Dog Care

From LoveToKnow Dogs
Dog care becomes your primary responsibility when you own a dog. Owning a dog is a wonderful joy, providing love and companionship for you, but it also means taking care of the dog's health and every day needs. Your dog is 100% dependent on you. You need to provide love, food, shelter, veterinary care and exercise.

Shelter and Proper ID

All dogs should have fenced yards and dog houses if kept outside. Keep your dog in a fenced-in area or on a leash. No exceptions. If your dog is not in a fence, he should be on a leash. Even the best trained dog disobeys and gets distracted. It takes just seconds for a dog to get lost or worse. Remember though, dogs are pack animals and crave human attention and interaction. This means if you plan on keeping your dog outside, you should plan on spending a good amount of time outside with him; otherwise, dogs do best as inside companions.

Make sure your dog has a properly fitting collar with an up-to-date ID tag. The ID tag should include your name, telephone number and address.

Diet and Exercise

Exercise your dog. Playing with your dog strengthens the dog-human bond and gives your dog a good workout, giving him a chance to release his natural energy. Be sure to provide the right amount of exercise for your dog's age and energy level.

Provide a balanced diet with a nutritionally-balanced dog food. A basic rule of thumb: paying a dollar a pound usually yields a good solid food. Your veterinarian can also be able to give you good advice about what is the Best Dog Food for your dog.

Have fresh water available at all times. Whether your dog lives inside or outside, good dog care includes ensuring fresh water is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If your dog drinks from a regular dog bowl, refresh his water at least once a day. In the winter, make sure the water has not frozen over. Dehydration can cause serious illness and death.

Veterinarian Dog Care

Take your dog to the veterinarian. Adult dogs should have an annual check-up at the veterinarian. Puppies need to be seen more frequently. Vaccines, heartworm and flea and tick preventatives go a long way toward keeping your dog healthy and happy.

Have your dog spayed and neutered. Spayed and neutered pets live longer lives, are less aggressive and roam less. Also, spaying/neutering your pet helps to control the pet overpopulation problem.

Dog Care Includes Training

Treat yourself and your dog to a training class. Training classes teach humans how to communicate with their dogs, so they can understand each other. A trained human-dog team strengthens the human bond and creates harmony in the household.

All Dogs Need Love

Be patient, compassionate and kind. Like all relationships, human-dog relationships take work. If you give your dog the time, training, attention and love he needs, he will pay you back a thousand fold. If you are having problems with your dog, seek advice from a veterinarian or trainer.


 


Comments

Hi Patrick,

It would be a good idea to have your vet perform a recheck to make sure the wounds are not becoming infected. This could still happen even if your dog is on medication, and it could result in the kind of behavior you're observing now.

If the vet says there is no physical reason for your dog's behavior after another exam, this could be due to some psychological trauma from the attack. The best way to deal with that would be to gently begin including your dog in family activities again. Go pick him up and take him to the couch to snuggle while you watch TV. Take him for a short walk in a safe area to get some fresh air. Offer him a new toy or two to keep him occupied at times. Interactive toys can be great for stimulating a dog's mind. The general idea here is to not allow your dog to spend all of his time moping in the corner. He'll certainly need time to relax on his own, but changing his perspective in ways like the ones described may help pull him out of his shell again.

Thanks for your questions, and I truly hope your little Pom makes a full recovery.

-- Contributed by: Kelly

My dog was attacked by pitbulls 4 days ago. He is a Pomeranian. He saw the vet and got some stitches and we took him home. He is still very sore and stiff. In two days, he started to act much better, not quite his old self but seemed to be healing nicely. Yesterday, he went to a favorite nook he found in our house and doesn't want to move. He is taking his meds and eating but we are starting to worry about him. Only the doorbell seems to get him out. He was always very social before and would sit with us or play with us. Now he just lies on his doggie bed in the nook.

-- Contributed by: Patrick

Hi Julie,

Although boiled chicken is a good addition to your dog's diet, I wouldn't replace her balanced kibble with it. I would just add it to the mix. Hopefully the vomiting was just a one time thing. I wouldn't be too worried about it unless she begins vomiting frequently. If this happens, call your vet right away.

Your dog is at that stage that most ...es reach where the puppies' nutritional demands are becoming too great for her to meet. It's a very good thing that you have begun the weaning process by introducing the pups to other foods. Carry on with that, and it will eliminate some of the stress on mom. Allow her to eat as much as she wants of her regular diet. As the puppies nurse less, she will naturally begin to regain the weight she's lost, but it will take some time for this to happen.

All things considered, it does sound as though things are going normally, so try not to be too worried. These next few weeks are going to fly by quickly, and the situation will get back to normal soon. Thanks for your question. :)

-- Contributed by: Kelly
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