Do you wish to save a little puppy at a local pound? Are you interesting in getting a pure bred dog? No matter your reasoning for getting a dog, your life will be changed by the love of your dog. Responsibility comes with that love, so check out the following article to help you understand what’s involved in caring for your pet.
Keep in mind that dogs are expensive. Food, supplies and vet bills can add up to $1,000 or more per year. You should also look into purchasing a good pet health insurance policy to avoid high medical bills.
Make your home dog-proof. Prior to bringing the pooch home, check that the whole home is safe. Make sure anything toxic is put up. Since some plants are very harmful because of their toxicity, it’s best to get rid of them or put them in an area that the dog cannot get to.
If you’re taking your dog on a trip, be sure that you have a recent picture of them on-hand. This way, if you find out that your dog went missing along the way, you will have a recent picture that you can show to people when you go out to look for you pet.
Be careful when selecting canine flea treatments. There are ingredients in some of them that can risk cancer in your children. Ask your vet for recommendations. Be sure to keep children away while you’re applying any flea treatment.
Take some time to schedule dog training sessions in your own home and backyard. You do not want to train your dog around a bunch of people. They might feel distracted and not learn a thing.
Try using hand signals when training a dog instead of just using verbal commands. This is a very effective way to communicate with your dog. Always associate the spoken command and the hand gesture at first and choose the system that works best later on.
Talk to your vet about what foods are best for your dog. Some foods can cause sickness or an upset stomach. Err on the side of caution when feeding food to your dog.
You need to trim your dog’s nails regularly. Once the nails start to curl under, they can cause your dog a great deal of pain. It is easy to purchase a pair of clippers and attend to these yourself. If you lack the confidence to do this job on your own, a pet groomer will usually do it at a low cost.
Prevent matting on your dogs paws by keeping the area well trimmed. Straighten the hair with a comb slightly before you do any trimming. If you lack the confidence to attempt this, take the dog to a professional groomer.
When giving your dog medication or special treatment, follow vet instructions closely. Even if your dog resists, it is important for their health that you listen to the veterinarian. Recommendations that a vet makes are for the good of your pet and if you don’t adhere to these things it could be bad for your pet.
If you are interested in adopting a pure breed, consider visiting the dog pound. Lots of dog owners take animals to the pound when they can’t care for them any longer. All you have to do is give your local shelter a call, and you can find out which breeds they have. You may save a poor dog’s life if you do this.
Give your dog plenty of love. It is easy to overlook the good behavior your dog shows while you concentrate on eliminating the bad. This can cause issues later. On a ratio of five:one, seek out the positive things your dog does and reward him accordingly. He’ll behave better more often this way.
Now, you are aware of what you have to do to take proper care of your dog. All that is left is to bring your dog home! Keep learning more about owning dogs if you have any further questions on the subject. Consider joining forums to discuss your new pal with others who own dogs. You will gain valuable information by doing so.
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