How to Take Proper Care of Your Dog

A dog is a big responsibility. It requires much more care than many other animals such as a cat or a fish. If you make the commitment to buy or adopt a dog, you will need to know how to take proper care of him.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Collar
• ID tag
• Leash
• Vet well visits
• Toys
• Treats
• Water bowl
• Food dish
• Dog food
• Flea medication

1. Buy a collar that allows you to attach an ID tag. The ID tag should give the dog's name and your contact information should the dog get lost. It is important that the dog wear this collar whenever he goes outside.

2. Keep up with all of your dog's well visits. It is important that your dog follow a series of vaccinations recommended by your vet. The vet will also be able to advise you of any health issues that might arise in your particular breed of dog.

3. Apply flea medication for your dog once per month. You can get the prescription from the vet or buy it at your local pet store. This will protect your dog from getting fleas and ticks while on walks or playing in the backyard.

4. Feed your dog appropriate food twice per day. They make dog food based on a dog's age and weight. Your vet can advise you as to which brand of dog food she thinks is the healthiest. Give your dog a big breakfast and dinner.

5. Leave a water bowl out for your dog to drink during the day. It is okay if you put the water bowl away at night so that your dog won't have to go to the bathroom until morning.

6. Take the dog outside twice each day for proper exercise. A smaller dog may only need a half an hour each time, but larger dogs need a total of 2 hours of exercise each day.

7. Provide the dog with some toys to play with in the house. You may want to make a tug-of-war rope or purchase some squeaky toys. This gives the dog something to do during the day instead of just laying around.

8. Give the dog treats and praise the dog whenever the dog does something good.

9. Train your dog to behave well. If you are not sure how to do this, sign up for a dog obedience class. The instructor will teach you how to train your dog not to bark at people who walk by and how not to jump on you when you get home from work.

10. Show your dog love every chance you get. Dogs love to please their owners and by giving your dog lots of love you can create a bond that lasts a lifetime.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not yell, kick or hit the dog if it does something you don't like. This is abuse and will not teach the dog anything. Just ignore the dog and turn your back to it when it does something you don't like. It will quickly get the message.

Resources

• Wizdog
• Online Pet Store
• Pet Insurance