Imagine, You are sitting on your couch and you think “I need a friend.” Next you think about who your friend could be and boom, lightbulb, I want a dog! But, How am I going to ask my parents? Then you think “I am just going to ask!” They then proceed to say, “You don’t even know how to take care of a dog.” Well I am here to change that. I have 5 dogs so I can give you some tips and tricks on how to take care of them.

To take care of a dog, you need to know what they need. They definitely need the basics, food and water. For our smaller dog we use, Pedigree Tender Bites for small dogs. For our big dog we use the Pedigree Adult complete Nutrition. For our puppies we use Pedigree Puppy Growth and Protection. Finally for our older dog we use Pedigree Chopped Ground Dinner with Beef or chicken. The dog’s water is also very important. If you live in a place that is cold and your dog is living outside, you want to make sure to get a heated water bucket. But if your dog lives inside I would recommend using automatic water so that you only have to fill it up about every 3 days. You also need lots of space for your dogs to run around and use the restroom. Another thing that your dogs will need is a place to live. If your dog lives inside, make sure that they have a spot where they know that their food and water is. If your dog lives outside, you definitely want a kennel for them to stay in during the day, night, or both. Finally, you probably want some toys for your dog to play with. If you are busy you want toys so that the dog can entertain themselves, because if they are bored they will most likely do something naughty.

To take care of a dog you are also going to want to know how they act. For dogs it all depends on the age. Newborn dogs mainly just sleep and eat. When they are growing up a bit be sure to be prepared for when they start walking. Our dog had 10 puppies and they were everywhere when she first started walking. Puppies that are about 1 year old are usually teething so make sure that you have plenty of things for them to chew on because it makes their teeth feel better. If you have a dog that is about 2-5 years old, that is the perfect age. They are usually pretty calm, so they aren’t jumping up on you, but they are still willing to play with you. Finally, older dogs mainly just lay around, run, eat and they love to see you. Our older dog is 15, and she is still pretty active, but different dogs act different ways when they get older.

Finally, to take care of a dog you need to know how to attend to a dog. You need to feed and water your dog everyday. The bigger they are the more they eat. You will most likely figure ouut how much your dog eats in about a week. If there is a lot of food left over in their bowl at the end of the day, you can either cut down how much food you are giving them or you can just feed them once every 2 days if there is constantly food left over. But, If they stop eating completly make sure you take them to the vet. You also want to give your dog plenty of water, the more water the better. Dogs are usually pretty thirsty after they run around and like I said before, dogs run around alot. Finally, you want to play with your dog as often as you can dogs thrive from human interaction, because it makes them happy. So, if you get a dog be sure to play for it for at least 10 minutes a day.

So in conclusion, if you want a dog you have to be ready for their behavior, what they will need and how you are going to attend to them. Now that you know all of these things, go ask your parents for one. If you want to convince them even more, find a dog beforehand at https://www.petfinder.com/search/dogs-for-adoption/us/ks/66801/ to make them want a dog even more.