Many people grow up with animals or currently have some. If you own a dog or are going to get one, you should spend a bit of time learning. This article will help you fully prepare to take care of a dog.
Be sure to show your dog lots of praise and love when they do something good. By rewarding your pup when it does the right thing, you’ll be teaching it to do these behaviors more often. It will show your dog that doing the right thing will earn him praise from you.
Talk to your vet about how much your dog should eat. 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. Talk to your vet about what is acceptable and what your dog’s particular needs are.
Do not buy the cheapest dog food. Cheap brands usually contain preservatives such as sodium and other additives that can be dangerous for your dog’s health. Find an advocacy group that can provide you with a list of vet recommended foods. Your dog will thank you for feeding him a better food.
Real Bone
Never give your dog a real bone to chew on. Real bones can chip and become lodged in harmful place such as the digestive tract. Rawhide has been proven to be healthy for your dog. It is excellent for its teeth too, so do not give in to the temptation to give your dog a real bone no matter how hard it begs.
Make sure that your dog receives plenty of exercise. Dogs need routine activity and play in order to stay happy and healthy. Playing fetch or going for a nice walk will be good for both you and the dog. You will thus offer necessary exercise, but will also build strong bonds with the animal.
When you buy dog food, avoid the cheap stuff. In the long run, it is beneficial to be feeding your dog high quality, nutritious food. You’ll have to pay more, but you can be certain your dog gets the right vitamins and minerals from good sources.
Take your new dog to the vet. This should be done as soon as he is adopted. The veterinarian will set the dog up with the proper vaccinations and give it a routine health checkup. Also, be sure to speak to the veterinarian about neutering or spaying your dog. There are plenty of dogs already in the shelter, and you don’t want to increase that problem.
You should carefully trim the hair near the paws to avoid matted hair. Straighten the hair with a comb slightly before you do any trimming. If you are not comfortable with this process, it would be a good idea for you to go and get it done by a professional groomer.
Hopefully the information provided here has given you some useful tips on taking care of your dog. As long as you’re applying and sticking with the tips, your dog ownership should go smoothly. This article describes everything you need to know about caring for dogs.