A Few Steps Towards Finding Success With Your Dog

A common phrase used often is that dogs are man’s best friends. There’s a lot of truth behind that. If you learn how to care for and handle your dog, you can have a great relationship with it. Here you’ll find some excellent tips to help you with building the bonds you need.

Make your home dog-proof. Prior to bringing the pooch home, check that the whole home is safe. Secure the trash can, stow way all medications and put away your regular cleaning supplies. Some very common plants are quite toxic to animals, so always make sure they are out of reach.

Having a dog at your home is a big financial commitment. High quality dog food, medical care, toys and treats can easily run close to $1,000 in a year. Getting into a vet if you have an emergency can cost quite a bit of money, sometimes in the thousands, so you may need pet health insurance too.

If you’re taking your pup on a vacation, make sure that you take a picture of him for on your phone. If he gets lost, you have a recent picture you can immediately access in order to print “lost” flyers.

If your dog comes with you on vacations, you need to have an up-to-date picture of it on hand and in your phone. 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.

Avoid giving your pup table scraps. That encourages him to beg and makes him not want his own food. You might be wrecking your dog’s health by giving him table scraps. Insist that your dog wait away from the table during family meals to avoid temptation on his part – and yours.

If you have medications at home, ensure that it is safely hidden away and out of the reach of your dog. Your dog could have a heart attack or a seizure if it swallows some pills. If your dog does ingest some of your medication, get in touch with your veterinarian immediately.

Try not to base your dog food choices on the price of the food. Less expensive brands of dog food often contain artificial coloring, additives, preservatives and so on that can be very bad for your dog. Looking at a pet advocacy group website can give you recommendations of the best food for your dog. Your dog will benefit greatly from better food.

Speak with your vet to see how much you’re going to have to feed your dog daily. While some individuals give their dogs food by following the package, sometimes these guidelines are inappropriate for your dog. Speak to the vet about what makes sense for your dog.

Offer rawhide rather than actual meat bones. Giving them actual bones may cause them to fall apart and become lodged in the digestive tract or oral cavity of your dog. Rawhide is completely healthy and improves the teeth, and therefore is preferable to animal bones.

Genuine meat bones may be tempting, but it’s best to stick to rawhide. Rawhide limits the danger when your dog is chewing. Rawhide is a great treat you can use in lieu of real bones.

Make sure your dog is getting enough exercise. Exercise keeps your dog healthy, both physically and mentally. You will enjoy the time you spend doing these things with your dog as well. It gives you exercise and helps develop a relationship that will last forever with your dog.

Brushing your pup daily can do much more than reduce shedding in your home. Regular brushing encourages a healthy, shining coat. Brushing helps to spread the oil on the skin which results in soft, shiny, and healthy skin.

Always buy high quality food for your best friend. Your dog will benefit from eating healthy, quality food. Although you may have to spend more money, you will ensure your dog’s diet is as healthy as possible.

Make sure your dog gets plenty of exercise. Dogs need routine activity and play in order to stay happy and healthy. No matter what, whether throwing their ball or taking a long walk, you’ll both benefit from it. Every time you play with or exercise your dog, you will find that you are promoting a lasting bond.

Even if you seek a pure bred animal, you should not overlook the pound. Many pet owners abandon their dogs at the pound when they no longer want to, or are able to, keep them. Call the pound to see what they have. You may save a poor dog’s life if you do this.

Some breads are prone to illness, and you need to know if yours is one of them. Research his background and prepare for problems he might have. Also, ask your vet what you can do to help your canine beat the odds for his breed.

Make sure you provide your dog with affection on a regular basis. It is easy to overlook the good behavior your dog shows while you concentrate on eliminating the bad. Your dog will develop more behavioral problems if you adopt this attitude. You should mostly focus on praising and petting your dog when you notice a good behavior. Dogs stand a much better chance of displaying good behavior if that is the case.

If you have a dog that can’t function properly when they aren’t around you and develops separation anxiety, try putting on some soft music when you go out. The music will calm the dog down, and they’ll feel like someone else is there. When it comes to treating your pet’s anxiety, a little music could be exactly what the doctor ordered.

If your pup has an accident in your home, be sure to clean it up properly. A combination of an industrial strength cleaner preceding an odor remover is effective. Your dog may do his business in the exact same area if his scent from the excrement lingers.

Give your dog plenty of love. Most of the time you are paying attention to the very bad things they do and overlooking the good. Your dog will develop more behavioral problems if you adopt this attitude. Give your dog positive reinforcement every time they do something right. This will make it more likely that your dog will behave well.

You may think it’s okay to share your own snacks with your dog. You can do this with some foods, but not all. Always avoid giving your dog chocolate and grapes, for instance. Foods such as these can do a lot of harm to your dogs health.

If your pup seems lonely by itself, consider getting another dog. Dogs are known to be pack animals and enjoy the company of other dogs. Match them up carefully by temperament and energy levels and your dog should be in canine heaven!

Give serious thought to the idea of having a dog prior to adopting one. While a puppy’s face is adorable, you must consider everything as far as providing care. In order to make sure you are ready for dog ownership, think it through carefully.

If you do not want your female dog to become pregnant, be careful with her when she goes into heat. Male dogs from as far as 5 miles away may pick up the scent. This may also make other dogs fight and it could also get her pregnant which will make her have puppies from an unknown source.

Were you aware that vitamins are not good for your dog? You don’t need to give vitamins to your dog if you feed a properly balanced food. Certain vitamins can be overdosed and result in damaged joints, bones and blood vessels. Always seek your vet’s advice before giving supplements to your dog.

Dogs will commonly get cut when they’re walking because of the various debris on the ground. If your dog gets a small cut, wash it with an antiseptic and place a bandage around the area. If the cut is deep, it is best to go to a veterinarian.

When you’re training your dog, it’s important to utilize positive reinforcement. Praise and rewards will help the dog learn faster than dominance and violence. Treating your dog well isn’t just the humane thing to do, it’s effective. Always treat your dog with kindness during training so you will see a much better end result.

If your puppy has an accident, take the time to clean thoroughly. Use a cleaner that is professional strength, and follow up with an odor remover. If you leave behind any type of a scent from the dog’s accident they may end up using the bathroom again in that spot.

It’s important to keep in mind that your dog is a dog, not a human. Dogs have a much shorter attention span than humans do, so adjust your training time with your dog accordingly. Train him a little at a time at first to avoid frustration.

Make wise choices when it comes to your dog’s diet. Since there is a variety of food choices available to dogs, you must select the one that matches the type and age of the dog you have. You may be tempted to give your pet leftovers, but this is not healthy.

Begin young when setting rule for your dog. Something that is cute as a puppy won’t be as cute when he or she gets bigger. You must do something about these habits right away. If he’s doing something wrong, say “no” firmly. This will keep you out of trouble later on.

Dogs are excellent pets. Remember, to be a responsible owner you need to be a well-informed owner. The advice above has given you a wealth of knowledge, and if you take advantage of it, you and your pet can live in harmony. Your dog will be your best friend.

Don’t be too quick to respond when your dog starts to whine. You might want to, but instead you will be hurting him. It is best to play a game your dog is familiar with so your pup forgets about its anxieties.