Dogs are often regarded as man’s best friend. There is truth in that statement. Knowing about dogs can help your relationship between you and your dog. If you’d like to forge a closer bond with your canine companion, just take a look at the great suggestions provided here.
Make sure your home is dog-proof. Your entire home should be safe prior to bringing the dog inside. Hide medications and chemicals, cover your trash, and put food where he can’t get to it. Some plants that are usually kept in the home are poisonous to pets, so move them where your dog cannot get to them, or put them out of your home completely.
You need to take your older pet to the vet at lease once a day. 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. A veterinary checkup can speak when your dog cannot, and it might help you to detect health problems before they become severe.
Always, have your dog spayed or neutered. This helps reduce the probability of cancer and extends the life of your dog. In addition, spayed or neutered dogs aren’t as likely to roam away from your home, which can result in them getting run over by a vehicle, killed by a bigger animal, shot, or kidnapped.
Keep your medications out of paw’s reach. Dogs can have very negative side effects from even small amounts of medications intended for humans. If your pet does manage to ingest some medicine, contact the vet right away.
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. This also shows the dog that good behavior will earn praise.
Genuine meat bones may be tempting, but it’s best to stick to rawhide. Pieces can break off of the real bone, which may cause your dog to choke. Rawhide is very healthy and will help your dog develop some strong teeth. Never ever give him a real bone!
Daily brushing for your dog does more than simply prevent shedding. Brushing your pup daily will help make their coat shiny. Brushing distributes the natural oils of your dog’s fur evenly and it promotes the health of his skin as well.
When you get a new dog, schedule a visit with a vet. Immediately after bringing home the new dog, schedule a checkup with your veterinarian. Your vet can make health recommendations, make sure that vaccinations are up to date and help with maintenance items like flea care and proper diet. You also want to check with the vet about fixing your dog if you will not be breeding him.
You may need to trim hair that grows near the dog’s paws to help keep it from matting. Prior to trimming the hair, make sure the hair is straight by using a comb. Another option is to take your dog to the groomers and ask for this task to be performed.
Dogs tend to get cuts and scrapes on their paws from things they step on. Clean any small cuts on your dog with antiseptic, and bandage the area. If the cut seems very deep, take him to the vet.
If an accident occurs on your floor, take extra care that all traces are removed. Utilize professional grade cleaners and odor removers as well. If your dog can still smell the spot he has marked, he will be likely to mark it again.
You must carefully think for a while before getting a dog. While a puppy’s face is adorable, you must consider everything as far as providing care. Think it through carefully and talk to friends with dogs so you fully understand all that is involved.
Don’t think that a dog’s health status can be determined by how its nose feels. Even if your dog is sick, there are different reasons his nose may be wet and cold. Instead, monitor your dog’s health through energy levels, demeanor, and appetite. These are the best ways to know how the dog is. To check a dog’s temperature, you need to do it rectally.
When you commence the training process, try different reward methods. The goal is to learn what type of reward motivates your dog the most. Pieces of sausage or tasty dog treats will work for a dog that is motivated by food. Maybe your dog will respond better to a game of tug-of-war with a favorite toy. A few dogs are even motivated by being petted!
Just because you have an outside dog, it doesn’t mean he doesn’t require the same attention as a dog that’s inside. The dog could get bad habits still such as chewing, digging, or even barking if you don’t pay attention to it. They could turn aggressive, too. Make sure that dog gets playtime and lots of love to be as happy as can be.
Take your vet’s advice about which food is best for your dog. There are special dog diets available for dogs with diabetes, dogs with allergies and so on. If this is a category your dog falls into, giving him the improper food can put his health in jeopardy. Your vet will be able to recommend a diet that is best for your dog.
Pay attention to your dog’s diet. Some food brands are much better than others and price is not always a good determining factor. Speak with your vet to see what you should be feeding your dog. Make sure that the breed, health status and age are taken into consideration. This can be a wonderful way to prolong the life of your pet.
Dogs can be wonderful pets. Dogs can enrich your life in so many ways. You have learned quite a bit from this article, and hopefully you can use it and have a life full of happiness with your dog. The term “man’s best friend” will soon apply to your dog!