Owning a dog carries a lot of serious responsibilities. You are responsible for making sure your pet leads a happy and healthy life. Doing your research will help you reach this balance, so be sure to properly read the following information.

It takes quite a bit of money to take good care of a dog. When you add up the medical care, food and supplies in general, your costs could run from $700-$1000 annually. It can cost a lot of money to take your dog to the vet in an emergency, so you will want to investigate health insurance for your pet.

Give your dog hugs, but don’t kiss him. Dog kisses are very unsanitary. Dogs go through garbage cans, toilet bowls, and love smelling and licking specific body parts of some other dogs. There is an old wives’ tale that says that the mouth of a dog is cleaner than that of a human. It certainly isn’t the truth.

You need to take your older pet to the vet at lease once a day. Because your dog is unable to speak, you may not know for sure when your dog feels sick or has an injury. A veterinary checkup can speak when your dog cannot, and it might help you to detect health problems before they become severe.

When you’re thinking of taking a dog with you when you travel, snap a photo of the animal with your phone. This will be helpful should he get lost.

Table Scraps

Do not fall prey to the temptation to feed table scraps to your dog. This can make your dog not want to eat his dog food, and it will promote begging. A dog fed on table scraps will be prone to unhealthy weight gain, disruptive digestive problems, and other health issues. Keep the dog away from your table when you eat to avoid any temptation on both parts.

Practice training your dog around your home, where you and your pup can be alone. Don’t train them in any areas full of people. This can cause your dog to get distracted, which can make training them simple commands almost impossible.

Never give your dog a real bone to chew on. Pieces can break off of the real bone, which may cause your dog to choke. Rawhide bones are tested and veterinary approved, and they can benefit your dog’s teeth and gums too. Treat your dog to one regularly.

Trim your dog’s nails regularly. If they get too long, they may start to curl under and cause your dog pain. Try trimming them with scissors you buy at the store. If you’re uncomfortable clipping them on your own, go to a professional groomer. Nail clipping is very affordable.

When you’re choosing your dog’s food, don’t cut costs by going with the cheapest option. After a while it’s good for the dog if it has been eating nutritious and high quality food. This may mean higher costs for a better brand, but your dog will get great nutrition from proper sources.

If you’ve been considering adopting a dog but still aren’t sure, you could try to become a foster owner first. Animals are overcrowded in shelters, and the resources available for them are not abundant. Fostering a dog could help the cause as well as find you a new companion you cannot bring yourself to return.

If your vet gives you special instructions for your dog’s care, follow them to the letter. They might not be fond of having a cone attached to their head, but your vet recommended it. Recommendations that a vet makes are for the good of your pet and if you don’t adhere to these things it could be bad for your pet.

Really show your dog some love. A lot of owners focus on correcting bad behaviors rather than displaying affection for their dog. This could cause lots of problems for you. Praise your dog at least 5x more than you discipline him. This will reinforce that positive behavior brings due rewards, and thus lead to a better behaved pet.

If you’re the owner of a lone, lonely dog, you should consider getting a second pooch. Dogs are pack animals by their very nature and usually prefer the company of their own kind. Get dogs of similar energy levels and temperaments for the best results.

Always make sure that your dog is wearing some sort of identification on their collar. A good way to ensure your dog is returned if he is lost is to attach an identification tag to his collar. Keep the ID tags updated with your current contact information. Having your vet equip your dog with a micro-chip is a good idea.

When the weather gets warmer, begin checking your pup for ticks and fleas daily. Use a flea comb on your dog’s fur. There are a lot of available products that can control fleas and ticks on your dog. Try to get your vet’s opinion on these products or what you can do to help your dog.

The data provided here is now yours to put to use, so get to work! Make more of an effort to attend to your dog’s health and happiness and you’ll see a big improvement very soon. You owe it to your dog to provide him with the best life possible.