Owning a dog comes with some responsibilities. Your dog may also scratch on the door if it needs to take care of business. When dogs are looking for love, they might even gaze into your eyes. Unfortunately it is not always easy to read what a dog is looking for.
Get your dog neutered. Statistics show that doing this can reduce your dog’s cancer risk, which can result in a longer life span. A spayed or neutered dog is also less likely to stray from its home, meaning it won’t risk getting lost or winding up in a street accident.
Make sure you are using the right flea treatments on your pet dog. They contain carcinogens proven to cause cancer in kids. Bring up the subject of alternative and family-friendly treatments the next time you see your vet, and always be sure to apply these treatments when no children are present.
Table Scraps
You should never give table scraps to your dog. Feeding a dog from the table only reinforces begging. The dog will also be less likely to eat its normal food. Table scraps can also be unhealthy and lead to excess weight and digestive problems. You can keep your dog healthy and avoid any temptation to feed it from the table by teaching it to spend dinnertime well away from your family.
When you are training your dog, it is always best to incorporate the use of hand signals in addition to using verbal commands. It may be easier for your dog to learn commands if they see a visual signal. Every pet is different though, so use a combination of both verbal and visual cues and then determine what works the best.
Be sure to address your dog’s bad behavior when you first notice it. If you ignore it you might make it worse than before. Be sure to control and contain your dog to prevent problems with people.
Don’t buy cheap dog food. It will benefit your dog greatly if he is fed food that is nutritious and high in quality. Even though you are paying more, it will save on health bills down the road.
Take your new dog to the vet. Make an appointment as early as possible. The vet will examine your dog. Set up an appointment to have your dog fixed, too.
Certain dog breeds are prone to particular health issues, so find out what is typical for the type of dog you have. Find out what health problems to expect and learn how to prevent those that your dog is prone to developing. Also, ask your vet what you can do to help your canine beat the odds for his breed.
If your dog is lonely, consider a friend for him. Dogs love to be social and hate to be alone. Match the two dogs by energy levels and temperament, and both dogs will be in heaven!
Be cautious with your female dog if she’s in heat. If you don’t, she may become pregnant. A male dog can smell a female in heat from up to five miles away. There can be numerous problems, such as causing conflicts with neighbor’s dogs, and getting impregnated with puppies that you don’t know a lot about.
Be certain a lost dog can be returned to you by giving him some identification. A popular way to ensure your dog gets back home safely is to make them use a breakaway collar that has an identification tag. Put your own name and contact information on it, along with your dog’s name. The dog could also get a micro-chip implanted in it.
Dogs can get a cut on their foot if they step on glass or debris. If you notice a small cut on your dog, use an antiseptic and a bandage to clean and protect it. If you believe your dog has a deep cut, you need to visit your vet.
Dog Foods
Choose your dog’s food carefully. A number of dog foods are available, but you must choose one that suits your dog’s age and size. It’s also tempting to feed your dog foods that humans eat, but your dog isn’t human and needs dog food that contain the nutrients that a dog needs.
When snacking, you might allow your dog to have a bite or two of your food. Certain foods are okay for this, but some foods are not good for dogs. Dogs are not able to tolerate grapes, chocolate and anything with caffeine, for instance. These food items can seriously harm your dog.
For thousands of years, dogs have been man’s best friend. That is why it is easy to look into their eyes and figure out what they need. After reading this, you may understand a lot more about your dog than what his body is saying. Your dog will love that you do this!
