A dog needs a lot more than just food and attention. You need to care for your dog 24/7. But how do you know what it takes to properly care for your pooch? This article has lots of new information about dogs for you to learn.
While it’s great to show your dog affection, you shouldn’t kiss them. Dogs lick dirty things you don’t even want to think about. Dogs poke around trash cans, love smelling and licking other dogs’ body parts and enthusiastically drink from toilet bowls. There is a belief that the mouth of a dog is cleaner than that of a human. This is completely wrong!
Always make sure to keep any prescription medications away from your dog. The same holds true for over-the-counter meds. Your dog could have a heart attack or a seizure if it swallows some pills. If your dog happens to get into any such pills, call your veterinarian or animal poison control immediately.
Fight the urge to feed table scraps to your dog. This can make your dog not want to eat his dog food, and it will promote begging. “People food” can also make dogs sick and contribute to obesity. To prevent temptation, have your dog separated from the area you eat in.
Use hand signals when training your dog along with verbal commands. Your dog may pick things up much easier when they are given these type of signals. Test out both methods to see which works for you.
It is important to use your lifestyle as a guide to what breed of furry friend you should get. If you are a hunter for example, perhaps a retriever is the dog for you. If you like to stay at home, perhaps you would like a small dog. You will be much happier when you make a choice that is complementary to your lifestyle.
Talk to your vet about appropriate nutrition for your canine. Many people look at the guidelines on the dog food bag; the problem with this is that some of the recommendations may be inaccurate and could cause your dog to gain weight. See what your vet recommends and adapt that to how your dog responds.
Try giving the dog rawhide versus actual meat bones. Real bones can chip and fragments may become lodged in their mouths or digestive tract. Rawhide is a healthy alternative and will help keep your dog’s teeth clean as he satisfies his need to chew.
If you’re adopting your pet from a shelter, it’s important that you take it to see a vet immediately. Dogs are more likely to be sick or have exposure to viruses in the shelter. It’s smart to ensure your dog has all shots necessary before you take him home.
Get your new pet a veterinary exam. As soon as your dog is brought to your home you should get an appointment scheduled with the vet. The vet will give him a complete health check and set up a vaccination schedule. Remember that there is a tremendous dog overpopulation problem, so you should have your dog spayed/neutered.
If your dog is a female and in heat, you need to be careful if you’re not trying to get her pregnant. A male canine might sense her from a distance of five miles. This may cause a fight or impregnation if a male dog spots her.
Make sure that you can get your dog back by ensuring they carry some type of identification. This is typically a collar with a tag on it. The tag should include your name and contact information as well as the name of your dog. You may also want to install a micro-chip into your dog.
When you’re training, experiment using various reward systems. Take the time to learn what will motivate your pet the most. If food works best for your dog, reward it with tiny hot dog pieces. If you have a dog that likes toys, let the dog play tug of war after doing what it was told. Some dogs just like to get petted and rubbed when they’re good.
The more time you take to learn about dogs, the more likely you are to master the field. This means you’re going to be able to give a dog a great life for being a part of yours. If the roles were reversed, you would expect your owner to know how to properly care for you.