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DOG CARE

Exercise

If the dog is to be kept in top condition and happy, exercise is a requirement as important as feeding. Lack of exercise can attribute to almost every behavioral problem in dogs. It may also make them obese and susceptible to health problems such as lameness, diabetes, heart and lung diseases and intestinal disorders. Never keep your dog constantly tied up. The dog will become bored and bad tempered. Whenever he has the chance to escape, he will. Instead allow the dog the freedom of your home.

Dogs or puppies need basic training in obedience and should complete all the vaccinations before it is safe to take them out in public for any kind of exercise. A quarter mile walk is more than enough exercise for a two month old puppy. Older dogs can be walked or run twice a day. Allow him to sniff, explore and take his time rather than simply dragging him along. If it is safe, allow him time off the leash as well. Walk, don't run short legged dogs. The length of the exercise sessions may be increased as they get stronger and more fit. But stop as soon as they show any signs of distress like panting, limping etc. Besides walking, exercise may include running, jogging, playing with a ball, fetching a frisbee etc. Swimming is also a good exercise which also assists in cleaning.

DOGS TRAINING

Training pups / dogs requires careful supervision, consistency and lots of patience. But training or teaching acceptable behavior is essential for you to be happy together. They make any dog much easier to live with and also strengthens the bond between dogs and humans. It is wise to instill good habits and manners at an early age. Always praise him when he does something right rather than showing anger and instilling pain when he doesn't. Punishing or hitting can become meaningless if done too often and can make your dog afraid of you. The only time you should strike your dog is when he actually threatens to bite. Keep on repeating the commands, correct and manually guide him to perform the command until he learns each lesson and do it always in a firm, confident and a no-nonsense voice.

Toilet training :

Dogs are instinctively clean animals who avoid soiling their own territory. However a puppy needs training which takes time and patience. Some pups can be housetrained at three months, others may take longer. Take the pup/dog out early in the morning, late in the night and then after each meal, wait until he goes and then praise lavishly. This makes it fun for the dog since it wants to please you. Reduce the responsibility for mistakes indoors by always watching your dog when it is inside and taking it our as soon as you can see it wants to go. Cover the floor of the dog's living area with newspapers at night to make for easy cleaning. Always pick up the dogs excrement and bury it with the use of a plastic shovel. Leaving it open or near any water source can cause unsanitary conditions.

Biting :

The pup's jaw muscles are not properly developed, between 4 and 18 weeks of age. During this time, it is perfectly normal for puppies to use its sharp little teeth to bite us. They are undergoing a natural learning process and it is our job to teach them that biting humans is not acceptable. Shouting 'no' and tapping it on the nose only confuses the dog, all it learns is that when you bite a human, dart away quickly. Instead do what happens naturally between two pups in play. When one bites too hard, the other yelps and the first lets go. Every time the puppy's teeth comes in contact with your skin, let out a yelp. You will quickly teach it not to use its teeth on you. After 18 weeks, when the adult teeth push through, there should be no contact between the dog's teeth and your skin and clothing. No matter how gently it grasps your hand in its mouth, it is an attempt at domination. Use a loud 'get off' combined with sharp eye contact and ignore it for a moment thereafter. Do not pet or praise when it lets go- there should be no rewarding circumstance during any interaction involving the dog's teeth.

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