Hi guys, welcome back to my channel and to a video, all about things I wish I'd known
before getting a puppy or a dog. We've had Kiki for over six months now. She is a Cavapoo and
I feel like we've learnt so much. I grew up with a family dog, but it is very different
having a dog around you as you're growing up to then owning dog. And I feel like we've learned
so much in the last six months. And I just feel if it's something you are considering,
obviously, I think most people know it's a massive responsibility. But there's
a few other things that I wasn't necessarily expecting that I wanted to share with you guys.
We're going to talk about cost. We're going to talk about food. We're going to talk about
training. We're going to talk about everything. So, hope you really enjoy with this video.
If you do, give a big thumbs up. And if you're new to my channel, I would love you to subscribe. And
I'll also link down below a few other videos that I've made. I've made a video about 24 hours with
a puppy, and also surprising our kids with Kiki as well, which is really adorable. So, I'll link this
down below, but with all that said, let's get into my 10 tips. So, my first tip, before you
even get a dog is to really do your research in terms of what breed you want to get, because every
breed is very different. They all have specific personality traits and even health issues that
you may want to be aware of, or be able to look into. And not only is every breed different, but
every puppy has its very own personality as well. So, what you really want to do is find the perfect
dog for your family, for your setup, because you don't want to say, get a dog that requires
loads and loads of exercise. If you go out to work every day, it has to kind of fit into your life.
So for us, we got a Cavapoo straight away. We knew we needed a hypoallergenic dog. So it was
between a Cavapoo, a Cockapoo, or a Maltipoo. And I watched so many YouTube videos about those
specific breeds of dogs. And then I decided in the end, actually a Cavapoo would be the perfect fit
for our family. But there were things to think about, like her breed can suffer from heart
problems. So, she was tested before we actually got her. The next thing to think about is not only
is having a dog, a huge responsibility, it's also a massive tie in terms of days out or going on
holiday. And you do have to invest a lot of time into them. So for us, I actually waited for all
of my children to start school and then I got her. Not only because I was a little bit lonely home,
but also I knew that I had the time to invest in her. I also work from home, so that really does
help as well. And we also spoke to family members, like my mother-in-law before we got her to just
see if having the dog, when we go on holiday is something that she would be interested in and
she was fully on board. So we'd decided to go for it, but even if we were to say, go to the zoo one
day or have a day out with the kids, we have to think about how long we're going to be. We have to
consider getting back for Kiki, just to make sure she can get out to the toilet and be fed. Sorry.
She's just run off. I was just going to add to that point that if you don't have family around
that are able to help and support you with a dog, then it might just be worth looking into
doggy daycare or a local dog walker that can help you, if you need it. The next thing that I wasn't
really expecting, and that took me by surprise was how much we were stuck in the house for
the first month of having a puppy or a dog. We got Kiki when she was eight weeks old, but her
vaccinations weren't until she was 12 weeks. So you can't actually take her out for walks
until she's fully vaccinated. So we were just kind of stuck at home. Obviously, we could take
her in the garden, but I wasn't really prepared for getting a dog and then kind of being stuck.
We also felt like, because she was this little baby that we couldn't really leave her for very
long. So, we were either in the house with her or I did have this little doggy bag that I would
carry her out for walks with. But then that was tricky because I'd obviously be carrying her,
but she would want to get down. So, I just found that first month a bit tricky, but I would say
that they do grow up really quickly. So, soon enough I could walk her. And while I did feel
stuck in for those early days, you do also have to be prepared to be outside for quite a lot of
the time with a puppy, if you're toilet training. So for us, luckily, I work from home and I would
take her out every 30 minutes or so to see if she would go to the toilet, in the garden.
But sometimes I did feel like I was just kind of strolling around, outside, waiting for something
to happen. And I always had treats in my jacket. So how I did it was if she went to the toilet
outside, I would give her a big fuss and a treat outside. And then if she had an accident indoors,
which will definitely happen in those early days, if you have any rugs or blankets you like,
definitely get rid of them for a little bit. And if she'd had an accident indoors,
I would just ignore it. I'd cleaned up, wouldn't say anything. So, she quickly
worked out that the treats and everything were happening when she went outside and I would
actually really recommend bell training. My friend told me about this. You can get bells on
Amazon to hang on your door and then every time you take them out, you ding it. And then they
quickly learn that when you ding the bell, then you'll open the door for them, let them out.
And it's great because if Kiki ever needs to go to the toilet anywhere,
and if I have that bell on me. So if we go to a friend's house for the day, I can bring the bell,
she can ding it, if she wants to go to the garden and go to the toilet and it's worked really,
really well. She's back now having a little snooze, but the next one that I wanted to tell
you about that I really didn't expect to love, but it's worked out so well for us is crate training.
I actually felt really mean when we ordered her crates before we got her that every bit of
research or reading that I did really recommended to get a crate. And honestly, it's been amazing.
It meant that she slept through the night so young, it's also her safe haven. If my children
are ever getting a little bit too much or they have friends over, she can just take herself off
to her crate and know that nobody's going to come in there. And if I pop out for a bit, I know that
I can put her in the crate and she's not going to get into anything. She's very safe in there.
So the day that we got her, I actually hid lots of treats in the crate. So that every time she
went in there to have a look around, she was rewarded with treats. She'd find them and
immediately thought that it was this fun, great place. And it's been great for things like we
went away for a week recently, so we just took the crates to my mother-in-law's house.
So she had her little home, she had the same routine and she slept really well there as well.
So I would highly recommend it. I don't know how long we'll have it for, but at the moment
she really loves it. Next up, let's talk about food. Something that I really wasn't expecting
is that she is a very fussy eater. Again, it can depend on breed. Apparently it's the poodle in her
that is well known for being fussy eaters. But honestly she turns her nose up at so
much food. Yesterday, even tries to give her a little bit of salmon filet and she just turned
her nose up at it, wasn't interested at all. I've tried so many different techniques. I've
tried so many different food subscription boxes and she is not bothered by food,
which I guess is good that she won't like overeat or anything like that.
But it can be really frustrating. I grew up with a dalmation that would just eat anything going.
So it did come as quite a surprise. I do like her food subscription box that you can go on,
put in their breed, put in their birthday and then the food will just arrive each month.
And another thing that I wanted to talk about is chewing. I heard someone say the other day,
"I need to get my puppy to stop chewing." But it's almost not that you want them to stop chewing. You
just want them to chew the right things. When you get them, they probably will be teething. They'll
lose all of their little baby shark teeth and get their adult ones. So I can really recommend Yak
Milk Chews. They're not messy at all, and they would keep her busy for absolutely ages. I get
great toys that she can chew as well. And I also gets some chews on Amazon, which is what
she was eating at the beginning of this video. The next thing to know is that dogs get dirty,
especially if you get them during the winter like we did. So after every single walk,
she needs to pretty much have a bath or a shower. So with the renovation work that we're doing,
we're actually having a hot tap run outside, so we'll have an outside shower for her. So when we
get back from a walk, we can quickly hose her down and dry her and then bring her into the house.
But because of her fluffy blonde hair, she gets so muddy and so dirty. So again, it depends,
if you have a very short haired dog, like my friend has a French bulldog and she says he
basically never really gets that muddy or dirty. So just something to think about.
Also, we have to take her to the groomers every three weeks, because although it's great that
she doesn't shed her hair or anything, she does need a haircut and a good wash every three weeks.
But just if you're very, very house proud, just be aware, they can get really dirty. And
I think bigger breeds can also drool a lot as well. So just something to be aware of.
My next tip is to really invest some time and maybe even a little bit of money into training
your dog. I'm fully aware that I'm probably going to have to spend more time for the next two years
training her, so that we do get this kind of well balanced, well behaved dog later on. We also got
a trainer for only two sessions, but he was very honest when he came to our house and helped us.
He said he wasn't training her. He was there to train us. I would also really recommend
reading or listening to a book like I did. I read one called Easy Peasy Puppy
Squeezy. And I learned a lot from that as well. You can also take them into puppy school, which is
also great because then they get to socialize. But she was so shy and timid as a puppy,
I just knew that wasn't probably the right route for her. But you not only learn so much, but it
also gave me the confidence to walk her off lead, straight away from day one, which is really scary.
But the way that our dog trainer told us about it is actually when they're little babies,
they're more scared. So they're more likely to stay with you rather than just run off.
Whereas if you wait until they're a little bit older, and then you let them off, they're
more likely to run off. So we went somewhere very quiet. I had loads of treats in my hand
and we just let her off the lead. And she's been brilliant. We practice it every day, pretty much.
And the hope, her recall's getting really good now. But it is very scary having the confidence,
I don't think I would've done it without the dog trainer right there with me. And another
thing that really surprised me was I didn't realize that you would get a dog or get a puppy
and put them on a lead. And they have no idea how to walk on a lead. They need to be trained
how to walk on a lead. I kind of thought you get a dog, put on a lead,
off you go. But literally, she just didn't know what to do at the beginning. So, definitely take
some time, train them, get some help if you need it. Next one is a big one. Let's talk about cost,
because dogs are not cheap. Not only do you have to get them in the first place, unless you get a
rescue dog. But then you also need all the stuff for them, which of course you can buy secondhand.
But then you also have the monthly running costs of their food, their insurance,
any vet bills. I have to deworm her every month. I have to give her a flea treatment every month.
And she also has grooming costs every month, because she's such a diva, I'm kidding.
But if you do get a hypoallergenic dog, that's something else to consider. It's definitely worth
thinking about if you need a dog walker, if you are going to need care for them, if go on holiday,
et cetera. And from my last point, I wanted to end on a positive because although I've talked
about cost and training and all of those things, she is one of the best things we've ever done
after having kids. She's such a huge part of this family. We are all obsessed with her.
She brings us so much joy. She's always so happy to be with us and to see us.
She's like my little best friend and companion. And honestly I am a crazy dog
woman now, the other day, we're in the park and this other person with a dog, we got chatting to
said, "Oh, isn't she so like you? All blonde and sociable." And I felt really proud like
she's my actual daughter or something. Honestly, I missed her so much when we went on holiday and
she's probably the best thing I've ever done for my mental health as well. When all of my children
started school, I was feeling a little bit lonely and actually getting her sort of gave me a purpose
again. Not that I don't have a purpose, but you know what I mean? I could kind of,
I find myself chatting to her throughout the day. I just love having her around and in the evenings
when we're watching TV, she's cuddled up to us. She's honestly the best and I love her. So don't
let any of the previous points put you off because you won't know how you live without them once you
have them. So those are all the tips that I wanted to share with you guys. I really
hope you enjoyed this video. Let me know in the comments below, if you have any tips of your own,
I'd be interested to read those, especially if you have any other fussy eater tips. But I was
hoping she would say goodbye to you guys, but she is so tired. She went for a walk this morning.
So she's very chill now. But anyway, thanks again. And I'll see you in my next one. Bye.