt want a dog that is well behaved. After all, a badly behaved dog can cause a range of issues, from minor problems like doing their business indoors and jumping up when they shouldn’t, right through to potentially serious problems like biting and other signs of aggression.

To avoid all this, it’s important to train your dog from as early an age as possible. You can implement this training yourself, although, for anyone going down the DIY route, we’d suggest doing your research rather than trying to find your feet as you go.

The reason for this is training dogs can be difficult and frustrating, requiring a lot of patience and some knowledge of the best strategies to implement. There are many great tutorials on YouTube, while you’ll find countless books that will teach you how to train your dog.

Alternatively, if your dog is proving particularly difficult to train or you don’t have the time to train your pet yourself, you could pay a professional to help. These can help teach your dog some valuable lessons and pass on their knowledge for you to continue the training at home.

Overfeeding/Underfeeding

When many dog owners first get their pet, they struggle with knowing precisely how much food they should provide. This is understandable as dogs aren’t humans (shocker!) so if you’ve only ever fed yourself or other homosapiens then it’ll be hard to work out what to feed your animal!

But worryingly, this can lead to a dog that’s getting too much or too little nutrients. Too much and you may have a pooch that’s struggling with digestive discomfort, diarrhoea and eventually weight gain or obesity.

Feed your dog too little and this is potentially even worse as you’ll have a pup that’s undernourished, which can lead to a variety of health issues and even death if the problem persists. So it’s important to strike the right balance.

Thankfully your vet should help you get this right. There are also endless resources that will give you an idea of how much food to offer your dog. In fact, even most dog foods have a guide, so this is something you should have no issues getting right.

Feeding Wrong Foods

As well as getting the amount right, be mindful of the types of foods you’re giving your dog. While packet dog food is undoubtedly more convenient and cheaper, in many cases you’ll be paying with your animal’s health as they contain poor-quality ingredients.

Dogs need a diet that’s rich in high-quality animal proteins. So check the ingredients of any food you give them to be sure they’re getting the goddess they need.

There are also many foods that are poisonous to dogs too. So get clued up on these and make sure you never offer these to your pet.

Failing To Get Dog Groomed

Last but not least, if you’re a new dog owner then you may be unsure when your pet needs to be groomed. Although this may not seem as urgent as some of the other mentions on this list, a dog that’s not been groomed regularly enough can encounter a raft of problems.

Possibly the most common complication seen in dogs that haven’t been sufficiently groomed is matted fur. These mats are dense, tangled clumps of fur and dogs are more prone to this when their hair is excessively wrong.

As well as being unsightly, not to mention uncomfortable and potentially even painful for your dog, matting can lead to skin irritation, while it can also harbour moisture and create an ideal environment for bacteria and fungi.

Another risk with not getting your dog groomed as often as you should is hair can start growing in and around their eyes. This is especially true with long-haired dogs.

As well as preventing them from seeing properly, long hair around a dog's eyes can lead to a range of issues, the most serious of which is eye infection. Hair that isn't regularly trimmed can cause irritation, putting your pet at risk of eye Infections.

Lastly, if your dog has excessively long hair, they may be more prone to overheating. This is especially true in summer when many dogs are at risk of becoming too hot. This is an even bigger concern lately, with scorching temperatures making life uncomfortable for our pets.

So those are the main mistakes to avoid when you’re getting a dog. As you can see, there are lots of responsibilities and owning a dog is a big commitment, but if you avoid making these common mistakes, you can ensure your dog has a healthy, happy and fulfilling life.

Once you’ve purchased your pet and you need to get them groomed, you know where we are! We offer a range of dog grooming services to help keep your pet in tip-top condition!