The Fundamentals of Keeping Your Dog in Good Health

 Giving your dog the happy and healthy life they deserve is your number one job as a pet owner, there’s no doubt about that. But wanting to do that and actually making it happen are two different things. We’re going to talk today about how to get the basics of looking after your dog right and how to maintain their good health. So if that’s something you want to get better at, read on now.

Choose a Vet You Trust and Attend Regular Checkups

First of all, you should take the time to search for a vet whose services you can trust. When you’ve done that, you can make sure that you’re able to put their health in safe hands when it comes to checking for problems and finding the right treatments when they’re not feeling well. You’ll also need to take them to regular checkups so any issues can be spotted early.

Be There to Give Love and Attention

It’s important that you’re there to give your dog love and attention because that’s what they crave more than anything else from their owners. If you’re not there to spend enough time with them, they might become depressed or start to experience separation anxiety. That’s why people should only get dogs if they have enough time to be around them.

Find the Products That Help You

Finding the products that are going to help you keep your dog happy and healthy is something else you’ll need to think about. There’s no shortage of great pet supplies out there, covering everything from healthy dog food to treats, toys and everything else in between. You’ll also need to find a comfortable and supportive bed that they can relax in.

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Provide Them with the Levels of Daily Exercise They Need

Making sure that they get the amount of daily exercise they need is obviously something that’s very important as well. If they’re not getting that exercise, they can take out their energy in other ways. For example, some dogs might develop behavioral problems or become destructive in the home, and that’s probably not what you want to happen. So make sure that you give them the exercise they need according to their size, breed and age.

Balance Treats with a Healthy Weight

Finally, you should make sure that you’re keeping an eye on the weight of your dog. If they’re gaining too much weight it could be because you’re feeding them too much, giving them too much human food from the dinner table to giving them treats. Although you’ll want to offer them treats now and then, that has to be balanced with maintaining a healthy weight.

As you can see, there are plenty of things you need to get right and focus on if you’re going to give your dog the happy and healthy life they need. It’s really important that you get the basics and fundamentals right before you start thinking about anything else. So work on each of the categories we’ve talked about above.

3 Great Methods Of Disciplining Your Dog Correctly

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No matter how lovely the disposition of our dog is, it’s true to say that they only really behave if we teach them to do so, and show the correct boundaries. This doesn’t mean we need to use aggression or force in order to teach our dogs what not to do - in fact, that can constitute abuse, and even if it didn’t, is painfully ineffective a technique to start with.

Dogs learn through repetition and reward, and also routine. They learn in seeing the boundaries they must not cross, and slowly developing a sense of obedience to you as an owner, provided you cultivate that authority correctly. This is important even in small dogs, which many people tend to neglect because of how seemingly harmless they are - leading to unwarranted aggression whenever pet or attended to. 

What appropriate advice is there for disciplining your dog correctly, especially when bringing a rescue pet home? This is worth planning ahead of time, so you can utilize all of your practices and hire potential training services well in advance. With the following advice, you’ll be more and more able to achieve proper ownership:

See A Worthwhile Trainer

Trainers can help get to the core of the behavioral patterns of your dog, out-training bad habits, and training new and better responses to your commands. Trainers can also allow your dog to learn in proximity to other dogs, which is essential for them to adapt so they don’t feel dismayed or react aggressively when seeing them. A worthwhile trainer can also help your dog learn to become more confident, and more obedient to your commands. It’s a growing process, but it works well.

Keep Consistent In Your Lessons

It’s important to stay consistent in the lessons you give your pet. If they are told not to jump on the sofa one day, but another day you’re happy to allow that, then they get mixed messages, and cannot understand why you’re disciplining them for doing something you have otherwise accepted before. Of course, they don’t rationalize in this way, but they do have trouble adapting to your authority if they don’t have clear guidelines to do so. This is why giving them a clear alternative you point your focus towards, that is your large dog bed properly placed, can make such a big difference and retain that consistent obedience.

Provide Clear Instructions

It’s important to provide clear instructions as to why you are unhappy or happy with your dog, and why that’s the case. For instance, dogs learn new tricks when performing an action, given vocal positive feedback, and a treat. You can also use this technique to show them when you’re not happy, such as using an authoritative tone, no treat, and pointing to the part of the sofa they’ve scratched. Consistent repetition of this can help them learn to gauge your reactions, and they will subconsciously understand how to alternate their behavior given enough time.

With this advice, you’ll be sure to discipline your dog correctly, with care, attention, and diligence. This is how great pets, and great owners as a consequence, are made.

Dog Training Weekly Tip

Dog Training Tip

Only after the first job or mission is mastered do you introduce another plan or job for your dog to learn and do the same as before by repeating the exercise until your dog has mastered the lesson over a couple of weeks. 

 Repeat your lesson plan several times over a couple of week’s time without any changes and your dog will learn what you want.