Taking care of your dog is a huge responsibility, but it is your responsibility as a dog owner. For most of us our pets are an important member of the family. One of the best ways of loving your pets is to take good care of them.
Most dog owners experience the unconditional love, loyalty, and companionship that they show us on a daily basis, sometimes it seems much more than members of our own family.
Proper care for such a loyal friend includes providing nutritional dog food, grooming, exercise, and training.
Dog food nutrition is critical to our pets health. Dogs, just like humans, need good nutrition not just to survive but to truly be healthy. They need good quality protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and fats. There are so many commercially available dog foods to choose from that making the right decision can be somewhat daunting.
Dry dog food should be added to their diet; making sure you don’t give them too much, this will depend on the size of your dog. A small dog would only require one small handful per day. Dry foods are a blended mixture of grains, meat, meat by-products, fats, mineral and vitamins and average of 90% dry matter and 10% water. Choosing dry food will give your dog less tartar build up and less gum disease.
Grooming your dog includes keeping their coat, skin, nails, teeth, eyes and even ears clean and healthy. Grooming your dog offers an ideal opportunity to also check for any lumps or scabs which may have developed since last time. Many dogs do not visibly need grooming on a regular basis except when they are shedding their coat. Grooming your dog will also allow you to check for any problems such as fleas, ticks, psoriasis, and signs of other irritations. You will be able to check for other unusual coat problems such as mats, tangles, and dandruff.
Grooming your dog can also be a good way to bond with your dog, and it’s important to get him used to it from an early age. Many dogs learn to see their routine brushing as an alternate petting, another source of affection and attention.
Grooming your dog should be fun for both of you. If you make it a chore, neither of you will want to take part. Grooming is much easier when you have the right grooming supplies.
Brush your dog at least once a week to remove dirt and dead hair. Long coated breeds need daily brushing, plus a regular trip to the groomer. Brush small sections at a time using a wire slicker brush. Use a rubber or nylon bristled brush to avoid irritating its skin. Brush the coat of your dog on a regular basis, to remove dirt. Brushing also spreads the natural oils throughout the coat, apart from detangling the hair and keeping the skin clean and free of irritation. Brush your dog’s coat out thoroughly. Make sure to remove all the tangles, mats, and snarls.
Brushing your dog’s teeth once or twice a week will help keep teeth clean and breath fresh.
Bathing shouldn’t occur more often than once per month, because it can remove essential oils that keep your dog’s skin healthy. Often, a good brushing is enough to remove dirt, but a bath can be necessary when your dog finds something smelly to roll in. Bathing too often can remove natural oils, making your dog’s coat and skin too dry. Be sure to brush your dog first, removing all mats and tangles. Bathing requirements for a long haired breed is weekly to monthly depending on the level of activity, and how dirty they get. Where as a short haired breed can go monthly, or more.
Bathe the legs and face. Baths are fun – at least that’s the message she should understand. Get the right dog shampoo; human shampoo is too harsh, no matter how mild.
Clipper blades can become extremely hot, especially when you use them for a long time. If you burn your dog, she won’t soon forget and will decide that clippers are no fun. Clipping a nail too short can be painful and may cause bleeding. Frequent trimming of a small amount of nail always is better than waiting until the nail is long. Clipping your dog’s nails is important—long nails can really hamper his ability to get around. You should trim your pet’s nails about once per month.
Ears should be checked – droop ears are inclined to infection which can lead to permanent hearing loss. Examine your companion’s pads – dirt, grime, pebbles, chemicals can get caught that can infect his paws. Ears may also require cleaning, especially in dogs with oily skin or allergies. This is a delicate task and is probably best left to your vet.
Trim the hair inside the ears. Apply an ear cleaning solution to a cotton swab and clean the outer part of the dog’s ear. Trimming it might head off ear infections. Do not stick cotton-tipped swabs in their ears because you can rupture a dog’s ear drum very easily.
Training your dog is worth the effort. However, before you start, there are some things you need to know so that each training session is less difficult and far more pleasant for both you and your dog.
The first thing to remember is that you are the boss! By nature dogs are pack animals and hold fast to a strict hierarchy of who is the “leader” of the pack. In order to train your dog properly (and easily), you want to establish yourself as the leader early on in your relationship.
Another point to be aware of is that, while your dog understands you at about the similar level as a two year old, he is not a human. In fact, your dog has a lot of differences from humans that cause him to interpret your commands and act significantly differently than a 2 year old kid would. So, do not expect him to behave like your 2 year old during training.
When training your dog you need to be consistent. Every day allow 30-45 minutes for each session. You can begin teaching your dog as young as you want, but don’t neglect your older pet because dogs of any age will benefit from training.
Begin teaching your dog the basic sit command because it is the basis for various other commands. Work on this one command every day until your dog responds quickly and willingly, then go on to the next command.
During training, you want to be firm. Always use the similar word for each command and say the word clearly. Never punish your dog when he does not do what you want but, instead, use positive reinforcement when he DOES do what you want. Punishing or scolding will only confuse your dog so show patience when he is not behaving the way you want. Simply ignore him and he will soon learn that he only gets the reward when he performs the desired action.
One good online resource center you should bookmark for your needed dog supplies and raining aids is www.DeluxeDogStore.com