Are you someone that has owned a dog or has grown up around them? If you have a dog or you think you may want one in the near future, you have to think over some things first. In this article, we will share some excellent tips for proper dog care.

Don’t give table scraps to your dog. Doing so teaches it to beg and ruins its appetite for its regular food. A dog fed on table scraps will be prone to unhealthy weight gain, disruptive digestive problems, and other health issues. Don’t allow your dog to beg at the table while you are eating.

Avoid letting your dog walk without a leash outside of your property, regardless of how well he behaves. A wild animal may get his attention and cause him to run off, or he may have a bad situation with others and their dogs. You are responsible if your dog does this.

Yearly physicals help you and yearly vet checks help your dog. Since your dog does not speak the human language, he simply cannot tell you if his tooth aches or his arthritis is making it difficult for him to walk. A checkup every year can make sure that issues are caught before he is suffering too much.

TIP! Just like people need regular yearly physicals, dogs need the same thing. Your dog can’t talk, it might be difficult to find out what is wrong if there is an issue.

Think about your life and then find a dog breed that will fit in well with your habits. A good example would be if you are a runner. A dog that can keep up with you while you run would be a good choice. If you much prefer to be at home, a small dog that enjoys a lot of inside time is an ideal choice. Avoid a mismatch if you want both of you to be happy.

Check with your vet to determine the amount of food to feed your dog daily. Most dog food packages include guidelines but keep in mind that these instructions might not be adapted to your dog. Check with you vet to find out about the feeding guidelines for your particular dog.

Avoid cheap dog food. The cheaper brands actually contain a lot of preservatives, additives and other ingredients that can compromise your dog’s health. Check with animal advocacy groups or consumer reviews to find the best dog foods that are recommended by professionals. Your dog will thank you for feeding him a better food.

Be sure to have your pet spayed or neutered. Research suggests that this small thing can give extended life to your dog by reducing cancer risk. Also, dogs that get fixed won’t feel the need to wander away so that may mean that they won’t get into accidents like getting hit by a vehicle.

TIP! When you get a puppy, have him fixed at around two years old. Research has shown that by doing this you can be sure your pet can have a longer life and not be at risk for things like cancer.

Keep your dogâ”s nails trimmed. If they start to curl, your dog may feel a lot of pain. Buy some clippers from a pet store and cut them yourself. If you don’t feel comfortable doing this on your own then you can hire a groomer to do it for a little bit of money.

You can always choose to foster a dog for a few weeks if you’re not sure about making the full commitment of dog ownership. Shelters are full of abused and homeless dogs and they are hard pressed to give them all proper care. Fostering an animal will help animals and help you decide whether or not you would like to keep a dog of your own.

You may need to trim hair that grows near the dog’s paws to help keep it from matting. Straighten the hair with a comb slightly before you do any trimming. If you are not comfortable with this process, it would be a good idea for you to go and get it done by a professional groomer.

Your dog can not tell you what is wrong, so just listen to his body language. When dogs seem hesitant upon meeting others, never force an interaction. This can lead to a bad ending for your dog, the other pooch or the other person. By reading the body language of your dog, you can ensure that this does not happen.

TIP! Since you’re not able to speak with your dog like a person, you should pay close attention to the dog’s non-verbal speech. Hesitant dogs need to be taken out of fearful situations.

Always follow through with instructions from your vet if your dog has medication or needs special attention. Your dog won’t like a cone, but he has to wear it. Vets are professionals who have experience dealing with your situation.

You can find many types of dogs at the pound, even pure breeds. Many pet owners will abandon dogs at pounds when they don’t want them or can’t keep them anymore. Just give a quick call to your local humane society to see what breeds they may have available. When you adopt a dog, you save its life.

If your dog gets anxious and lonely when you leave, put some music on before you head out. The music will calm the dog down, and they’ll feel like someone else is there. The sounds might help to emulate a normal home environment when people are around.

When you have medications of any sort, keep them where your dog cannot get to it. Getting into those pills could seriously impact your dog’s health and even cause death. If your pet does manage to ingest some medicine, contact the vet right away.

TIP! If you have over-the-counter medication or prescription medication in your home, keep it in a place the dog can’t access it. Just a few of your pills could literally kill your dog.

Having read the information above, you should now possess a solid understanding of dog care. As long as you’re putting the things you’ve learned into practice, you shouldn’t have trouble dealing with a dog. Just take your time and go over the article again if you have any questions.

We really hope you enjoyed our article. If you have a puppy and would like help understanding his or her character, we would recommend that you take a look at the following resource which provides a lot of information about dog training videos: