(Copied from a different thread)
Just a few observations:
Life with a dog is about 10% sex and 90% other issues.
You should also prepare for the small but still existent possibility of your dog not being into having sex with you. And you should definitely prepare for the fact that not everything you might have dreamed up about the sex will be possible.
0. A dog is a full time commitment for 7-15 years.
1. Before you get a puppy, find a good dog school and talk to them so you will be able to attend as soon as it becomes possible. They might even let you observe a few lectures so you can decide. Dog socialization with other dogs and people is very important for your later life and the sooner you begin the better. Find a school that focuses more on raising the dogs rather than exhibition training. Of course it is nice when your dog can perform tricks, jump over obstacles and runs well through a tunnel, but obedience, socialization, street training and real world useful things are in my opinion more important.
2. When it comes to health, start training the important stuff you can do yourself soon. Tooth brushing and nail clipping... Both these things can be done without stressing the dog too much and with the dog letting you do it for a reward. A vet will do this for you too, but it will cost you a little and it will stress your dog a lot more. And keeping your dog's teeth in good shape will reward you with a healthy dog and amazing kissing experience. Veterinary teeth cleaning is done under anesthesia. You may never need it if you brush your dog's teeth daily. Dental plaque in dogs solidifies in 48h, so you should do it daily.
3. Buy a small box of the powder that stops bleeding from deep cut nails. Trust me, if your dog has black nails, you will need it. Even my vet cuts too deep and uses it.
4. Read a book or two about raising a dog, it will tell you the basics in a concentrated easy to understand way.
5. Prepare yourself that you will need a lot of patience and never get mad at your dog for not understanding something. (it may get hard sometimes )
6. Prepare yourself for a lot of sleepless nights and stress. Just recently my dog was sick and it really hurts to see your dog suffer. You will have to deal with unexpected problems. Like your dog having diarrhea every two hours through the night on Monday in the winter. (that happened).
Depending on the size of your dog you might need to take him for long walks multiple times a day every day and in almost any weather.
7. Prepare your home for a puppy, hide cables, shoes... anything you do not want to be chewed.
8. Once you get a puppy stock up on rice, carrots and chicken meat a little. Young dogs often suffer from diarrhea and boiled rice with chicken and carrot helps a lot. I also always have some dog probiotic paste or pills from my vet in case my dog feels sick. Your vet will tell you more about how to use it. My dog used to get diarrhea a lot in the beginning.
9. Always keep some money reserve for emergency vet care. Save a phone number for the nearest 24h vet emergency in your phone. Depending on your area learn how to deal with poisoning and how to make your dog vomit. In my area people sometimes poison dogs with poison bait.
10. A larger dog needs a larger money reserve because everything gets more expensive with size. Food, vets, toys...
11. You are never going to be able to prepare for the day you loose your dog and quite likely you are going to be the one making the decision. And you are going to want to be there when he has his last breath because you do not want to leave your dog alone to spare yourself the suffering after all the years he gave you. And you should not. Read an article from a vet about this.
12. Do a background check on the breed you pick to familiarize yourself with possible genetic issues. Like for example some bulldog breeds not being able to breathe properly, mate properly or some german shepherds having so deformed leg that life is painful for them later on. You do not want to continue the suffering by supporting such a breeder.
13. Do a background check on the breeder, some are complete fucks who literally abuse animals. You want to see the puppies and their living conditions before you buy and ideally you want to see the parents of those puppies personally.
