Dogs are a good pet to have, they are very loyal. However, a new dog needs to be trained as soon as you adopt it. You need to take the time to encourage good behavior and make sure your dog learns a few commands. Start by reading this article for some useful tips that will help you take good care of your new dog.
Yearly physicals help you and yearly vet checks help your dog. Since your dog doesn’t talk, you may have difficulty figuring out if a tooth starts hurting or where arthritis is developing. Regular checkups will assure these issues are caught before they turn into something big.
Know about what could go wrong with flea treatments if you have a dog. Some of them contain chemicals that can increase the risk of cancer in children, and are 1,000 times as strong as the safe levels recommended by the EPA. Ask the vet about flea powders and other products that are less hazardous for kids.
Don’t buy your dog cheap dog food. The cheaper brands actually contain a lot of preservatives, additives and other ingredients that can compromise your dog’s health. Get a list from an animal advocacy or consumer awareness group of the highest recommended foods to give your dog. The higher quality food will benefit your dog profoundly.
Never give your dog a real bone to chew on. Real bones chip apart and can become dangerously lodged in the oral cavity or digestive track. Rawhide is great for oral health, so don’t give Rover any of your T-bone, regardless of how much you know he wants it.
Your dog should not be left outside for the entire day. While this is what many people do, dogs require socialization with people and/or other animals. If your dog is alone outside, it will quickly get lonely. In addition to the socializing need, you should not leave a dog to fend for himself in heavy rainstorms or very cold weather. Bring the dog indoors until the inclement weather passes.
If you have a pure bred dog, make sure you educate yourself on what type of problems are “normal” for that breed. You might be able to prevent some conditions from developing by taking a little extra care of him from the beginning. Also, seek advice from your vet.
Since reading the article above, you can see that taking care of your dog is easy. It may seem slightly hard, but the tips and advice from above will help you move towards the proper way to care for your dog. Use the information here, and you’ll be able to take good care of your canine friend.