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Love, Dogs, and Teamwork: The Talks Every Couple Needs Before Bringing Home a Dog Home

  • Writer: Sit Pretty Pup Parents
    Sit Pretty Pup Parents
  • Dec 22, 2025
  • 6 min read

Adding a dog to your family means hilarity, cuteness and so much love but also…responsibility and some important conversations and decisions to help relationships and your dog thrive.  


Dogs change your rhythms, routine, finances, and relationships. When expectations aren’t aligned, even small things can become big problems. 


But when you and your partner agree on responsibilities and dog care, your dog becomes a unifying force instead of a point of tension.


Below is your Sit Pretty Pup guide to the essential talks families we suggest to help you, your partner, and your dog thrive.


🐾 1. Who Will Walk the Dog (and When)?


Talk through:

  • Who does mornings?

  • Who handles after-work walks?

  • What happens on busy days, late nights, early meetings, or days someone’s not feeling well?

  • Does your dog need regular long walks? If so, who does those walks and when? 


Establish a routine with built-in flexibility, so no one feels resentful or misses social opportunities that are important to them or work obligations (and so your dog always gets the care he or she needs). 


💧 2. Who Will Fill the Water Bowl?


It sounds simple, but it becomes a relationship issue when it falls on one person more than another, and resentment builds. 


Decide: 

  • Whose job is it usually? 

  • Will you use filtered water, bottled water or tap water? 

  • What will you use to give your dog water when you’re on adventures, and who brings that? 


🍽️ 3. Who Feeds the Dog?


Discuss feeding schedules:


  • Will you feed your dog twice a day or once? (We strongly don’t suggest continuous feeding for many reasons.)

  • Who is responsible for one or both? 


💉 4. What Vaccinations Will Your Dog Receive?


A rabies vaccination is often legally required. If you are opposed to multiple rabies vaccinations, you can ask your state and municipality if a titer test would be accepted. 


Other possible vaccinations include:


Core Vaccines (often recommended for all dogs)

  • DA2PP/DHPP: Distemper, Adenovirus-2 (Hepatitis protection), Parvovirus, Parainfluenza

  • Rabies


Lifestyle Vaccines (need usually assessed based on risk)

  • Leptospirosis

  • Lyme Disease (Borrelia burgdorferi)

  • Bordetella

  • Canine Influenza (H3N2/H3N8)

  • Rattlesnake Vaccine (Crotalus atrox) (usually region-specific recommendation)


Less Common Vaccines

  • Canine Coronavirus (CCoV)

  • Giardia

  • Leishmania (rare, mostly outside US)


We research all vaccines given to our dogs and make sure we’re aware of possible side effects, news related to the vaccines, effectiveness and pet pawrents’ reports. 


Our perspective: We do what is legally required (rabies) as well as distemper, Lyme and Bordatella. We ensure we’re home for with our dogs for the 24 hours after a vaccination to watch for any complications. One of our dogs experienced extreme side effects from the Bordatella vaccine and required intervention care the next day. She did not receive that vaccine again.


🩺 5. Pet Insurance or Emergency Savings?


This is a big, important topic. Talk through:


Will you get a pet insurance policy?


Or will you instead set aside an emergency veterinary fund? If so, how much will you contribute monthly or annually? 


Emergencies will happen. Plan now, so there’s less panic later. 


Our perspective: We read the fine print of the plans that are out there and made the decision to save. Our emergency plan if needs exceeded savings is Care Credit, which usually offers short-term financing options with no interest for 6, 12, 18, or 24 months on purchases of $200 or more. This is what works best for our family. Do what’s best for yours. There is no one-size-fits-all.


🏥 6. Which Veterinarian Will You Use?


Consider:

  • Location

  • Hours (Do you need weekend hours?)

  • Cost (If vet won’t reveal costs, ask community members on social media what the costs usually are for that vet.)

  • Care philosophy (traditional, holistic, fear-free, etc.)

  • Online reviews 

  • If your state has publicly visible court records, like Wisconsin does, check for any care-related litigation the vet may be involved in. 

  • Emergency clinics nearby (often needs to be different than your regular vet)


🚪 7. Will You Kennel/Crate Train?


Think through:

  • Do you want your dog to sleep in a crate?

  • The pros and cons 

  • If getting one, what is the budget for it, and what kind and size is needed? 

  • If getting one, where will the crate be located? 

  • If you kennel train, will you have any bedding in the crate? (We only do for one of our dogs, who doesn’t chew on bedding.)


Our perspective: We wrote about why we kennel our dogs: https://www.sitprettypup.com/post/reasons-to-kennel-your-dog.


🧼 8. Who Will Give the Dog Baths?


Not all dogs love bath time, and it can get messy. 


Discuss:

  • Who normally handles baths?

  • Will you split duties? (One person washes and one person cleans up after?)

  • Will you do baths at home or to a place with dog bath areas for rent? 

  • What shampoo and conditioner will you use? Out of an abundance of caution, we tend to use ones formulated for dogs with allergies and that include soothing oatmeal.



✂️ 9. Who Will Trim the Nails?


Nail care is non-negotiable for health. Decide:


  • Will you learn to trim at home?

  • Will one person do it, will you take turns or does the task require both of you?

  • Will you go to a groomer or vet tech for trims?


🪮 10. Who Will Brush the Dog?


Especially important for long-haired breeds, double-coated pups, and seasonal shedder, discuss:


  • Frequency

  • Tools 

  • Who typically does it

  • The budget for grooming tools


🥣 11. What Food Will You Feed?


Talk through your philosophy on:


  • Kibble vs. fresh food vs. raw

  • Budget

  • Ingredients you prefer, and ingredients you may want to exclude (like potatoes and legumes due to possible DCM)

  • Brands with which you’re comfortable 

  • Toppers 

  • Supplements 


Here’s some of what we consider when selecting dog food, plus some brands we love and ones we wouldn’t get, if we had a choice: https://www.sitprettypup.com/post/choosing-dog-food. 


💸 12. Monthly Budget: Necessities


Dog pawrenting expenses can really, really add up. Plan for basics like:


  • Food

  • Treats

  • Supplements 

  • Grooming services 

  • Training classes

  • At-home grooming costs


We like to wait for food and supplement sales, when we can, and stock up. 


Some of our favorite, tried-and-love supplies are available here: https://www.amazon.com/shop/sitprettypup?ref_=cm_sw_r_mwn_aipsfshop_ZR10E9DC4ZSKJS623GYA&language=en-US. 


🛍️ 13. Monthly Budget: “Nice-to-Have” Extras


How amount those dog life luxuries? The things that are optional, but add some pup spice to life. 


Decide on a budget and what luxury items you will purchase, whether one time or on a regular basis, such as for birthday celebrations or seasonal changes.  


  • Extra leashes

  • Extra collars and harnesses

  • Seasonal bandanas

  • Outfits 

  • Toys 



🧳 14. What Happens When One of You Has a Night Out or Isn’t Feeling Well?


Life happens, from illness to work travel to nights out with friends to just needing a break. 


You may need to work out logistics specific to some situations, but, with many, you can determine uour backup system in advance. 


Who steps in when the other can’t do the usual duties?


What’s the expectation for notice about being unavailable due to plans?


Always a good idea: Line up your plans C and D. Your partner may be your plan B, but some situations will mean neither of you is available? When then? Have a list of people you trust and area sitters or boarding facilities that are pre-vetted. Ask around in your community about sitters and facilities people trust and about their experiences with them.


🛌 15. Where Will Your Dog Sleep?


Will your dog sleep in a crate, in bed or in his or her own room? Start with crate as a puppy and then increase sleeping location options? 


The right answer can be a complex one. An honest, open conversation about pros and cons is in order:  


🧑‍🏫 16. What’s Your Training Philosophy?


Mixed messages won’t work for you and your partner or your dog. Clear communication when training both between you and with your dog gives you the best chance for success. Discuss:


  • Positive reinforcement options (clicker, treat, etc.)

  • Not allowing your dog to jump

  • Allowed on the couch or not? 

  • Allowed in all rooms of the house? 

  • What do teaching moments look like? Disengagement? Taking away something? Time-outs? 

  • How you’ll handle accidents


👩‍⚕️ 17. How will You Protect Your Dog from Ticks and Fleas? 


Talk about flea, tick and heartworm prevention. There are many options, each with pros and cons. 

Flea and tick prevention options include:


  • Topical, non-isoxazoline, such as Frontline Plus, Advantage II, and K9 Advantix II

  • Combo products that contain isoxazolines

  • Essential oil‑based sprays or collars 

  • Diatomaceous earth in the environment 


Pros and cons to all of the options. Do your research, and do what works best for your family. 


Our perspective: We go the more natural route due to past side effects our dogs experienced and reported side effects of some options.


One flea and tick prevention option that we wouldn’t use due to reported side effects is isoxazoline class options, like fluralaner (Bravecto), afoxolaner (Nexgard), and sarolaner (Simparica/Simparica Trio. But these are, according to studies, very effective at flea and tick control. 



❤️ Final Thoughts: Teamwork Makes the Tail Wag and the Dog Pawrents Smile


At the heart of all these conversations is one truth: communication and alignment helps you and your dog thrive.


This is not about rigidity; it’s about creating a supportive, flexible framework that helps everyone flourish and helps prevent resentment over misunderstandings, feelings of unequal work allocation, and disagreements in critical moments that may already be challenging.


This is about combining love and logistics. Wishing you many happy dog pawrenting days! 

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