How To Be A Good Dog Owner?
No matter what you do, you always have a feeling that you can push yourself more and be the perfect parent to your pet. Being a pet parent itself is a big responsibility and can be really tedious. And when it comes to be on top of your game, you gotta be on the tip of your toes. A dedicated dog owner is one that values the companionship their pet offers and is ready to be equally committed to their pet’s well-being. Then be it food, health or other little yet important things in his life. Here is a complete guide to nurture your pet and keep track of his needs to become a responsible and loving dog owner, if you are seeking to become one.
Choose the Right Dog for Yourself
Before choosing a pet, you must first evaluate your lifestyle. It is necessary to consider certain aspects while adopting a dog, like – time that you’ll have to squeeze out for your dog, finances, emotional commitment, and your activity level. In case, you are usually an active person and if you adopt a dog that doesn’t match your energy levels, you would probably end up regretting your decision. The same goes for time. In case, you are a very busy person and hardly find out time for your family and friends, you must reconsider adopting a dog because you anyhow have to commit yourself to your dog so he stays healthy and stress-free. You should understand that dogs can easily get stressed if their owners don’t pay enough attention to them. So, take your decision very carefully.
Provide Healthy, Balanced and High-Quality Food
Food is the ultimate necessity of a living being. And when it comes to pets, their happiness literally lies on food. Also, of course, their health. Thus, to be a good dog owner in your pet’s eyes and to be a responsible parent, it is thus extremely mandatory to be careful in what you are feeding him. Feed balanced meals and high-quality food that fits in your budget. Besides quality, keep a track of the optimum quantity that must be fed to the dog so he doesn’t get overweight. Talk to the vet to plan out his meals.
Know What Foods Are Right For Your Dog
We all love our dogs and like to feed them all type of foods that we love to eat. But, this practice can be detrimental to your dog’s health because not all human foods or edible food items are healthy for your furry kids. For instance, chocolate is like ultimate sin food for humans and so is other stuff like – pasta and pizzas. However, for dogs, chocolates are poisonous. The tomato gravy in Arabiatta or garlic in that stroganoff that you drool over is toxic for dogs. Those raisins in the plum cake also come in the list of ‘Food Items Not to be given to dogs’. Thus, make yourself aware of all the food items that you can feed him to keep him safe and healthy.
Feed Fresh Water to Your Dog
Freshwater brings vitality whereas the same water when leftover for a week, in a dirty bowl, can turn into a bacteria-laden concoction. A good dog owner thus must always clean the water bowl every 2-3 days and should always provide fresh water to his/her dog. Also, one must make sure that whenever they are taking their pet out for a picnic, they must carry a water bowl and a food bowl for their pets. In summers especially, your pet needs to stay hydrated. Thus, keeping a water bowl is mandatory to prevent him from heat-strokes and is also a good habit of a caring pet owner.
Train Him for Good Dog Etiquettes
Who doesn’t like a well-mannered, obedient dog? Everyone covets to own a pet that people love to meet and greet. Therefore, to be a good dog owner you must understand that it is necessary to teach good habits to your dog just as you would to your own kids. Teach him commands like sit, silence or leave so he learns to obey you. Read guides regarding training your dog to teach him good manners.
[Read] 9 Essential Recall Training Steps for Dogs
Never Hit Your Dog
Although you love your pet, at times, they can get onto your nerves because of their behavior or the nuisance they may cause. Whenever such a situation arises, never yell or attempt to hit your dog because they would never learn good manners if you do so. Rather, stay calm and leave the place. The dog will know he acted wrong. Remember, a good dog owner is always polite and patient towards his/her pet. So, be one.
Take Care of Their Oral Hygiene
Coming over to the hygiene, oral hygiene is generally overlooked and most pet owners don’t brush their pet’s teeth regularly. This often leads to issues like plaque, tartar, bad breath and other bacterial diseases. Not to mention, the medical bills that one has to pay later. Therefore, to be a responsible pet owner you must not neglect your dog’s oral health. Choose the right brush and toothpaste for his teeth and never use human-grade toothpaste as it has high fluorine content which can degrade the pet’s teeth over time.
Groom Your Dog Regularly
Grooming is an essential part of keeping and raising a healthy dog. Pet owners that groom their dogs regularly and keep their surroundings clean and hygienic always raise a healthy dog. A clean dog is less attractive to parasites like fleas, ticks, lice or mosquitoes and has stronger immunity. Thus, bathing your pet regularly and combing him daily is a necessary step to becoming a good pet owner. Needless to say, it also saves your finances on medical treatments. However, do not skip on preventive treatments as they are necessary to prevent your dog from getting infected.
Give Him Treats on Showing Good Behaviour
Dogs have a different language of feeling appreciated. And, that is through their stomach. Giving your dog food and treats that he loves is the best way to express that you love him. Care for his taste-buds, however, do keep in mind not to overfeed. Treats are laden with calories and can make your dog obese, so, be mindful and only restrict to one treat a day. Also, you must reward him with his favorite treat whenever he shows his best behavior. This will encourage him to be obedient to you.
Take Him on Walks and Picnics
Outings like walks and picnic help eliminate boredom and break the monotony in your pet’s life. A stroll to down the street as the day ends or a normal evening walk is refreshing not just for your pet but also for you. It relieves stress and makes your pet happy. Picnics also let your dog enjoy his instinctual behavior like exploring, running around and meeting with his pack. Make sure you do that often in order to help your dog stay away from depression because depression is really common in dogs whose owners don’t pay enough attention to their needs.
Spend Quality Time
Another reason for depression in most dogs is – their owners don’t spend quality time with them. Pets are attention seekers and love when they are the focus of their parents’ attention. Thus, spending some time talking, patting, playing or holding your dog in your arms is a good way to raise a happy Fido. Committing time for leisure activities with your dog is very beneficial for his mental as well as physical health. People who do so certainly make for a really great parent.
Never leave him alone in the car
Responsible and caring dog owners never leave their dogs alone in the car because they understand what it can do to their health. Dogs that are left alone in a hot car on a warm summer day can actually suffocate and collapse because of heatstroke. You definitely wouldn’t want that to happen to your furry kid if you love your dog. So, make sure you never let him be alone in the car no matter what.
Pay regular vet visits
It is important to keep your dog’s health in check on a regular basis because parasites and other diseases can be debilitating. And, regular vet visits can actually help you to keep a track on the onset of any illness in your Fido.
Microchip your Dog
There are over a million cases of missing dogs every year. It is because of the carelessness and unawareness of pet’s owners that 90% of the dogs are never found. In fact, most of the pets that are lost don’t have their ID tags on the collar or aren’t microchipped which creates a problem in tracing them down. Therefore, microchip your pet and tag an ID to his/her collar so, in case your dog goes missing, animal security officials can trace him easily.
Bring New Toys for Him
Toys are the best way to keep your Fido consumed when you are busy with something else or are not home. They help remove boredom and keep your Fido entertained throughout the day. So, bring new toys that can keep your munchkin happy.
Fostering a pet is a bigger responsibility than you may have thought it to be. It needs complete commitment and dedication from a pet owner to understand their furry kid’s requirements and most importantly to comprehend their emotions for the companionship to be strong. So, if you really want to be a good dog owner, make yourself available to your dog and commit your time for his necessities. Remember, a great pet parent always makes his pet a priority. Hope, now you know where to start from!