Bringing your new dog home

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Service Dogs, Inc. was with KXAN News to describe how to prepare to bring your dog home. Some tips include:

• Imagine a day in the life of your pet. Where will it sleep, eat, toilet, play, hang out? What time and how often daily will you need to feed it, toilet it, give it exercise, train it, groom it? For example, you may have to get up 30 minutes earlier to take it outside in the morning to toilet.
• A great tool for a new dog is a crate. It protects the rest of your home when you are away or sleeping until the dog learns good manners in the home. It gives the dog a calm, quiet place to relax. Crate training is accomplished through positives. It is not used as a punishment.
• Buy toys. Toys serve many purposes for your pet. Interactive toys are toys that you and your pet play with together. A tug toy for a dog is one example. A pacifier toy is something the pet plays with by itself. It keeps it occupied when you are not with it. An example is a chew toy.