Dog Care Information

The importance of a dog in our lives and families can never be under estimated. They are truly a man’s best friend and are loyal to the core. They have been known to save lives, protect our houses from intruders and also help visually challenged people lead an independent life. A survey conducted by the American Animal Hospital Association showed that out of about 1200 pet owners surveyed in the United States and Canada, about 80% of the owners were female and a whopping 48% of these female owners stated that they relied more on the dogs for affection when than on other members of the family,

The responsibility of well being of a dog lies with us human. We have to ensure that are pets have hygienic habits, are well behaved and remain healthy and clean. Here are some tips that you can use to ensure all of the above.

Dog Care Information

• It is important to identify a veterinary doctor right at the beginning. The visits to the vet can be an expensive affair. So you need to plan and save money if necessary for these visits. Regular checkups are a must as the diseases that are caught in the beginning are treated very easily.
• You will be surprised to know that a dog prefers a boring routine and does not like too many changes everyday. They will be the happiest when they are fed at the same time everyday, sleep at the same spot at night and can expect you back at the same time everyday.
• Like humans, dogs too will remain healthy when they eat healthy food and get a lot of exercise. Give them a lot of space to jump around and run and encourage all types of exercises.
• Keep two water dishes for the dog, one in the house and the other in the garden. The water should be changed everyday. During the winter ensure that the water does not freeze. A heated dog dish will make your task much easier and will also ensure that your dog has plenty of drinking water all the time. During the summer it is very important to ensure that the water does not become too hot else the dog will not be able to maintain its body temperature. Keep the water in the shade at all times.
• To a dog, anything that they can get inside their mouth is meant for chewing. It can be a television remote or your telephone cord. Discourage such behavior strongly. You can get them chewable toys but remember to get them new ones regularly as the older ones lose their charm very quickly.
• Administrating medicinal pills to a dog can be very difficult especially if you are doing it for the first time. The easiest way is to hide the pill in a sandwich or a sausage and feed it to the dog. Alternatively, open the mouth of the dog and place the pill as far as possible. Then close the mouth and stroke the throat and neck area until the dog swallows. Give it a treat to ensure that the pill is swallowed. Pill plungers have also been known to be effective.
• The frequency of bathing a dog depends on how often the dog is in your house and also on the breed of the dog. Pet shampoo is recommended for bathing the dogs. The human shampoos are designed to remove the oil which can be harmful when used on the dogs as the shampoo should remove the dirt and not the essential oils that are required by the dog’s coat. Ensure that the dog treats the bathing as a fun activity else you will be running all over the garden trying to give it a bath.
• Grooming is also an important aspect with dogs. Use a soft brush to groom your dog and brush in the same direction as the hair goes. All the areas of the dog should be brushed especially behind the ears, stomach, tail and the back legs. You can find plenty of articles on the internet that will provide information on how to groom the breed of dog that you have.