You’ve decided to get a dog! Congratulations on deciding to embark on a wonderful, loving relationship with man’s best friend. There are lots of things to learn and decisions to make, but don’t be overwhelmed. Starting your dog’s life with you off right with good health is quite possibly the best first thing to do… and the rest will follow!
Dog Health
Dogs are a lot like human beings when it comes to health, meaning they can live a healthy life by eating high quality, nourishing food. Dogs need a balanced diet of moderately sized meals of nutritious dog food for energy to fuel their daily activities. The good health of dogs is determined by age, activity level and weight. These three factors can also be used to determine how much you feed your dog. To maintain good health in dogs, a calculation of how many calories it should get each day should be obtained by a veternarian.
Vaccinations and a preventive care routine is the other critical way to keep dogs healthy and active. Vaccinating your dog protects them against diseases and pests, and strengthens the dog’s immune system. Vaccination is important in maintaining the healthy life of your dog. There are vaccination protocols to be discussed prior to the administration of vaccines and factors considered to include age of the dog, medical history of the dog, environment the dog is adapted to, and lifestyle, including travel habit and exposure to other dogs. Be sure to discuss all these elements with your dog’s doctor and set up a schedule to keep your dog healthy.
“The good health of dogs is determined by age, activity level and weight.“
Dog Training
Dogs are adored and admired for their loyalty. However, as much as dogs are like humans, they are different from humans with tendencies that can make it difficult to live with them. Dog owners therefore need to teach them important skills that will help dogs live in harmony with humans. There are a lot of arguments about dog training and discussions over which techniques of training are best for dogs. However it is important to note that the most effective training technique comes down to controlling a dog’s behavior and influencing the dog’s behavior. Dogs learn most quickly through the consequence of their behavior and positive reward. Obedience training of dogs is done through teaching him or her polite manners without being frightening or threatening. Rewarding your dog after good behavior is a good technique to teach him or her that it pays to do things you as the human likes. As you teach your dog what you don’t like and what you like, always note that consequences should be immediate and consistent.
Though it might feel like a steep learning curve, bringing a dog into your life is a great choice for most. A great idea is to first find a great veternarian who can advise you! Also, you can seek out the many resources available online for new and experienced dog owners alike, to start your dog on a great path to a happy life.
Image by David Mark from Pixabay
If you enjoyed this post, you should read 4 Ways to Make Your New Dog Feel Comfortable In Your Home here.
What tips were helpful to you when you first became a dog owner?
