Owning a dog is not an inexpensive venture these days.
It starts with the purchase or adoption, both of which can run you hundreds, or in the case of a purebred dog, thousands of dollars.
Puppy accessories such as collars, leashes, beds, toys, bowls, crates and exercise pens can easily total more than a couple hundred dollars.
Then there is the food. Good quality kibble on average is around $65 for a 15-kilogram bag and it goes up from there. Raw diets are much more reasonable than they have ever been but they are still pricey if you are comparing to kibble. Lower quality kibble can be found, but it usually leads to skin problems, allergies and food sensitivities, which lead to unexpected veterinary costs.
Don't forget the required veterinary visits for vaccinations and spaying or neutering.
Then there is the training. When a new puppy is ready to begin its training - any time after eight weeks of age - the recommended course of action is to enroll it in a puppy kindergarten for its initial socialization and puppy obedience.
Once it graduates, the next step is a formal obedience class or two.
All of these classes add up and if a new dog owner didn't take these situations into account and make arrangements to their budget, their young dog is the one whose health and behaviour suffers.
But even on a fixed budget, you can still own a dog, and get the best value for your money while providing for all of its needs. But, you must be willing to put in the extra time and effort when required.
Without a doubt, a puppy kindergarten is probably the most valuable training investment you can make in your dog's lifelong behaviour. Don't scrimp on this as you really do get the most bang for your buck in a quality puppy kindergarten. Really great puppy preschools will set you and your dog on the right track with all of the tools you will ever need, and if you are diligent you can save yourself a whole lot of money on future training costs.
The next valuable and cost-saving thing you can do is learn about leadership and how to apply it to your life with your dog. As a trainer, the number one thing I get called out for is to help a dog owner deal with a dog that is "out of control." What this means is the owner waited far too long to teach their dog proper boundaries and limitations and use their obedience commands to instill confidence, tolerance and peacefulness. A once small investment of a puppy class where this would have been taught, but the owner never participated in, is now going to cost the owner at least three times the amount of a puppy class to fix the out-ofcontrol dog. And what I will be doing is teaching the owner, not the dog, how to be a proper leader for their dog, while altering the unwanted behaviour of the dog.
There are some really good training books and websites, both of which are inexpensive, that give excellent advice and tools on leadership skills.
These should be bought or visited before there is a problem and implemented as soon as the dog comes home. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Or in dollars and cents, a $20 book on prevention is worth a $400 cure! Brenda Aloff's book or DVD Get Connected With Your Dog is one of my favourites for building a solid relationship with your dog based on leadership.
Behavioural problems, such as aggression towards people or dogs, is not something solved by reading a book, watching a video or visiting a website. This is a serious behavioural issue requiring professional help and therefore a financial commitment.
If you want to teach your dog obedience on your own, however, then trainers such as Pat Millar (The Power of Positive Dog Training) and Brenda Aloff (Positive Reinforcement - Training Dogs in the Real World) are two of my favourite pro-positive trainers with books that offer easy, do-it-yourself training routines.
When it comes to teaching the basics of obedience, the use of treats really is the quickest way to your goal.
There are ways to have a dog and live within a limited budget. Knowing where and how to spend your money will help you keep your dog healthy and happy.
Joan has been working with dogs for over 15 years in obedience, tracking and behavioural rehabilitation. Contact her through her website k9kinship.com.
