The appearance of a dog at home is a serious and important step, for which you need to thoroughly prepare. A puppy is the same child. It requires attention and affection, as well as a huge amount of your time. Walking and playing, vaccinations, training is an impossible task for a busy person. Therefore, the first question, when you want to have a pet - do you have enough time so that he does not wait for you all day alone?
Dog care includes more than feeding. This is a real family member who will need to bathe and cut, dress for a walk. But let's talk about everything separately.
What will she be like?
You need to think about this until your pet has crossed the threshold of the house. Dog care varies greatly depending on which breed it belongs to. Therefore, decide for yourself immediately what criteria a dog should meet:
- To be big or small? Immediately you need to keep in mind the following. A large dog needs a lot of meat, vitamins, it needs a strong leash and a strong owner. A child can walk a tiny spitz.
- Longhair, shorthair, or hairless? It is worth raising the issue of molting here. A long-haired dog is more difficult to comb, but its coat is easier to collect, it is soft. Sharpei short hairs, like needles, are clogged in rugs and paths, sticking to upholstered furniture. And combing it out is very difficult. If the issue of wool in the apartment is very acute for you, then it is better to choose a poodle whose hair does not fall out and requires a haircut.
- Thoroughbred or not? Do you want to attend exhibitions and participate in tribal activities?
As you can see, caring for a dog is variable and depends on many parameters. Moreover, it is not at all complicated.
Dog alone at home
This is a sociable animal that lives in a pack. Caring for a dog involves constant interaction. Any isolation is perceived by the animal very hard. Even punishment is easier. Therefore, leaving her alone, you will either have to find her occupation, or put up with some of the mess that she will cause your home. Usually dogs bark, howl, nibble things, spoil shoes. And all because they are trying to remove the excitement that causes your departure.
Therefore, accustoming to the forced absence of the owner is one of the key points. Try to make this process painless and gradual. To do this, it is important to provide the pet with a large number of toys.
Personal place
From this begins the maintenance of dogs and grooming. Bringing a puppy home, you must give him a personal place. It is very convenient to acquire a plastic or metal aviary, which serves as an arena. This is a cozy kennel, a house with toys where you can relax. It should be closed in case guests arrive (not everyone likes dogs) or your departure. It is safer for the puppy and your property.
Dog food
This is one of the main issues that is directly related to the health of your pet and its longevity. There are two options, each of which has its pros and cons. In the first case, the owner decides to feed with natural food.
- This requires a lot of free time from the owner. You need to buy meat, boil it, stew vegetables, cook porridge. It is necessary to purchase a complex of good vitamins. Providing a balanced diet is not as easy as it might seem at first glance.
- The basis of the diet are protein products. This is meat and milk. It is recommended to give beef, low-fat mutton, chicken. It is important to enrich the diet and offal.
- Cereals. This is mainly rice and buckwheat.
- Vegetables. It is a source of fiber and minerals. Carrots and pumpkins, rutabaga and zucchini, beets, all this can be stewed and given to the dog along with cereals.
Dry food is more convenient. It greatly saves the time of the owner, which can be spent on games and care. Keeping dogs on prepared feeds is also not a cheap pleasure. Of course, there are manufacturers who offer very affordable prices. But as a result, you get very mediocre quality. Experts say that only super-premium food can be given to a dog, as they contain natural meat, vegetables and a full range of vitamins.
Walks
Caring for a pet dog includes compulsory long walks. Their duration depends on the size of the dog. For a tiny toy terrier, it may be enough to run around the house, but a Rottweiler or a hunter like a Kurzhaar needs to be outdoors for a long time.
Rainy weather should not be a reason to sit at home. This is a workout for immunity. A dog will be cheerful and healthy only if he regularly plays and sports, runs a lot. Leaving the house for a few minutes so that the pet can relieve itself is unacceptable. You need to return home only when the pet is a little tired. After a walk, it's time to do hygiene.
Hair care
When a dog lives at home, the presence of an unpleasant odor is unacceptable. And for this it is very important to keep them clean. The rules for caring for the dog do not require frequent bathing, but this does not apply to combing and washing the paws after each walk. You need to teach a puppy to this from the first days of life. Crossing the threshold, you need to stop it and thoroughly rinse all the legs in a special basin. If the tummy also became dirty, it is also worth rinsing with water and wiping it dry.
It is necessary to comb out pets regularly. Animals living in a house or apartment molt almost all year round. This is due to the fact that the house is always warm and cozy. Depending on the type of wool, the combing procedure also varies. For shorthair 3-4 times a month is enough. Caring for long hair is more time consuming. They need to be combed regularly to prevent it from rolling.
Combing the dogs improves the nutrition of the hair follicles. In parallel, a massage of the skin occurs. Comb the dog using a special comb that has long, rare and blunt teeth.
Grooming
Caring for a pet dog that does not have a molt requires regular visits to a hairdresser or groomer. Depending on the breed, he may trim or pluck the coat. If this is a poodle with soft hairs, you only need to regularly cut and comb the pet. And for wire-haired terriers, trimming, or manual plucking, is assumed. This procedure is not easy to perform at home on your own, and before the exhibition it is simply necessary.
the washing up
Caring for a dog at home does not require regular bathing using hygiene products. After each walk, doing this is not necessary. It is enough to wash the paws and rub the tummy. If the wool is long and prone to rolling, then wash it once every 7 days. The maximum allowable interval is considered to be 14 days. Pets with short, stiff or medium coat are enough to bathe once a month. Smooth-haired can be washed once every 2-3 months. It is necessary to purchase special dog care products. Ordinary soap and shampoo are not suitable for their skin, can cause dandruff or an allergic reaction.
The ears
Inspection and preventative treatment should be performed regularly. Caring for a dog’s ears is straightforward and every owner can do it. Nature took care of the protection of unique organs, the sensitivity of which is ten times higher than in humans. Ears are normally cleaned by themselves. On the sensitive edges of the ear canal, a fat layer is formed, which is called sulfur. Gradually, it exfoliates, leaving the ears clean without any help.
Problems arise if there is a narrowing or overgrowth of the ear canal, as well as with the appearance of an ear mite. Otitis media, inflammatory diseases, discharge from the ear canal with an unpleasant odor - this is an occasion to consult a veterinarian. In other cases, you can use a cotton swab or disc to wipe the outside of the auricle. It should only be slightly moistened with clean water.
Teeth
This is the first thing that the judge checks at the exhibition. White and strong teeth are an indicator of the animal’s health. But dog grooming is not just an aesthetic procedure. Bad teeth prevent the dog from eating properly. Moreover, they cause a bad smell from the mouth. This greatly complicates the interaction with the pet. Therefore, dog oral care should be a regular procedure.
From puppyhood it is recommended to brush your teeth. In wild animals, plaque does not form, since they eat the right food, raw meat and hard, plant fibers. But for pets, the food is soft, it’s cereals and boiled meat, so it must be removed manually.
To do this, you can take a soft toothbrush. But most owners do with a soft cloth, which should be applied with a special toothpaste or a little soda solution. If the dog is not used to this procedure since childhood, then he will be very unhappy.
Dog eyes
This is an important organ of the senses, as well as a mirror of the dog’s soul. Who will look away from the shining, brilliant eyes of a dog! But dreary, cloudy eyes with suppuration cause only pity. Nature made sure that the tear ducts washed away dust particles and other small particles, without interfering with good vision.
If the dog is healthy, then additional care is usually not required. It is enough to wipe with a soft cloth moistened with boiled water, in the direction of the corners. If you observe redness and purulent discharge, then you need to contact the veterinarian so that he prescribes the necessary treatment.
Preventative procedures
To prevent serious diseases, which are very difficult to cure, vaccinations exist. They begin to make a puppy at the age of one month, and then periodically repeat, so that the body's defenses do not weaken. In order for vaccinations to be successful and not harm, you must follow the schedule prescribed by your veterinarian.
Before each vaccination, it is required to conduct an examination and pass the necessary tests. For the success of the procedure, you need to provide the immune system with the ability to function normally. For this, it is necessary to remove from the body all parasites, that is, worms and fleas. Vaccination prevents the development of the most terrible diseases, which are treated with great difficulty and in most cases lead to the death of the animal.
Health monitoring
The most important thing for a loving owner is the long and happy life of his beloved. Therefore, it is important to carefully monitor his well-being. If the dog did not come to wake you in the morning, and then did not go to the cup during breakfast, this is an alarming symptom. It is necessary to measure the temperature and inform your veterinarian. There can be many reasons, ranging from food poisoning to serious viral or bacterial diseases.
Watch carefully if the animal has vomiting or diarrhea. Remember what your pet ate during the last day, you will need to tell your doctor about this. Sometimes a healthy dog, who jumped off the couch after eating, develops an acute bloating, or intestinal inversion. Symptoms in this case develop rapidly, so you can not hesitate. The only salvation is surgery.
Dog after surgery
Care in this case should be structured according to the recommendations of your veterinarian. Only he can assess the condition of the animal. In some cases, it is permitted to get up and drink water. In others, water and food must be completely eliminated. Recovery will occur solely through intravenous injection.
Care during this period requires a regular change of dressings, treatment of the seam. Every day you need to come to see a doctor. If transportation is not possible, the doctor leaves for home. As the condition improves, the procedures are carried out less and less.
Instead of a conclusion
The dog in your house is a great joy, but also a high responsibility. This is a real child who is completely up to you. Care and attention, affection and care - all this takes time and effort. In this case, the child grows up and becomes independent, and the dog will remain so forever. But all dog breeders will agree that without a pet they cannot imagine their life. Caring for a dog is not at all complicated. It will take your love, and the rest will follow.