There are many kinds of dogs and many kinds of families. It’s a big decision to own a dog. Continue reading if you want to be sure that you’re taking care of your pet properly.
You should take your dog to the vet at least once a year. Since your dog doesn’t talk, you may have difficulty figuring out if a tooth starts hurting or where arthritis is developing. Check-ups can reveal that and more.
Get your dog spayed or neutered. This reduces the chances of cancer and helps keep the stray animal population down. Additionally, dogs who undergo this procedure are much less likely to wander off and maybe get into to an accident.
Choose a dog in that can easily and happily blend into your lifestyle. For instance, joggers may want dogs that can run along with them, instead of a toy breed that cannot. Similarly, if you’re quiet and stay at home, small dogs might be better suited to you. When you match your traits and the traits of your pet, you will both be happy.
Speak with your vet to see how much you’re going to have to feed your dog daily. 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 with your vet and work out an appropriate eating plan for your dog.
Give your pooch rawhide bones instead of those from real meat. Bones can fall apart and become lodged between teeth or digestive system. Rawhide is completely healthy and improves the teeth, and therefore is preferable to animal bones.
Make sure your dog always has trimmed nails. It can be quite painful for your dog if his nails start curling under. Purchasing some nail clippers at your local pet store is a good idea. If you are worried about doing this, simply take him to a groomer – it doesn’t cost very much to get his nails trimmed.
Don’t feed your dog the cheap stuff. It is best to invest in quality dog food. While this could mean that you’re going to have to pay more money, you can know that you’re doing the best for your dog to keep it healthy.
Properly teach your dog how to walk with a leash. He ought to be next to you rather than ahead or behind. He should also respond to the “heel” command. If you walk in this way, you will be sure that your pet is safe so that your walks are more enjoyable. The heel command is crucial for your dog, even if a loose leash walk is being used.
Don’t leave your dog outside all day long. While this is what many people do, dogs require socialization with people and/or other animals. Only having one dog can cause him to get lonely. In addition, during snowstorms and rainstorms, you need to bring your dog inside to avoid bad weather and extreme temperatures.
Make sure the hair located on your dog’s paws is trimmed in order to prevent matting. Before you trim it, use a brush to get it as straight as possible. A professional groomer may be a good solution if you are confident about trimming the hair yourself.
Do you think you’re better equipped to be a responsible dog owner with these tips under your belt? You have the right information, and now you just need to implement it. Put what you’ve read here to use, and you will be sure that you have a dog that’s taken care of properly.