Google

Training Your Dog For A Happy Healthy Life


Adopting a dog is a lot of fun, but it can also add a lot of responsibilities to your life. When you become a dog owner, you take on the responsibility to make sure your pet has everything he needs, a safe environment to live in, proper care, and everything he needs for a happy and healthy life! It's a big step to care for a dog, but you'll be rewarded with a loving companion.

The first step in providing a good life for your pet and making sure your dog remains safe is to get him trained properly. Believe it or not, many people do not see to this important task and then wonder why their dog jumps up on visitors or won't listen to their commands. Many a dog has been considered a "bad" pet when all he really needed was the owner to take the time out to train him properly.

If you train your dog properly, not only will he have some cool tricks to show off, but it will also add to his safety. Should your dog be heading off into a dangerous situation, your obedience training will come in handy and you can call him back to your side and safety. A well trained dog Will be well behaved around strangers and the family - an obedient companion. Plus the training process can help define you as the master and act as a bonding experience for you and your pet. You can train a dog on your own, or you can join an obedience training class and get instruction from professionals.

You want to make sure your pet is as healthy as can be and part of dog ownership is to provide your dog with excellent veterinary care. A yearly physical exam should be performed and any vaccinations updated. Also make sure you put him on the right heartworm and flea and tick medications. If you notice a difference in your dogs behavior schedule a vet appointment right away. Even a small change in habits, mood, eating or elimination pattern should be checked by your vet - it could be nothing, but it's better to be safe than sorry! Have your dog neutered or spayed - they WILL be much happier.

Providing a safe environment for your dog is up to you as the pet owner. Make sure there are places your dog can get stuck in or fall from and there is no sharp objects like nails or pins laying around. Everyone in the family should know not to leave the door open so that your dog can run out in the street. Refrain from feeding your dog "people" food as some of it can be harmful to them. Chocolate, for example, can even be deadly!

Grooming your dog can be a good time to bond with your pet and can also help him stay healthy. Brushing his coat, trimming his nails, cleaning his ears and around the eyes are all part of good dog health. Proper dental care is the most important grooming task you can do for your dog. Bacteria that builds up on the teeth can break away and cause health issues in other organs of the body. Brushing every other day is recommended to keep your dog's mouth clean and will have the added bonus of giving him fresh breath!

Hopefully you'll never need to enact it, but you should have a plan for the dog in case of emergency. What if there is a fire or some other disaster? Make sure someone is responsible to get your pet out of the house in case of emergency. It's not a bad idea to have a designated person that can mind your dog on short notice if you get called out of town on an emergency.

Bringing a dog into your family, you are committing to provide that dog with all the things he needs for a happy and healthy life. Some dogs Can live into their teens if taken care of properly. That's a long commitment on your part, but the rewards are so great that the commitment pales by comparison.

Lee Dobbins write for Train The Dog where you can learn more about dog training for every breed. Check out their list of dog breeds and see which ones are easier to train.

MORE RESOURCES:

RELATED ARTICLES

Toys are GOOD for your dog
Did you know that dog toys are actually good for your dog, and not just an indulgence on the part of the owner?There are all kinds of uses for different types of toys.First, starting as puppies, toys give your dog a distraction from other would-be toys like your couch or your favorite pair of shoes.
DOG ID TAGS-Identify and Protect Your Dog With Any of These Methods
The American Humane Society estimated that last year alone; fifteen million dogs entered its shelters. Not even twenty percent of these dogs' owners were ever contacted.
Apistogramma , Dwarf Cichlids in the Aquarium
The real apistogramma's come from southern America, they all have the same characteristics, like a complex breeding behavior, as their large relatives, only their size is different. Besides the apistogramma group there are also some relatively popular dwarf cichlids from Africa, like the Pelvicachromis group.
Taking Care of Your Sick Dog
Just like humans, dogs are subject to diseases and illnesses. If your dog gets sick, you may have to take him to the vet for treatment or even surgery.
Horse Training Secrets For Busy Horse Owners Short On Time
Picture this. You're late for work one day.
Training Collars: Teaching Your Dog Basic Obedience and Breaking Bad Habits
Training CollarsTraining collars are a tool many pet owners utilize to teach their pets boundaries. There are several different types and several different options available to the consumer.
Rescue Dogs
We have all grown up with at least one hero in our life, but how many people can call their hero Duke or Spot? The answer- anyone who has had their life saved by a rescue dog.Whether it is a house fire, tornado rubble, leftovers from an earthquake, or flowing water behind a hurricane front, these specially trained rescue dogs rush in with no concerns for their own welfare, pulling out victims, some dead and some still alive.
Cushings Disease
As our horses enjoy a longer life and many live well into old age so the number of horses with Cushing increases as its more common in older horses especially ponies. It can however affect all breeds and ages.
Pet Services Are A Multi-Billion-Dollar Industry
There are many of us who consider our pets as part of the family, and this is evidenced by a recent statistic that states 65% of all U.S.
Aquarium Supplies Part 2 -- My First Experience With Goldfish
If you are seriously considering keeping fish as pets or are just starting out, I would like to stress again the importance of having some basic knowledge about aquariums and fish keeping in order to enjoy the hobby for a significant length of time and to avoid frustrations and disappointments.In the first article I illustrated this by sharing my own childhood experience with bettas, and now I shall share my experience with goldfish.
West Highland White Terrier - How To Capture the Best Pictures of Your Westies
For most West Highland White Terrier owners, the dog is a beloved member of the family. Like your children, you will want to capture pictures of your Westies from the time they are puppies until they are old-timers.
Housebreaking Your Dog-Potty Training Canine Style
Puppies are a bundle of newfound joy. You've prepared the house, and even bought him a new rubber chew toy.
Three Important Litter Box Considerations
There are three important litter box considerations to account for whether you're a new kitten owner, or someone who has had a cat for a while. If kitty isn't happy with any or all three of these, you may find she'll start urinating outside the box.
Horse Stable keeping
It is very important to decide whether to keep your horse with you or choosing a nearby stable that would accommodate your horse. It all depends upon the size of your property and the amount of money that you can spend.
Round Pen: The Great Equalizer
Although many horsemen and trainers extol the virtues of the round pen, many horse owners still overlook just how powerful such a pen can be in developing or maintaining a relationship with a horse. This is a shame because it is truly what I call the Great Equalizer in a horse-human relationship.
Build A Better Mousetrap, And People Will Buy It
This is an old saying that many of us have grown up hearing since we were children, but the problem is improving on an invention that has been around for years. This is especially true for simple inventions like the common pet identification tag, or dog tag as it is normally referred too as.
Home Hazards That Can Affect Our Pets
Is your home safe for your Furr Kids? It might surprise you to know how many hazards there are in a typical home for the pets we love.Most everyone is aware that anti-freeze, pest sprays, rat poison and the like should be kept where no pet can get to them.
The Basics of Dog Obedience Training for Your New Pet
Dog obedience training starts even before you get your puppy in your home. Instead, it starts originally with the person that you purchased the dog from.
First Aid for Parrots
Unfortunately, accidents can - and DO happen, so it's always a good idea to be prepared! While accidents usually produce obvious injuries, illnesses are often kept well hidden by birds. In nature, if you're sick you pose a threat in making your whole flock vulnerable to predators, so parrots have become adept at masking signs of illness.
West Highland White Terriers - Make Your Westie Famous
The West Highland White Terrier or Westie, has it's origin, as the name suggests, in the western Scottish Highlands. They were originally bred for controlling the population of rats, fox, otter and other verminThe West highland White Terrier (also known as the Westie) is a elegant looking dog with beautiful eyes (this is my favourite feature).