Be careful to not over feed your dog. Obesity is a huge problem for animals these days due to the fact that many dog owners allow the animal to determine how much it eats each day. For the best results, and health of your dog, you should follow the instructions of your vet when it comes to feeding habits.
Avoid giving your pup table scraps. This will only teach him to beg constantly and Cute Puppies also inhibit his appetite toward his regular food. Overfeeding him will lead to obesity, diabetes, and heart disease, too. Train your dog to sit far away from your dining room so that you and your family won’t be tempted to feed it table scraps.
Practice training your dog around your home, where you and your pup can be alone. Avoid training your dog in heavily occupied areas. They may get distracted and puppies – Topic it will be more difficult to teach them even the most basic commands.
Consider teaching your dog hand signals along with verbal commands. Consistency and practice are key to teaching a dog these non-verbal commands. Many owners get frustrated and resort back to verbal commands, but a well-trained dog should understand both. Try using only verbal commands when the dog is out of sight range, but when close up, only use the hand signals.
Your dog needs healthy teeth and you should brush them regularly. This helps to prevent dental problems and gum disease, but also prevents other illnesses. Infections in the mouth can spread to other areas of the dog’s body, like the kidneys and the heart. Pet stores sell special toothpaste for dogs.
Just like humans, dogs need to get a good amount of exercise each and every day. If your dog does not get the exercise it needs, it health will decline, and so will his attitude towards life. Take the time to exercise your dog for at least a half hour each day for the best results.
Don’t assume your toy-sized dog’s bite isn’t dangerous, just because he’s little. A lot of owners brush-off training, thinking that the smaller breed dog can get away with a little bad behavior and this isn’t true. As a responsible canine master, you’ve got to make certain your dog does not pose a threat to anyone by having him well trained.
Take your dog to the vet regularly. This may seem like an added expense that you don’t need, but when you take your dog to the veterinarian, he can screen your dog for diseases and make sure he is in the best of health. This of course prevents problems down the road.
Taking proper care of your dog is a lot of responsibility. It’s much more than simply feeding and walking him. Give the proper affection to your dog, and show him a lot of compassion. This will make the both of you very content in the long run.
Attention exercises must be practiced daily. These exercises will help you gain your dog’s attention when they are barking or being disruptive or destructive. Once you can gain your dog’s attention, you will have less to worry about when you have him out of the house or when there is company over.
Now you should know what goes into caring for your pet as best you can so now you should be able to bring a new pet home! Learn everything that you can by searching the Internet often for new ideas about dog care. You may want to look for a forum of other dog owners to share and learn information. Educating yourself is something you continue to do for life, so now is not the time to stop!
Remember the saying “The more people that work on something, the less likely they are to succeed” while you train your dog. Not everyone will do things the same way, which can cause confusion. Therefore, ensure that only one person is doing the training. The other people should only reinforce the person’s rules and stick by them.
If training has become routine and boring with your dog, consider introducing agility exercises into the mix. These will still teach your dog to obey and be challenging, but they tend to be a lot more fun than the regular commands. Get the whole family involved by making an obstacle course and working the dog through it frequently.
Groom your dog frequently. Keep them clean and reduce the amount of hair they shed by brushing them frequently. When the weather warms up, start checking them for ticks and fleas daily. Dogs generally require a few baths a year. Before you give your dog a bath, make sure to cut or comb out mats and tangles. Rinse their coat thoroughly to avoid dirt sticking to any soap residue.
If you are thinking of getting a new dog for your family, be sure you are prepared for this commitment. Smaller dogs will require at least a 14-16 year commitment, and larger dogs will require at least 10 years. If you are not prepared to own the dog for its entire life, then do not choose a dog as a pet.
Do not make training your dog seem like a chore. Dogs pick up on this negative energy and puppies – topic will have a difficult time learning if you are not in the right mind frame. Make it fun and try to look at it as a bonding experience with your pet. When your dog is having fun, they will learn their training quicker.