Smith 
Is there anything about looking after your dog that is troubling you? People can sometimes feel overwhelmed with the amount of care that a dog needs. Other people often think their dog is the only one who misbehaves. The following paragraphs are jam packed with suggestions on what you can do to help your dog.
Owning a dog is quite a large financial commitment. Dogs require quality food, medical care, and general supplies that can vary in costs. Also, emergency care is a lot if your dog was to ever get sick; you may want to think about pet insurance.
Make your home dog-proof. Make sure any area your dog will be in is safe. Make sure chemicals, medications and any garbage is out of reach of the dog. Keep house plants out of his reach, especially if they could be poisonous.
Practice your training regimen for your puppy near your home. Avoid training your dog where many people are present. They are going to become distracted, and the easiest commands can be tough.
Speak with your vet about the amount of food you should be feeding your dog each day. Some people refer to the label on the package to determine the quantity of food to feed their dogs, but those guidelines are not always right and using them can cause your dog to become overweight. Ask your vet for some recommendations if you are not sure which brands are best for your dog or need help with quantities.
Real Bones
Never give your dog a real bone to chew on. Real bones can chip or break and are dangerous for the dog. Studies have shown that rawhide bones are good for your dog’s health and their teeth. Don’t give in and let your dog gnaw on real bones. Stick to rawhide.
Do not force your dog to do anything. If your dog doesn’t like the treat you’ve bought, don’t make him eat it. When you have a dog, get to know his likes and dislikes.
Giving your dog a good brush every day will definitely do more than lower their amount of shedding. Regular brushing encourages a healthy, shining coat. This is because the motions you go through while brushing evenly distributes the skin’s oils and helps keep the skin healthy, shiny and soft.
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. Dogs in shelters could be sick or may have already been exposed to some viruses. You should also get your dog all of his shots before bringing him into your home.
Properly teach your dog how to walk with a leash. Your dog should walk beside you, not lag behind or run ahead, and should obey the command “heel.” Walking like this can keep them safe and help you enjoy walks too. By having your dog understand this command, it will be very helpful for most situations.
Make sure you provide your dog with affection on a regular basis. It’s typical that dog owners will pay much more attention to bad behavior than good behavior. Your dog will develop more behavioral problems if you adopt this attitude. Instead make it a habit to praise your dog much more often than any scolding. Make it five times to any one. When you do this, you’ll see much better behavior from your dog.
Your dog needs to have mental stimulation as well as ways to become physically active too. Find ways for your dog to help you each day, such as training it to fetch the morning paper. Doing this will help your pet to feel like a loved and needed family member, and teaching your dog these skills will give it some much needed mental exercise.
You need to train the dog by yourself; more than one person might confuse him. Many people do it differently than just having a few commands to give your dog. Pick a single person to be responsible for all training, and let others support the decisions made by demanding the same standards of behavior from the dog.
Do not believe that a wet, cold nose can judge the health of your dog. There are a lot of reasons your dog might have a cold and wet nose. Keep an eye on your pet’s health by monitoring their mood, appetite levels, and how much energy they have. Evaluating them will give you a better picture of your dog’s health. Check a dog’s temperature rectally.
When it comes to what your dog eats, you need to carefully monitor their diet. Puppies can eat highly caloric foods, which facilitate proper growth. However, if they eat the same kinds of foods when they get older they may gain a lot of weight and that isn’t healthy.
Take precautions for your dog during the hot summer months. It’s easy for dogs to overheat. Have a cool, shaded area for your dog in the summer. Be sure that your pet always has cold and clean water to drink. You can also get doggie sunscreen to help keep your pet out of harm’s way.
Wash the dishes your dog uses on a fairly frequent basis. Your dog deserves clean bowls as much as you do. You should wash your dog bowls every day.
Dog owners can easily become overwhelmed. Sometimes the difficulties of raising a dog can be overwhelming. Now that you’ve looked over the tips here, you have more ideas to help you deal with any problem that comes along. Soon, you will be worrying much less.