Dog Care - Live Life the Dog Way!

For all of us who have tried to drag an unwilling,reluctant dog to a bath, dog care is not something merely to be sneezed at. Ifyou are a pet owner, you have almost certainly seen the woebegone, accusingeyes of your lovable bundle of bedraggled wet fur trying to figure out what heor she did to deserve such an unkind fate as bathing!

OK people, so let's just tick off all the things that weneed to keep in mind when we talk dog care: we're talking grooming, bathing, feeding,immunizing, walking, basic obedience training (believe you me, this is as muchfor your dog as for you), and last but certainly not least, a lot of affection,and love and cuddling!

Sheddingcan be Hair Raising: Now you can love your dog to death, but youcan still hate getting dog hair in your soup (yes it can happen), or on yourpillow, or on your really spiffy black sweater (eeks! your dog is a gorgeousgolden retriever who doubles as a shedding factory)! So unless you have acompletely hairless dog, and those are a bit of an acquired taste let me tellyou, shedding is something that you just have to find a way around. The simplesolution to this is regular grooming. What comes off on your dog's brushnecessarily will not come off on your pillow, or car upholstery, or sweater, orsandwich or other stuff which does not taste very good with dog hair as anaccompaniment. So give your dog a regular brushing: daily would be goodespecially if your dog is a long haired variety and since most dogs love a goodvigorous brushing the you will be rewarded with a lot of slavering affectionfrom your dog and will reap the obvious benefits of a relatively hair lesshome! To an extent the parasite problem is also kept in check with regularbrushing, since you come to know about any parasites before they get to be aproblem.

Bathing:Use your nose to know when: There is no hard and fast rule about bathing yourdog, but a good rule of thumb is to let your nose decide and that is usuallyevery two or three weeks. When the doggie pong starts to make itself felt abit, it's time to head for a bath! If bathing your dog outside is a possibilitythen that is the best option. You will save yourself the hassle of cleaning upyour bathroom later, because we are all aware of the mess that can be createdby a wet dog shaking himself rather vigorously to get rid of the excess water.Also bathing the dog outside saves you the bother of having to drag him,willy-nilly to bathroom, and can be a fun activity especially if you have kidsaround. You don't need to use anything fancy; a decent deodorizing dog shampoois good enough.

Don'tfeed to fatten: Obesity can be as much of a problem foryour pooch as it can be for us human beings. So it's a good idea to figure outhow much food your particular dog breed needs, because a lot of dogs are sillyenough to go on eating without realizing how much is too much. The rule ofthumb for feeding is, twice is enough: most dogs need to be fed only two timesin a day. Dogs need a lot of protein so make sure that the dog food that youuse contains the right proportion of all the stuff that a dog requires.

Exercise:Let your dog take you for a Walk: Don't kid yourself that you are taking yourcanine for a walk; most likely your dog takes you for a walk. When it is time,your dog is sure to nudge you gently (or not so gently) in the direction of thedoor. Pick up the leash and your dog is most likely going to be dancing aroundin delight! That dogs love their walk is a no brainer. That your dog's walk isgood for you as well, is an often overlooked benefit of having a dog as a pet.If you have a big dog, he will need plenty of exercise, a fairly long dailywalk (or two) then becomes regulation. This can be a very good work out for youas well, and the fresh air will do you a power of good. If you have childrenaround the house who are old enough, include them in this daily activity, it'sgreat bonding time!

Immunizing- Ahealthy dog is a happy dog: Most vets have a proscribed immunization chartwhich plots the schedule or time table for a dog's immunizations. Read it upcarefully and set yourself reminders for what is due when if you are thescatterbrained sort. Don't forget immunizing is as important for you and yourfamily as it is for your dog. A lot of diseases, especially skin relatedproblems are possible to pass on to humans from dogs. It is a good idea to tellyour vet to give your dog the once over when you go for the immunizations, ifthere are any problems that you have overlooked, then can be addressed. You canalso request the vet to clip your dog's toe nails because long nails can bemore of a problem than you think. It can make them more prone to falling, jointproblems later in life, etc.

Sit, Stay, Heel: Mostly, if you can train your dog toobey just a few basic commands, this makes for a happier pet and a happierowner. Dogs generally are happier when they know who is in charge; rememberthey are pack animals and enjoy structure, direction and knowing who is incharge. That unquestioning loyalty that your dog lavishes on you stems from hisrespect for you as being in charge. He knows that you know what is to be doneand he trusts you to tell him.

Love your dog to death! You know when they say; if youhave a dog, you never come home to an empty house. You dog will always give youa warm, rousing welcome, because his love is truly unconditional! A dog'sloyalty is legendary and your dog really can be your best friend! He does notmind if you've been bad or good. If you want a pet, be prepared to treat himlike a member of the family, taking care to lavish time, love and affection onhim. If you don't love your dog, perhaps you are better off not having one?Certainly a dog is better off without an owner who has no interest in him. Dogsseem to need affection much like a child does and you can often read the rebukein those melting, beseeching eyes when to fail in that duty of yours.

Losing a pet can be devastating but when you balance thatagainst the wonderful moments you have enjoyed with your pet, it will faroutweighs the sorrows that will ultimately befall you. Your pooch and you havesomething special going: enjoy it, celebrate it!