How to be the Best Parent to Your Pet

Are you a Responsible Dog/Pet Owner?

Having a pet, be it a dog, cat, hamster, or other pet can be a demanding task and requires preparation and dedication. As humans, we sometimes make mistakes and lead to not being responsible pet owners. To start with, when bringing a dog or puppy home from a shelter or adoption center be prepared financially, physically, and emotionally.

This new member of the family can bring happiness or strain if you are not well planned. The dog may have one-time costs as well as recurring costs which can be taken care of by pet insurance. In addition, you will need to buy dog supplies, food (wet and dry), bed, stroller, tracker, get vaccination shots, and grooming needs, all these need money.

 Tips on How to Be a Responsible Pet Owner

• Give Vaccination

Being the primary caregiver to your dog ensures that his vaccination shots are up to date. Canine suffer from diseases and it is good to start their vaccination while still at puppy age to curb any infections.

As soon as the litter has finished being nursed it is good to start on vaccination as recommended by your vet. The shots can differ from one state to another and if you are not sure which ones the dog should get talk to your vet.

Obviously, this is one of the important aspects of being a responsible dog owner. Moreover, it will determine if your dog will be healthy or in danger during his lifespan in relation to his health.

• Enough Exercise

Exercise is important even for the “couch potato” dog breed. Alongside this, doing exercises together with your dog is a great way of bonding.

Get his/her favorite toy, play a game of fetch together, go for a walk or at the park together. Besides that, even during winter ensure to walk your dog with a led leash for easy visibility by motorist especially if it is late at night or in foggy weather.

Some dog breeds are active and can chase even a bird across the road. To avoid getting lost keep the dog on a leash and install a tracker on her/him.

Not only, will physical exercise keep your dog fit but also give you a companion when doing exercises.

• Safe Environment

Just like in the case with a baby where we have to babyproof our homes, the same case applies when we are bringing a dog home.

Use Indoor Gates to Limit Access

You can use baby gates in the hallways, at the stairs, or to seal off dangerous areas in the home for the dog not to access.

The areas that are most dangerous can be lockers where chemicals and detergents are kept, dirty trash cans. Keep the area locked and sealed off and for trash bins keep them closed too.

The dog will spend most of the time indoors hence keep the home safe and comfortable. Put the bed, water, and food bowl inaccessible areas, and toys where the dog can play with easily.

Check for any broken fences in the yards that the dog can get out without your knowledge and get lost or injured. Additionally, no one wants a lost dog hence get him a tag, tracker for easy identification when lost.

• Provide a Healthy Diet

Check on the meals your dog is taking. Moreover, check the nutritional needs as the puppy grows into a dog, the food should meet his needs. Additionally, we have food that is formulated for puppies and should not be given to adult dogs. Puppy food has more calories which may lead to obesity in the adult dog.

Do not overfeed your dog, check on the portions and feeding schedule. When training one can substitute treats with healthy natural snacks like carrots, broccoli, peas, melon to name a few.

Also, when buying commercial foods check the labels and avoid buying foods that have a lot of fillers, preservatives, or confusing ingredients as some are toxic to dogs. Check with your vet if not sure about the food to give your dog.  Even so, food given should be in relation to the dog’s activity level, age, and nutrition needs.

Besides that, check if there are any harmful human foods that the dog can get easily around the house like chocolate, garlic, onions, and keep away.

• Grooming Needs

Depending on the dog coat grooming can defer for different dog breeds. Although you do not need to give a bath daily. Occasional check on the dog nails, teeth, skin to avoid infections and cavities.

When giving your dog a bath make the experience fun so that the dog can be welcoming. During summer you can let the dog bath outside with a compressed shower as he enjoys the sun.

• Facilitate Training

We encourage one to do training for basic commands like sit, come, stay, go, and obedience classes when the dog is still young as a puppy. This will make it easy for the dog to obey house rules when you take him home.

Get toys that you can throw around for your dog to run after like a squash ball, a Kong toy with treats, or a chewing rope for tug of war for aggressive breeds.

Training will stimulate your dog physically and mentally ensuring the dog keeps fit and reducing unwanted behavior at home. For example, chewing, barking, and tearing things, separation anxiety.

Conclusion

When getting a pet one needs to be prepared and choose the right dog or pet for your family and lifestyle.

The dog requires care and attention if you will be away from home for many hours it is better to buy a “couch potato” dog breed instead of an active dog.

Lastly, get the food, bed, toys that the dog will need before bringing her home and make the home welcoming.