Is your dog difficult to manage? Do you find that your dog seems to gravitate to your favorite belongings as chew toys? Maybe a little behavior training is in order. Look at this piece to get your dog in check.
Hugging is okay but kissing should be avoided. In theory, giving a dog a kiss is cute, but realize that the mouth of a dog is generally very dirty. Dogs love to dig in garbage, get into the toilet, and then they lick their butts, yuck! It’s a folk tale that dogs have cleaner mouths than humans. This couldn’t be farther from the truth.
Be sure to have your pet spayed or neutered. This reduces the chances of cancer and helps keep the stray animal population down. Furthermore, altered dogs do not have the tendency to wander off, so they will stay safer.
It’s a great idea to keep a snap-shot of your dog handy (a digital pic on your phone is ideal) whenever you’re traveling with him. If he is ever separated from you, it will be easy to show people what he looks like or print out flyers with a recent picture showing that you are looking for him.
Store your prescriptions and over-the-counter medicines in a safe place where your dog cannot get them. Your dog could be seriously injured or killed by ingesting a couple of small pills. Make sure you have your veterinarian’s number handy in case your dog does accidentally swallow your medicine.
Talk with your vet about the foods you should feed your dog. Puppies can’t eat adult food and vice versa. Always be cautious about dog food.
Be sure to show your dog lots of praise and love when they do something good. This is to let the dog know that you want more of that behavior. Your dog will quickly understand that the praise is connected to a certain action.
Do not buy your dog a particular brand of food just because it is cheap. Cheap brands usually are loaded with additives that can be bad for health. Use an animal advocacy group or some kind of consumer awareness group to see if you can get a list of good foods that are professionally recommended. Your dog will benefit greatly from better food.
Rawhide treats are better for your dog than real meat bones. Real bones can chip and splinter, this can cause your dog to choke and wreak havoc on his digestive tract. It has been shown that rawhide bones are safe and great for their teeth, so be sure to not give your dog that ham bone next time.
Build or buy a house for your dog if he has to stay outdoors for any length of time in cold weather. This is especially important during wet weather. Always protect him from wind, sun and rain by making sure he has a dry shelter to go to.
If your dog behaves badly, correct the behavior immediately. Turning a blind eye to it just makes it harder to fix down the road. You could end up with a dog that hurts other people, so make sure you’re in control at all times.
Always buy high quality food for your best friend. Your dog will be healthier and happier if you feed it the highest quality food. Although this could mean paying a higher price for a better brand, at least you know that your pet is getting the required amount of nutrients in their diet.
You need to make sure your dog can walk on a leash. Your dog should learn to walk by the side of you, teach them to ‘heel’. Doing this will not only be easier on you, but it will also keep your dog safe. When you dog understands the command to heel, you can relax occasionally and walk with a loose leash without having your arm pulled off.
You can always choose to foster a dog for a few weeks if you’re not sure about making the full commitment of dog ownership. A lot of shelters that take in homeless or abused animals have a way to let you adopt them for a while. Besides helping you figure out if full-time ownership is right for you, fostering will also do a great deal for the cause of abandoned animals as a whole.
Your dog’s unwanted behavior should stop soon. There is no need to watch him growling at everyone who visits your house or the total destruction of all your household items. You have to be the one who guides your dog. Take all that you’ve learned here, and teach your canine how to be a good pet.
