There’s no greater addition to a household than a puppy, and children especially will fall in love with their new, and oh so cute, family member. It’s important to remember, however, that moving into a new home can be a confusing and even frightening experience for a young dog. As it grows up it will give you years of love and loyalty, so give it lots of love when it needs it most by doing all you can to ensure that your new puppy feels happy and at home from the moment it arrives.

Give Your Puppy a Calm Welcome

When you carry your puppy into its new home, everyone is going to be excited. Young children especially will want to pet it and cuddle it, but at first that could be completely the wrong thing to do. To help a puppy adjust to its new surroundings, create an environment that’s as calm and quiet as possible. It may take a day or two for a puppy to get used to the completely new sights, sounds and smells of your home, but once they’ve done that you’ll notice their confidence grow and they’ll seek you and other family members out. At this point it’s fine to stroke and cuddle them, so ensure that you talk to your children and do some research on the popular dog breeds before bringing a puppy home and stress the importance of being quiet.

Create a Safe Space for Your Puppy

Dogs are territorial creatures, even from an early age, so ensure that you have a small area of your home that’s specifically for your puppy. Put a dog basket filled with warm towels in this areaand place your new puppy gently into it. It won’t be long until you find your puppy heading towards it naturally, and this is a habit that will last for years. It’s a good idea to have a puppy toy or two in this area as well, and there should always be a fresh supply of water nearby as well as nutritious food to eat at mealtimes.

A Healthy Puppy Needs Exercise

A balanced diet is important for puppies as well as humans, especially when they are small, and the same is true of exercise. It’s important to get in the habit of walking your puppy on a daily basis as soon as possible, as this ensures that they grow up to be fit, strong and healthy. As they get older you can walk them for longer distances and more frequently, which is great exercise for the owner as well. Expert puppy walking tips can be found on the internet or from your local vet, but one key point to remember is that they must be correctly vaccinated first. It’s a good idea to carry out lead training first as well, and always remember to make your puppy’s walks as enjoyable for it as possible.

Give your puppy a wealth of love and it’s sure to return it tenfold in the years to come. Important steps to remember are to give it a quiet and calm first day or two, ensure that it’s had its vaccinations, and have a puppy bedding area for it with lots of water available nearby. Other than this, give your puppy regular walks and regular treats, and you’ll have a new member of the household that will enrich the lives of everyone within it. Buying a puppy is one of the greatest things you can do but remember to always consider their physical and emotional needs.

Children learn by example, and if you make a point of including exercise in your daily life, they will be sure to make this a part of their daily activities throughout their lives. Parents can schedule many different types of exercise into their interactions with children to suit different tastes. Here are a just few of the easiest ways to incorporate an exercise regime into your family life.

Look for More Opportunities to Walk

Walking is still one of the most convenient of exercises, with low impact and many cardiovascular benefits. You can encourage your children to take advantage of opportunities to walk by encouraging them to walk the dog with you, walk instead of driving to the local park or participating in a walkathon for charity. Walking is an activity you can enjoy together as a family, and it needs no special equipment.

With today’s busy schedules, it’s more important than ever to find time to spend together as a family. Implementing a family exercise regime will help your children to learn health habits, while it provides time to share conversation and experiences. Find an exercise that works for your family, and you’ll be rewarded with better health and closer family bonds.

Jogging

Taking a daily jog through the neighborhood is a great way for families to manage weight, improve cardiovascular health, increase lower body strength and improve lung function. Jogging as a group can be a fun way to check out changes in the neighborhood, interact with neighbors and forge closer bonds with your children.

Family Yoga

Yoga offers a beneficial exercise for people of all ages. The standard yoga positions, called “asanas,” can be adapted to suit the very young, those in the prime of their physical condition, as well as for older members of the family. Yoga is beneficial for muscle strengthening, increasing lung function and improving flexibility and balance. It can also be helpful in managing stress. These qualities make it a perfect exercise to share with family members. Places like California Family Fitness even offer family yoga classes.

Bicycling

Bicycling is a low-cost and enjoyable way to improve your family’s health and strengthen family bonds. You don’t have to buy top-of-the-line equipment to enjoy a day in the outdoors with your kids, communing with nature, seeing new sights and strengthening your muscles and cardiovascular system. Pack a snack and your camera for a wonderful day of exercise. Many communities now provide safe bike paths to allow families to participate in this healthy, enjoyable activity.