It’s natural that you would love having a dog. Dogs have been great pets for thousands of years. It’s always a great idea to get a dog, but you have to remember that you are also taking on some responsibility when you bring a dog into your house. Here are some ways you can handle those responsibilities.
Just like humans, dogs should go to the vet for a checkup yearly. Your dog can’t talk, it might be difficult to find out what is wrong if there is an issue. Regular checkups will assure these issues are caught before they turn into something big.
Always neuter or spay your pet. Research has shown that by doing this you can be sure your pet can have a longer life and not be at risk for things like cancer. Besides, a neutered dog will be less likely to run away or to get in fights with other animals.
When training your puppy or dog, keep the sessions short! Experts say that a dog has the attention span of a small child, sometimes less, and that longer sessions will actually cause him to forget everything you’ve learned together. Use positive reinforcement and limit your training sessions to no more than 15 minutes.
Brushing your dog’s teeth is important, but it is not easy. If your dog is resisting, once a day simply lift their lips and use your finger to rub their teeth lightly. Do it quickly at first, and then begin to draw out the time you spend performing this action. This will help them get use to the process. After that, you can begin using an actual brush and toothpaste.
Keep your dog at a healthy weight. Plenty of dogs are overweight, and just like humans, this can lead to health issues. People tend to overfeed their dogs, and many also feed them table scraps. A dog doesn’t need as many calories as most people think; talk to your vet about how much you should feed him each day, and what food is most suitable. A vet will advise you based on his size, age and lifestyle.
If you want to keep your dog outside, build him or her a small shelter. Wet feet and cold fur can bring on health problems. Keep your dog safe by giving him shelter.
If your dog has long hair, make sure to take the time to trim the fur around his feet. If you allow your dog’s hair to grow too long, they can get things stuck in their fur. This could lead to injuries between the pads of the feet and around the nails.
Make sure that you trim your dog’s nails on a fairly regular basis. You do not want them to get too long since it will make it uncomfortable for them to walk and they may develop health issues. They should be at a length that just about touches the ground.
It is very common for objects to get lodged in the pads of your dogs paws. Check them regularly to make sure that nothing is in there. If you see something, be very careful about taking it out, or it may become lodged even deeper. It is a wise to use tweezers for this.
To ensure that your dog is safe, you should try to make your home as dog-proof as possibly. This includes making sure that only safe play toys are within your dogs reach. If you have a problem with your dog getting into your kitchen trash or the things on your counter, you could consider getting a baby gate to prevent your pup from entering the kitchen.
You should remember the quote about too many cooks spoiling the soup while trying to train your dog. Different people do things different ways, and you can confuse your pup. Therefore, ensure that only one person is doing the training. The other people should only reinforce the person’s rules and stick by them.
Some people think it is cute to give their dog alcohol, but it is dangerous. In high doses, alcohol is toxic to humans and even more so for animals. In addition, it affects co-ordination, causing accidents, and can decrease a dog’s respiratory rate. Even small amounts of alcohol can kill a dog.
When you first start out training the dog see what kinds of rewards work best. You need to figure out what motivates your particular animal. Dogs that are driven by food may respond to small bits of hot dog used as rewards. If you have a dog that likes toys, let the dog play tug of war after doing what it was told. Petting can be the best reward too.
Don’t surrender to your dog’s whims. Dog owners at times think it’s fine to let them destroy toys every now and then, or to sneak food to them sometimes. This is particularly true when the dog is cute! But, when you’re tough on your dog, less accidents will occur. For instance, you might not mind offering your dog your scraps when finished, but this can lead to your dog thinking it’s fine to jump and grab the whole steak from your plate!
Never allow a puppy to climb up or down steps in order to prevent joint problems in the future. This is extremely important, especially with breeds that are at high risk for hip dysplasia. Any sort of high impact shock such as jumping or stair climbing should be avoided due to the fact that their growth plates are still developing.
If you won’t be the only person tending for your dog, make sure that everyone who will be taking care of the dog is on the same page. If you have one way of doing things and your significant other has another way, you should sit down and explain the ways and figure out which one will be applied constantly by both people.
Having a dog isn’t all fun and games. You have to give yourself some time to really think about what you’re doing, and to act accordingly. You can use the tips here to help you to know what you need to do. You can always have a happy dog, if you take the time to give it a little thought.
