You’re Barking Up The Wrong Tree If You Don’t Read This!
It is not easy to own a dog. It is important to feed your dog properly, make sure it gets enough affection, plenty of exercise and proper medical care. So, how do you know what to do? The following tips will teach you how to take great care of your dog.
Take the time to make sure your house is dog-proofed. You need to look for hazards around your home that your dog might run into. Store things like meds and cleaning products in a safe location, and be sure to keep any indoor trash cans behind a cabinet. Keep house plants out of his reach, especially if they could be poisonous.
Just as you need to keep up with your annual doctor’s appointment, your dog needs to see his vet annually too. Because your dog can’t speak with you, you may have trouble knowing when your dog is feeling pain like if it has arthritis. A veterinary checkup can speak when your dog cannot, and it might help you to detect health problems before they become severe.
Dogs can’t talk, so you must learn their body language. Hesitant dogs need to be taken out of fearful situations. This could cause your dog to harm a person or another dog. Watch for any of these non-verbal cues and let these guide your actions.
When it’s time for dog training, you’ll want to do it inside your house or in your yard. It’s never good to try and train your pet when there are quite a few people around. Distraction ensues, and it is harder to get your dog to focus on basic commands.
In addition to verbal commands, employ a variety of hand signals when training your dog. These signals will help you keep your dog under control in a noisy environment. Try both methods to see which your dog prefers.
Talk to your vet about what you feed your dog. Some foods can cause sickness or an upset stomach. Always be cautious when you’re thinking of feeding your dog.
Cheap Dog
Don’t buy your dog cheap dog food. Cheap dog food usually includes fillers (such as corn or soybeans) which are not appropriate for dogs. It may also contain poor quality ingredients which may hurt your dog’s health over time. Professional associations and dog advocacy groups may offer lists of the highest quality foods available. Your dog will be in better health when he has high quality food.
A daily brush will do much more than prevent your dog from constant shedding. Their coat will become shinier when they are brushed everyday. The brushing motion encourages distribution of the skin’s oil, leaving the coat healthy, soft and glossy.
Providing foster care for a homeless dog can be a great way to see if you are suited to care for a dog. Shelters are full of abused and homeless dogs and they are hard pressed to give them all proper care. Fostering is a good way to do a good deed and determine if you want a dog of your own.
Make sure that your dog is not left alone outdoors all day. This is done for various reasons, but your dog needs interaction with people. Your dog may be lonely outside if he is the only dog in your household. Also, any extreme weather can cause problems for your dog.
Trim the hair around your dog’s paws to prevent it from getting matted up. Comb the tangles out before you start trimming. If you’d prefer, you could have a groomer do this for you.
As you can see, there is a lot to know when it comes to being a dog owner. Once you have mastered these basics, you can really enjoy spending time with your dog. Your dog will be grateful for your care and attention as you apply your new knowledge.