Dogs are men’s best friend. Have you ever heard that phrase? Yes, a lot of people express their love for dogs because of dogs’ nature. They are loyal, smart, adorable, loving and also protective. Though they have many positive traits, you must not forget that they come with responsibilities. Yes, you should be responsible to fulfill their needs.
For the first time dog owning, having your first dog will bring you into joy and excitement. Another bundle of joy added into your family. Dogs will bring love into your family. However, for sure, their presence is much more than a doghouse and food. You should take care of their health, social needs, exercises. You should develop your patience, loving and understanding toward your dogs. As the reward, you will have their upmost loyalty, love, protection they will return us.
When you have gone through all the hard work in their upbringing, your dogs will become adorable, well-adjusted dogs that you will be proud of. Yes that’s your reward for taking a very good care of them. Not only that, having a dog in your house will help the youngest member of your family to have sense of responsibility as they are taking care of the dogs.
To ensure the health growth, here are 4 easy guide to take care of dog at home for beginners.
1. Health Care for Dogs
This is important to have a safe and clean place for your dogs so they say can feel safe and comfortable there. This kind of environment will make our dogs happy and the happiness will be shown from their behavior.
- Regular check ups to veterinarian
Find a good vet to check your dogs in routines. You might also want to discuss many things regarding the dogs as this is your first time having ones. Get necessary vaccines for encouraging the healthy growth. Consult the needs for routine appointments.
- Parasites Prevention Treatment
Another important treatment for your dogs are heartworm disease. This disease is spread by mosquitoes and will live in dog’s heart and will cause some symptoms like decrease appetite, weight loss, fatigue, cough and laziness.
You might consider to put a name tag around the collar. This is to prevent the people to think that your dogs are stray dogs. This tag gives them the identity as your pet.
Pay extra attention to this condition as your dogs may have a very high risk if they spend many hours outside on the grass. If they get infected, you might have to get the shots from a vet to treat it. Many types of treatments are available to get rid of the ticks and fleas. Medicated shampoo or collar or even a serum are some alternatives you can choose.
2. Feeding your Dogs
Not only choosing the right type of food to your dogs based on their age, but you also need to feed them regularly based on their age. Here are some infos for their meal regular time:
- Age 8 to 12 weeks: 4 meals a day
- Age 3 to 6 months: 3 meals a day
- Age 6 months to 1 year : 2 meals a day
- Age 1 year forward : 1 meal a day
It is better to train your dogs with high quality food which contains the perfect nutrients for their age. You might consider to give them dry foods as it will be cheaper in the long run. And this kind of food will decrease the risk of your dogs’ teeth to build plague. The structure of the food will scape it away and it is easier to store the food due to their dry form. However, this kind of food is less tasty then the wet food so some dogs don’t eat well with this type of food. Make sure you provide a lot of fresh water as he doesn’t get moisture from it.
You might combine dry foods with wet foods (canned foods) and semi moist foods. You will need extra care to clean your dogs’ teeth as it has high chance to cause plague and tartar. In the long run, you will spend extra money as these kind of foods are more expensive than the dry foods.
Please keep in mind that some human foods are harmful for dogs. Here is a list of food that u have to avoid for your dogs. They are avocado, chocolates, grapes and raisins, alcohol, coffee and tea, dough contains yeast, garlic, onions, salty foods and some more.
3. Grooming Sessions
Brushing your dogs has the advantages. It will stimulate its skin and it will make the blood flow into that area. Brushing his coat regularly will get rid any loose and dead hair from his coat. And of course it will untangle the knotted hair. Ensure the cleanliness of the dog’s coat. Most dogs don’t need to bathe more than once a month. However if the coat is dirty, you have to clean it with a mild shampoo. Dirty coats will cause skin infection
Some dogs grow their hair long. Please keep in mind that long hair might block their eyes to see properly. It might also irritate them between the toes. Nail trim is needed for dogs as long nails could cause injury to both the owner and the dogs. It might scratch the furniture or rip your skin. So make sure to trim the nails regularly. Tooth brushing is also necessary to keep mouth are clean and healthy. Special attention is needed for dogs that consume wet food. Do that regularly or most ideally is daily routine to prevent plague and tartar built up.
4. Training, exercising, socializing and playing
Training your dogs need a lot of patience. Constant command and compliments are needed for the dogs to understand what you want it to do. If they fail to follow your order, don’t punish them. Guide them to do the action you want them to do. And reward them whenever they achieve their goals. It takes time but the result will be rewarding. First training you should do is potty training. Be constant to teach them how to do their business. Some of the common times to take your dogs outside for potty train are in the morning, 20-30 minutes after their meals or before bedtime.
Besides meals, your dogs also need exercises. Aside from the proper diet, exercises are needed for good mental and physical stimulation. It would be good to walk them twice a day. This routine activity will prevent them from boredom which might lead into destructive behavior. Walking while playing will make your dogs happier.
Socializing is another thing should be taught to dogs. To make them aware that barking and showing aggressiveness toward people or other dogs are not acceptable, you should bring them to places where there are a lot of people and other dogs. They will get used to smell other’s scents and get relax. This kind of training will put your dogs into the right track to behave.
So this 4 easy guide to take care of dog at home for beginners may be useful for people who never have dogs a their pets. As having dogs are not merely that you fall in love with their cuteness. You should be responsible into taking care of them and to make them happy as a part of your family member.