Taking Responsibility: The Dog Owner's Guide To Getting It Right

There’s no relationship quite like the connection between man and his best friend. If you’ve got a dog, it’s so important to understand your responsibilities. When you bring your new furry friend home, it’s your duty to look after them and keep them safe, fit, and healthy. Here’s a guide to getting it right to help you.

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Making your home dog-friendly

It’s essential to ensure your home is a safe environment for a cuddly creature before deciding to get a dog. Dogs need space to move around, a comfy spot to settle and an environment free from hazards. It’s a good idea to prepare your home before you bring a new puppy or rescue dog home to reduce the risk of accidents and injuries. Place a fireguard in front of an open fire, use stair gates to prevent them from going into rooms you want to keep dog-free and move cleaning products, chemicals and medicines from cupboards and drawers that could be discovered by a keen nose. Buy some toys, a bed and some blankets and stock up on food.

Giving your dog love and attention

Dogs don’t like to be alone, and they crave attention. Dogs aren’t naturally solitary animals, and they long for cuddles and human interaction. If you have a dog and you work long hours, or you tend to go away on the weekends, it’s a good idea to have a look at facilities like Camp Diego dog boarding or ask a friend or relative if they could dog-sit for you. Spending time with people will boost your dog’s happiness and wellbeing and hopefully, reduce the risk of them getting bored and chewing slippers, sofa cushions or new clothes.

Exercise and playtime

Dogs need exercise, so if you’re thinking of getting a new best friend, be prepared to walk, even in the pouring rain. It’s not enough to let your dog run around the backyard for a few minutes each day. All breeds are different in terms of how much exercise they need, but all dogs should be walked at least once a day. If you can’t walk your dog as much as you’d like to, have a look for a local dog walking service. Take time to play with your dog and have fun together. Throw a ball for them in the woods or chase them around the garden.

Maintaining good health

Aside from ensuring your dog is active, it’s also important to make sure they have a healthy diet, and they get the care and attention they need. Initially, if you have a puppy, you’ll need to call the vet and organize vaccinations. You’ll then need to visit periodically for boosters. It’s also a good idea to worm dogs regularly and to keep an eye out for fleas. Dental health is also important for dogs, as gum disease is a very common issue. Brush your dog’s teeth and organize regular checks.

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If you have a dog, you are responsible for that bundle of joy’s health and happiness. Hopefully, these simple tips will help you get it right.

The Necessitates Every Furry Friend Needs From It's Owner

We share this planet with some of our furry friends. They may not understand us totally, but when we have pets, they connect with us on a very deep level. It's the responsibility of every owner to give their dog or cat the best we can give them to make sure their life is fun and fulfilling. Their living standard is completely in our hands, and because they don’t live as long as us, it's our duty to make them feel loved. However just as they don’t understand us word for word, we have trouble knowing what they’re thinking and feeling. It can be daunting to become a pet owner if you simply feel lost and don’t know what the very basics are for keeping a pet fit, happy and healthy. It's not that difficult, but the results will vary on how you approach certain things that every furry friend needs.

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Plenty of play

The number one cause of pets that gnaw on furniture, ruining couches, sofas and wooden legs of dining tables is because the pet is restless. They don’t do it out of wanting to get revenge or to make your life harder; it's just that they have to release that tension somehow. Therefore every pet needs plenty of play. If you have a dog, it's recommended to walk them twice a day, once in the morning and once more in the evening. It doesn’t have to be long, but the dog has to get rid of all the pent-up energy and express it in the form of sniffing around, marking his or her territory, and run around chasing something. The same with cats, they need to able to stretch out and use their natural reflexes to chase a fake mouse or play with a ball of wool.

Photo by Austin Community College

Constant check-ups

Many dogs will see their bodies start to let go as they get older. The hip joints and the pelvis region are the number one areas of concern for ageing pets, dogs and cats alike. This is why no matter how healthy they might be right now, sooner or later they will need check-ups by professionals. As this is sure to be over a lifetime, it's crucial to seek out the best low cost vet care. When you do, you’ll be asked to sign up your pet, and they will then be given their online account. You can see their entire medical history with the vet, and this gives you a chance to spot any reoccurring problems that will eventually leave patterns so you can recognise what might be best for your pet. You can also choose from different healthcare plans that also go up to advanced for the pets that have complicated and possibly rare conditions.

The basics of maintaining the living standard for pets is something that every pet owner must invest time and money in. The regular health check-ups will become irreplaceable the further on in life your pets go, but giving them a healthy and active lifestyle is just as important to keeping their moods level and predictable.

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Can’t Sit, Won’t Sit: Getting Your Dog to Play Ball

Some dogs are naturally well-behaved. In just a few sessions, they’re able to sit and heel on command, calm down when they’re told to, and all-around be good, obedient members of the family. Then there are the other dogs, the free-spirited canines who never seem quite to understand that they’re not masters of their destiny. So what do you do if you find yourself looking after one of these pups? You don’t have to give in to their ways. Take our tips below, and you’ll have a happy dog that’s able to follow the rules in no time.

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Understand: Training is Good

It can often feel like you’re not making any progress with your pet, but all great journeys begin with small steps. If your dog is struggling to master the big changes you’re trying to instil in them, then start small. Your dog needs to learn that training can be good for them; they need to know, in other words, that good behaviour will be rewarded (and, to your dog, the best reward will be food). Once you’ve made that connection, they should be more malleable in your hands.

Be Consistent

You’d be surprised at one of the biggest barriers to your dog’s progress: it’s your family. They don’t mean to, but they might, unbeknownst to you, be undermining your progress. The key is to be consistent; if you have one rule for your dog, then the whole family need to have the same rule. You can’t blame a dog for failing to get a message if they’re receiving several different messages throughout the day; how will they know which one to follow?

Tricks of the Trade

If your dog is stubborn, there are a few things you can do. These will be either divided into bribing your dog so that they do what they’re told because they know there’s a reward waiting at the end; or you can outright trick them, as is the case with dogs who won’t take their medication. When that happens, you should use Vetiq pill pockets; they’ll swallow their pills purely because they think they’re getting a treat. For everything else, it’s about showing positivity and staying on top of the bad behaviours that can derail their progress.

Limit the Triggers

Your dog might have a natural tendency to go mad, but it won’t always just spring out from thin air. It’s possible that your dog has triggers that cause them, in one way or another, to temporarily lose their mind. If you can make a connection between these triggers and their madness, then you’ll be able to control their behaviour better. It’s not so much a long-lasting solution, but it’ll ensure you can get some peace for a while.

Be Patient

Finally, remember that you’re asking a lot from your dog. They’re not human, and you shouldn’t expect progress to be made overnight. Be patient; they’ll get it eventually. And if they don’t, you’ll still have a lovable - albeit slightly crazy - dog to play with.