Even if you don’t have a dog yet, you likely know what a big responsibility dog ownership is. You probably don’t innately know the best way to care for your canine companion. Review the information below to learn how to take great care of your dogs.

Make sure that your home is safe for your dog. Prior to bringing the pooch home, check that the whole home is safe. Cleaning supplies and medications should be locked away, and any indoor trash cans need to be put in a cabinet. Many common types of house plants can be toxic, so it pays to eliminate or move them.

Always, have your dog spayed or neutered. Statistics show that doing this can reduce your dog’s cancer risk, which can result in a longer life span. In addition, spayed or neutered dogs aren’t as likely to roam away from your home, which can result in them getting run over by a vehicle, killed by a bigger animal, shot, or kidnapped.

When you take your dog with you on vacation, take a picture and save it to your phone. If he just so happens to run away from you, you should have a picture so you can find him.

Don’t give table scraps to your dog. This will make your dog beg all of the time and also will make it not want to eat its regular food as much. Scraps from the table obesity, digestive problems, or other health issues in dogs. Resist the temptation and only give dog food to your pup.

Practice training your dog in your house or yard. It’s a bad idea to train a dog in a busy place. This will make it more difficult for your dog to pay attention.

Always have your dog on a leash when he’s off your property. Anything can happen, causing your dog to run away or get in a fight with other dogs or even people. You’re responsible for their actions and safety.

When the dog does something right, be sure to lavish praise on him or her. By rewarding your pup when it does the right thing, you’ll be teaching it to do these behaviors more often. He’ll learn that praise will come when he is good, too.

Your dog’s claws must be trimmed. If they begin to curl under, you dog could experience quite a bit of pain. You can use store bought clippers to trim them yourself. If you’re uncomfortable clipping them on your own, go to a professional groomer. Nail clipping is very affordable.

If you’re going to adopt a new dog from an animal shelter, you need to get a vet appointment scheduled as soon as possible. Animals from shelters sometimes have viruses or might have already been sick when taken in by the shelter. Therefore, you should ensure your new dog receives its vaccinations as soon as you obtain it.

Now that you have some more knowledge about dogs, you should have no trouble caring for them. You just need some patience and love in order to have a happy, appreciative dog. Research some more to make sure you will enjoy the company of your furry companion.