When a dog is feeling hungry, he might scratch on the food bowl. When your dog needs to empty his bladder, he might scratch at the door. If your dog desires affection, it may give you the famous puppy dog eyes. But, your dog is unable to tell you what he needs or wants, so keep reading to find out what it is that your dog really needs.
You should not kiss your dog. It is unsanitary to be licked by a dog. You don’t know where your dog’s tongue has been, and you’re better off not knowing. It’s a folk tale that dogs have cleaner mouths than humans. This is simply false.
You need to have a physical every year, and so does your dog. Your dog can’t speak to you, which means it isn’t easy to tell if they’re having a tooth ache or issues with arthritis. Taking your dog for a yearly checkup allows relatively minor problems to be detected before they turn into major issues.
Table Scraps
Try not to feed your dog any table scraps. Not only will table scraps turn your dog off on their regular food, but it will also teach them to constantly beg. Table scraps can actually lead to obesity and other health concerns. Make your dog stay out of the room when the family is eating.
Practice training your dog in your house or yard. It’s a bad idea to train a dog in a busy place. It will be very distracting for your pup.
Don’t let a dog go off property without their leash, even if they’re well behaved. He could easily get spooked by something and run off into harm’s way. It is your job to keep your dog safe, and to keep him from harming anyone else or causing anyone problems.
If you’re training your dog, don’t just use verbal commands. Try hand signals as well. These signals will help you keep your dog under control in a noisy environment. Give both methods a shot, and see what your pet prefers.
Positive Reinforcement
Positive reinforcement is very important in training your dog. Always make sure your dog knows when they perform a behavior you wish to see repeated. This is called positive reinforcement.
If you have an outdoor pet, build a shelter for him or buy one that is ready to use. If your dog’s feet get wet, then the continued exposure can lead to stress and other health issues. Keep your dog safe from wind, rain and snow by providing it with a house with lots of room and a dry floor.
If you’re thinking about getting a dog, but aren’t sure you want to make the commitment, try serving as a foster home. A lot of shelters that take in homeless or abused animals have a way to let you adopt them for a while. You can give a hand by fostering a dog without a home and try on the role of dog owner too!
Your dog should not be left outside in the yard by himself for the entire day. You may see this on TV or in movies, but that doesn’t make it right. Your dog will get very lonely if it is left outside by itself. Keeping them out for too long also exposes them to the elements, so its best that you bring them inside so they don’t get sick being outside in really bad weather.
Get your dog’s hair trimmed around its paws so that hair doesn’t get matted up. Straighten hair with a comb a bit before you trim it. If you have a hard time with this, enlist the services of a groomer.
Any dog accident in your home should be cleaned up immediately. Use a cleaner specifically made to clean up such messes. If any scent remains, the dog might soil the area over and over.
They say we understand a dog’s emotions through its facial expressions and this is a sensible conclusion. However, thanks to the tips in this article, you understand dogs on a number of levels. Your dog is going to be grateful for that.
