10 Essential Dog Care Tips

We share our lives with our pets. They depend on us for food, guidance, and to keep them safe and healthy. Our dogs give us loyalty, love, and happiness and in return we provide them with shelter, food, and care.

Here are 10 tips to being a great dog owner and giving your pooch the best:

1: ID tags – make sure your dog has a tag with a contact number, as well as, a rabies tag, dog license, and name.

2: Talk to your vet about the regional dangers in your area for your dog and the vaccines and preventatives that you should use. Also, make sure you know the type of licensing you need for you dog for your state and county.

3: When walking your dog, keep her leashed. No matter how well-trained your dog is, you can’t guarantee that your dog won’t run into traffic if a squirrel catches her eye. Also, your dog may run into another dog that isn’t friendly and it’s important to be able to protect and control your pup.

4: Take your dog to the vet for regular checkups. It’s key to maintaining good healthy and catching problems before they become untreatable.

5: Give your dog time to romp outside but also make sure you and your pup spend time inside. They are social creatures and like to be part of the family and are happy to snooze on the floor while you watch tv and follow you from room to room.

6: Spaying or neutering your pet can add years to your dog’s life and cut down on behavioral problems. It also ensures that there aren’t any baby puppies in your future.

7: Feed your dog a high quality dog food and keep water available at all times.

8: Train your dog to know basic commands, bond you two together, and socialize your dog.

9: Exercise, exercise, and more exercise. A healthy dog needs physical activity to help them stay fit, keep their mood up, and helps prevent boredom and destructive behavior. A tired pup is often a good pup.

10: Be patient when teaching your pup what is appropriate behavior. Training your dog can become tiresome and some dogs lose their attention span quickly which can drive you nuts. Deep breathes, make it fun, and keep the sessions short and you and your pup will have good days together.