Adopting a dog is a wonderful thing, but raising a healthy, well-adjusted dog is a challenge, and a big responsibility. The truth is, that taking on the responsibility for a dog is much like adopting a child that never grows up.
This article discusses 5 of your basic areas of responsibilities in raising a dog. There are, of course, other things you’ll need to take care of, but if you are covering these five, you’ll be doing a good job of raising your dog.
Proper Nutrition
A good place to start is what you feed your dog. Broadly speaking, you can feed your dog a raw food diet, make your own dog food, or feed your dog a pre-packaged dog food. As most dog guardians don’t have time for the other two, so they’ll likely end up feeding their dog a branded kibble. No problem with that of course, but the quality of these foods vary greatly. It is always best to feed your dog a quality brand, which will usually be a premium or super premium product. Discuss this with your vet before deciding.
Medical Care
You are responsible for ensuring that that your puppy gets all his shots, and then has yearly check-ups, and follow up vaccinations. You will also have to ensure that, if your dog suffers from a serious illness or injury, you are able to pay for veterinary care. This can be extremely expensive and I would strongly advise you to consider taking out medical insurance.
Exercise
It doesn’t matter whether your dog is a couch potato or a jack-in-the-box, he needs his exercise. Make sure you have the time to provide it and the energy to keep up with him.
Choose a breed that matches your own level of activity and time availability. Don’t, for example, choose a dog that needs hours of activity per day if all you can spare is 30 minutes. You’re just setting yourself up for a major problem.
Obedience TrainingLike exercise, all dogs need at least basic obedience training, and most dogs actually enjoy learning new things. Training provides your dog with mental stimulation, discipline and exercise. It teaches him his place in the pack and contributes to bonding.
Never use punishment when training your dog, it simply doesn’t work. Use positive reinforcement instead.
Love, Affection and Companionship
Dogs are sociable animals who are used to living in a pack structure and therefore enjoy the company of others. The worst thing you can do to a dog is to exclude him from family activities, throw him in the backyard and ignore him. In fact, this is as bad as physically abusing the dog.
Take care of these five basic areas and you’ll have every chance of raising a happy, well-adjusted dog. Your reward will be the love, loyalty and devotion you get in return.
Click here to read more about dog obedience training, dog care, dog grooming and other informative dog advice at dogsanddogtraining.com
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