4 tips for first-time dog owners

If you’ve decided to adopt a dog and have found a potential match – how do you prepare yourself and your home for your new pet?

As a first-time dog owner, it’s important to ensure you know as much as possible about your new pet before bringing them home and, ideally, why tthey were put up for rehoming. Rescue centres will have spent time with the animals in their care, getting to know their likes, dislikes and any potential behavioural issues.

You’ll also want to make sure that your new pet is healthy, so check that any dog you are interested in adopting has had a recent vet check.

One of the most common mistakes made by first-time dog owners is to choose the wrong breed. Rather than select a new best friend based on looks, find a dog that will be a good fit for your family in terms of energy levels, exercise requirements and temperament.

For example, the best dog for a first-time owner could be a low-energy Greyhound or a Labrador, which are gentle and amenable to training.

The worst dogs for first-time owners are those that are highly energetic and require more physical and mental stimulation than other breeds, such as the Border Collie and Springer Spaniel. And don’t overlook crossbreeds, which can often be more balanced in their behavioural traits and make great dogs for first-time owners.

Also, if you have any other pets, you’ll need to consider how a dog would fit in with them and whether your home environment is suitable. For more information on the different type of breeds available, check out our breeds pages.

Your new dog is likely to be unsettled at first because moving from one home to another can cause anxiety. As a result, they'll need close supervision and guidance in the early days.

It’s important to set some ground rules from day one, such as basic manners during meal times including ‘sit’ and ‘stay’, and not jumping up. You might want to prepare your home for your new pet making certain areas of the house off limits and setting up sensible places for them to sleep, rest and eat.

Whether you’re rehoming a puppy or a dog, in the early days, it’s important to take the time to settle your dog into their new home, so they feel happy and secure. If you have a new puppy, try taking a blanket or something that smells of where they are coming from, so they have something familiar to comfort them. With a puppy, there will also be a lot of training to do during this time.

If you’ve rehomed a dog, you’ll have hopefully been given a behavioural profile of your new pet, highlighting any issues. However, it would be a good idea to carry out your own tests too.

After your dog is used to their new surroundings, and you’re venturing out for the first time, start off with your dog on a short lead. This is so you can find out how they react to other dogs and animals, and different people too. Do they walk well on a lead and know some basic training, or do you have some work to do?

Try not to simply take your new dog to the park and let them loose. Use a short lead or a long training line in open public spaces until you’re confident in their behaviour towards other animals and people, and you can be sure they will come back when called.