Dogs provide loyalty, unconditional love and affection. Dogs make wonderful pets for the whole family, or they can provide companionship for those living on their own. If you are interested in being a better pet owner, the advice in this post can help.
Owning a dog takes a bit of money. Expect to spend from $700 to as high as $1000 in a year to pay for medical attention, food, flea and tick protection and other items needed. Also, emergency care is a lot if your dog was to ever get sick; you may want to think about pet insurance if you can afford it.
If you have children make sure to get a breed that is good with kids. The right dog can be wonderful companionship for a child and also be good to guard the child. Allow your child to help care for the dog and thereby teach them responsibility.
If you keep some medications in your home, make sure your dog cannot access it. Dogs can have very negative side effects from even small amounts of medications intended for humans. If this does happen, call your vet immediately.
In addition to verbal commands, employ a variety of hand signals when training your dog. Dogs tend to respond better with these additional types of signals instead of always relying on voice commands. Every pet is different though, so use a combination of both verbal and visual cues and then determine what works the best.
If you’re trying to figure out what type of dog you might want to get, take a look at your lifestyle. If you love to run, seek out a pooch that will love to run alongside you. If you are a homebody or elderly and less active, a small dog that lounges around a lot is a good fit. Avoid a mismatch if you want both of you to be happy.
Ask your vet how much food your dog should get every day. Dog food packages provide guidelines, but they can be wrong for your particular pet and lead to obesity. Speak with your vet and work out an appropriate eating plan for your dog.
Use Real Bones
Instead of feeding your dog meat bones, give him rawhide. Real bones can splinter and can get caught in your dog’s mouth or digestive tract. Rawhide is a great treat you can use in lieu of real bones. If you choose to use real bones be sure and get the marrow bones which do not splinter like, say chicken bones.
Never force a dog to do something. If your dog doesn’t like a particular treat, don’t make him eat it. You need to find out what your dog does and does not like. Pets are like humans, some have sensitive stomachs and they will likely know what not to eat.
When you first notice behavior problems in your dog, take proper steps to correct the behavior. Turning a blind eye to it just makes it harder to fix down the road. It is possible that your dog could injure a person, and that person could be you! So correct unwanted behavior right away.
Teach your dog the right way to walk with a leash. He ought to be next to you rather than ahead or behind. He should also respond to the “heel” command. This will not only make your walks more enjoyable, but it will also help keep your dog safe. Even if you’re using loose leashes for walking here and there, make sure the dog understands this command.
Some dogs are more likely to suffer from health problems and so you should know what to look out for in your dog. Research his ancestry and take steps to prevent problems he might be prone to. Talk to your vet about prevention, too. If your dog has a limp, back problems or arthritis then Bone Meal has been known to be a great help. Just add it to his food daily.
Know that an animal doesn’t need too many people telling it what to do when it’s being trained. Everyone does things differently, and too many commanders may confuse your dog. Be sure that one individual is in control of the training and keeps others working with the dog on the same page.
Don’t judge the health of your dog by his wet, cold nose. Your dog’s nose could be wet and cold for many other reasons. Using your dog’s appetite, attitude, and amount of energy, you can determine its health. They’ll all really tell the story of your pet’s health. A dog’s temperature can be taken rectally if need be.
Start bathing your dog regularly when it is a puppy and that way it will be easier to bathe them as an adult dog. If you have a walk in shower then add a sprayer that comes down to the floor and use this to bathe your dog. It is usually easier than trying to get them in a tub.
Caring for your dog is more complex than you may think. It involves much more than just playing with it a little each day and making sure it gets fed. Caring for your dog is of the utmost importance, and one in which you will need to learn. If you do, your dog will live a long and happy life.
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