I spent a great chunk of my childhood trying to convince my parents on why they should let me adopt a dog. Despite all of my best efforts, I’m incredibly relieved they didn’t give in until I was well into my teens. Dogs are a huge responsibility, but if you’re willing to make the effort, they’re incredibly rewarding. Here are a few things I wish someone had told me before I adopted my first puppy.

Training is a lifetime commitment

This is something I vividly remember hearing our first trainer say and it’s something I wish I had taken a little more seriously. With my first dog, Sammy, I sort of assumed that the end of puppy training meant the end of training in its entirety. I was completely wrong, but here’s what I learned to implement the second time around:

• Enroll in as many courses as you can. Puppy training is very useful, but there is so much more to learn in advanced classes. My second puppy, Peach, graduated from puppy and teen manners classes (my baby has two degrees!!).

• Keep practicing and refreshing their skills. Dogs thrive off of repetition and they need the opportunity to consistently practice the tricks and manners we teach them in order for them to stick.

• Similar to humans, dogs love learning. Even if you’ve exhausted all of the basic manners and tricks, find something random to teach them. It keeps them occupied and it’s a fun party trick!

Your dog is not a bad dog, they’re just bored

Enrichment toys – something that would have saved me a lot of stress (and socks) had I known about them earlier! Dogs get bored, too, and two walks a day doesn’t cut it. They need little tasks or outlets throughout the day where they can put their brains to work. Without enrichment activities, your dog will likely find an outlet on their own.

Like a true suburban dog mom, I’m a part of a few enrichment Facebook groups and I find a lot of helpful ideas on there. My favourites so far are the Kong toys, snuffemats, treat dispensers and letting her have at an entire head of lettuce (trust me, it keeps them occupied all for the low price of $1.49).

Show them as much of the world as you can in the first few months

The first few months of a puppy’s life are coined the “socialization period.” It’s a very critical and formative time in their lives and it sets the stage for adulthood. Essentially, you want to expose your puppy to a number of different scenarios along with a reward (e.g. praise and/or a treat) in order to associate it as a positive experience. Our trainer gave us an exhaustive list of things to expose our puppy to, which included items like skateboard, man with beard, cow (didn’t quite check that one off), lightning and much more. As long as you check off these experiences early, you can rest assured they won’t act adversely to them when they’re older.

You’re a good dog parent even when you don’t feel like you are

Having a dog is a huge responsibility and it’s okay if you don’t feel like you’re doing everything right. I still feel like that a lot of the time. As overwhelming as this list might seem, you’ll find your groove eventually and it will be so, so worth it.