Dog ownership is definitely a serious responsibility. You are responsible for making sure your pet leads a happy and healthy life. However, you can’t take good care of your dog if you don’t know what you’re doing. In this article, you’ll find some important tips.
If there are prescription and other medications within your home, keep them away from your dog. Just a few of your pills could literally kill your dog. If your pet does manage to ingest some medicine, contact the vet right away.
Fight the urge to feed table scraps to your dog. That encourages him to beg and makes him not want his own food. Scraps can be terrible for his diet and lead to obesity and other health problems. Keep the dog away from your table when you eat to avoid any temptation on both parts.
If you want to keep your dog outside, build him or her a small shelter. If his feet are wet during very cold weather, it will stress him and lead to health problems. Keep your dog safe from the elements by providing shelter.
Should you visit a shelter to adopt a dog, take the animal to the vet as soon as possible. Shelter dogs may have come into contact with viruses or may be ill already. Have your dog checked over and given vaccinations as soon as possible.
Train your dog how to properly walk when on a leash. Your dog should know how to heel and not behind you or ahead of you. This will keep him safe, and it’ll make walks more enjoyable. When you dog understands the command to heel, you can relax occasionally and walk with a loose leash without having your arm pulled off.
Your dog should not be left outside for the entire day. You may see this on TV or in movies, but that doesn’t make it right. A dog with no companions can feel very isolated and stressed out if he is left alone outside. It’s especially important that your dog be inside if the weather outside is nasty.
Prevent matting on your dogs paws by keeping the area well trimmed. A comb should be used first to straighten it before you do any cutting. Another option is to take your dog to the groomers and ask for this task to be performed.
You have to use this advice to make reading this article worth your while. Make more of an effort to attend to your dog’s health and happiness and you’ll see a big improvement very soon. You will get the most out of the relationship with your pet if you do your best to keep it happy.