We love our dogs, if you treat them right then they are as true a friend as you could ever hope for, but they need our help to look after them if we want them to stay healthy and happy. Since we have domesticated dogs and taken them out of their natural habitat then we have taken away their natural ability to look after themselves and surrounded them with new dangers they are not used to, so it is up to us to help them avoid those new dangers. Below we discuss 5 ways to look after your dog:
Keep dangerous items out of reach: Just like a baby, then dogs do not know that something like bleach will harm them, so they might bite through the bottle and get it on themselves if you leave it somewhere they can reach it. The same goes for small items and sharp items, dogs will try to eat almost anything it seems, and if you leave lots of small things in a place they can easily reach them, then don’t be surprised if they go missing one day!
Regular grooming: Grooming your dog is not just about making them look good and smell good (although it does do that) it also allows you to bond with your dog and to help you look for health problems before they get worse. As you wash or brush your dog then you can look at their skin and make sure there are no rashes or wounds that need to be looked at. Or you might observe they whine as you brush a certain area, in which case they might have an infection or injury there that needs looking at before it can get worse. By spotting problems early then you can save your dog a lot of pain later, and save yourself a lot of unnecessary vet bills.
Look after their teeth: There is nothing more painful than a toothache, so you want to make sure your dog avoids that pain if they can, by helping them look after their teeth. You want to inspect their teeth regularly to make sure they look ok, and use special dog toothpaste and a finger brush to clean their teeth regularly too. You can also get special dog chews that are made to clean their teeth as they chew on them, you could get some of them for the times in-between when you brush.
Stop giving them scraps: Dogs are not supposed to eat human food, and while they might beg for it and they will definitely eat it if you give it to them, then scraps from your meal could make them sick. Dogs do not react well to certain foods, chocolate can have a bad effect on them, and even garlic powder could seriously harm your dog, and that is in all sorts of things like pizza etc. So instead stick with proper dog food, and if they do beg at the table then train them out of it for their own sake.
Regular exercise: Dogs are like us, they need exercise if they are to stay fit and healthy. When they are in the wild then a dog will get plenty of exercise chasing after prey etc as they go about their day, but most domestic dogs are stuck in a house all day now. You don’t need to go out for endless walks though, a dog will happily tire itself out chasing after a stick or a ball for you, so all you need to do it sit down and keep throwing the ball for them while they run around in an exhausting display of energy!
If you need a bed for your dog to sleep in after all that exercise you are going to be giving him/her, then check out the indestructible dog beds at IndestructibleDogBeds.com.
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