Dogs can bring a lot of joy into our lives daily and are always there for us when needed. It is vital to give the same amount of love back to our four-legged friends and ensure that their needs are met. Having a healthy and happy life can help dogs live longer and enjoy every single day to the fullest. However, sometimes it can feel like a challenge to keep your pooch healthy and happy as they can’t clearly communicate their needs to you.
It’s not as difficult as you may think to give your dog the best life possible. It’s all about daily care and small changes to their lifestyle, ensuring you set good habits for them. It’s also checking regularly with experts to fully understand your furry friend so you can meet their needs.
Discover daily habits you can put in place to keep your dog healthy and happy while showing them the love they deserve.
Keep your pooch fit
Regular exercise keeps your pooch healthy, burns calories, prevents digestive problems, and prevents weight gain. It can also be a great way to eliminate stress and boredom too. Their exercise can be fulfilled through walks as, although it’s not a high-intensity exercise, it’s excellent for cardiovascular development, lowering blood pressure, and strengthening muscles and bones.
Plus, if they don’t get adequate exercise, your pooch can become overweight which can lead to many issues, such as heart disease, and shortens their lifespan.
Switch to natural food or choose a diet that suits them
Ensuring you give your dog the best quality food for them and keeping a healthy diet reduces their risk of various chronic diseases. The food your pooch needs depends on their requirements as some dogs may have sensitive stomachs and need special food, such as gluten-free. However, make sure that the food is high in protein and fiber and suits their size, age, and how active they are. Natural food, such as the truline dog food, can provide them with all the goodness they need.
With this, it’s also important to steer away from using treats often daily. Your pooch may be adorable when they give you puppy eyes, but try not to give into temptation, especially if they’ve just eaten or are about to eat soon. Treats should only be used sporadically to treat them for good behavior, or during training.
Clean their ears
A very common problem with many dogs is ear infections. These can be uncomfortable, painful, and can even require surgery if they go untreated. Dogs are prone to ear infections due to a sharp bend along their ear canal, where bacteria and yeast can easily grow. To help prevent infections, you need to get in the habit of cleaning their ears daily.
A simple way to do this is to massage the base of their ears for around 20 seconds each to soften anything in them. After this, you can wipe the inside of their ears with a wet wipe or cotton ball. Ensure to dry the ear gently with a soft towel once done.
Ensure they are comfortable
Provide a comfortable and relaxing environment for your pooch to sleep in and unwind in comfort. A dry, clean, and cozy padded bed is a great choice, or you could use a soft snuggly blanket in their favorite spot. Make sure to give them somewhere quiet that they can escape to undisturbed if they love their own space or make it a part of your chill-out space if they prefer to be close to you. Some dogs may also like the feeling of a crate or dog den to keep them safe and feel at ease. This is ideal if you notice your pooch struggling in open, busy spaces.
Keep up with regular vaccines
Ensure that your four-legged friend has all the vaccinations they need and keep up with them. Vaccines are a fantastic way to keep your dog safe from infectious diseases, allowing them to be protected from awful bugs and contagious infections. Many dogs are vaccinated as pups and have regular top-up boosters throughout their lives to keep their immunity up.
Prevent and treat parasites
Just like vaccines, treatment for parasites is essential to help prevent them from catching common parasites that can cause many serious health issues if untreated. Any dog can pick up fleas, ticks, and worms that can make them unwell. If your pooch catches any of these parasites, act fast with the appropriate treatment to eliminate them and carry out the needed measures to prevent them from catching them again. This is especially the case with fleas, ensure to vacuum your house to get any fleas or eggs.
Regular treatments for worming and fleas and ticks can be used to help prevent your pooch from catching any parasites. It is essential to keep on top of the treatments to reduce the risk massively.
Keep their mind active
Dogs are very active and intelligent animals so it’s vital to give them safe and suitable opportunities to keep their mind active. You could give them an interactive puzzle feeder, a range of various toys, or reward-based training sessions. These activities are ideal for preventing boredom and teaching your pooch new skills.
Groom your pooch regularly
Every dog’s coat needs a good groom and should be kept well-groomed and in good condition to help them be healthy and happy. However, every dog will have different grooming requirements, such as short-haired dogs may need less brushing than long-haired dogs.
Regularly grooming your pooch gives you the best bonding time while allowing you to check for signs of parasites, injury, or illness. If you struggle with the upkeep of your dog for grooming, take them to a professional groomer instead.
Provide fresh, clean water every day
A necessity for dogs, just like humans, is having access to fresh, clean water every day. Ensure to leave a bowl of fresh, clean water for your pooch and change it regularly during the day to keep it fresh and clean. As well as having a drink at home, take a travel bowl to fill with clean water when you go out on trips or walks.
Take them to the vets for checkups
Take your four-legged friend to the vets at least once a year for checkups. This allows you to understand your dog and their needs, as well as spot anything concerning and keep track of their health and wellbeing. If you’re concerned about your pooch, go and talk to your vet for advice and act quickly in case it’s anything serious so correct measures can be taken.
Brush their teeth
Dogs are five times more likely to have gum disease than humans which leads to tooth decay and problems. This is due to dogs having a more alkaline mouth and not being able to clean their teeth. To keep your dog’s teeth healthy and prevent gum disease, ensure to brush their teeth daily.
Show them love and affection
To keep your pooch happy, there’s nothing better than showing them love and affection through caring acts. Cuddle up to your furry friend and give them plenty of strokes and pats that they love. Also, make sure to use praise and reward good behavior and try to avoid shouting at them. Showing genuine love and care regularly can help make your dog feel safe and happy as they know they are in a loving home.
Implement these strategies daily to keep your dog healthy and happy. Ensure to get them in good habits and keep up with your new daily routine to get your pooch used to it, so they can live longer, healthier, and happier lives.
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