A dog can be a joy in life, but not always. To get the most out of your relationship with your dog, you’ll need to know a few things. Continue on and read about some insightful tip that will ensure you having much success when owning a dog.
While you can hug your dog, you should avoid kissing your dog. Dog kisses are very unsanitary. He probably doesn’t mind eating dirt, enjoys drinking water from the toilet if he can get at it, and tries in vain to clean himself with his tongue. Many people believe that the human mouth has more germs than that of a dog – this isn’t true. It’s not true.
An annual checkup at the vet is a great idea for your dog. Your dog can’t speak to tell you he’s in pain. Annual checkups can catch these things before they become major problems.
Don’t allow your dog to leave your property without being on a leash even if you think your dog is well behaved. He could easily get spooked by something and run off into harm’s way. You’re responsible for everything your dog does, and for his safety. as well.
When you are training your dog, it is always best to incorporate the use of hand signals in addition to using verbal commands. Signals like these help your dog learn things quickly. Always associate the spoken command and the hand gesture at first and choose the system that works best later on.
Which breed you need to buy depends on your lifestyle. For instance, joggers may want dogs that can run along with them, instead of a toy breed that cannot. On the other hand, if you are the type of person to sit at home, you need a smaller breed that will enjoy lounging around with you. Avoiding a mismatch means both of you will be happier.
Speak with your vet about the amount of food you should be feeding your dog each day. While there are those that feed their dog whatever it says on the package, this may not be good for your dog and can make it overweight. Speak to the vet about what makes sense for your dog.
Meat Bones
Give your dog rawhide instead of real meat bones. Bones can chip and hurt your dog if sharp fragments are ingested. It has been proven that rawhide is healthy for your dogs teeth, therefore avoid giving your dog natural meat bones.
Schedule a veterinary checkup for your new dog. Once the dog arrive home, place a call to the vet and schedule that appointment. The vet will examine your dog. Remember that there is a tremendous dog overpopulation problem, so you should have your dog spayed/neutered.
To prevent the hair around a dog’s paws from matting, you should keep it trimmed. A comb is a good tool to straighten the dog’s fur before trimming. If this scares you, have a professional do it.
If your dog seems sad and lonely, consider investing in a friend for him. Dogs come from packs, so it’s in their nature to prefer spending time with a member of their own species. Choose another dog whose energy level and temperament matches your dog’s, and you should have a good match.
Keep dogs mentally active by giving them many opportunities for physical exercise. Train your dog to perform useful activities like fetching the newspaper. This kind of play will make your dog feel like a contributing member of the family and keep his mental functioning at a high level.
Too many trainers spoil the process. Everyone does things differently, and too many commanders may confuse your dog. Pick a single person to be responsible for all training, and let others support the decisions made by demanding the same standards of behavior from the dog.
Take your dog to the vet regularly. Your vet will give your dog an annual exam with any vaccines that your dog might need. Puppies tend to need the vet more than adults. You need to go to the vet as soon as your dog seems sick or hurt.
When choosing to introduce a new pooch to a home that already has one, it is best that you bring your current dog along to meet him. Just like people, dogs can have a personality clash. Compatible dogs are always your best bet.
When you’re snacking, you might be tempted to let your dog snack too. It might be alright to give your dog some foods, but not all foods are good for dogs. Grapes and chocolate should never be given to canines. Foods such as these can do a lot of harm to your dogs health.
Be careful with your dog in the summer. Dogs become overheated very quickly. Reserve a cool and shady area for your dog to hang out. You should also ensure that your dog can get plenty of clean, cool water. Use some doggie sunscreen, too, since sun rays affect dogs.
A lot goes into taking care of dogs and being a great owner of your pet. You can’t just get a dog and expect it to be perfect. You must work at the relationship for it to work. The time you spend with your pet can only be enhanced by the use of this information.
