Essential Dog Rules (What Every Owner Must Live By !)

If you’ve never owned a dog before, you may think that dog ownership’s easy once they figure out where to go potty. But while these special animals have a deserved reputation for being loyal, good-natured companions, there are essential guidelines you must follow in order to establish a good relationship.

There’s Much More to Training than Teaching Him Where to Pee

Yes, housebreaking your pup is an essential part of establishing a good environment for you and your pet. However, proper training is so much more than this. A truly trained dog will have the ability to act and react appropriately to any given situation, which in turn makes him a more lovable dog.

A great deal of proper training deals with socializing your dog, so he knows how to act correctly around other humans and animals. A dog that stays quiet or doesn't jump on people could be the difference between a dog people enjoy and one people loathe. It's best that this occurs as a puppy, but adult dogs can learn manners with diligent training.

Stay on Top of Your Dog’s Health

Don’t treat going to the vet like most people treat going to the dentist. Since a dog’s lifespan is more compact than ours, the onset of disease can strike pretty swiftly and powerfully. Scheduling routine physicals with a local, trusted vet can potentially help you catch devastating canine ailments in their early stages.

In some ways, you can help out with your dog’s overall health at home. Routine grooming not only helps your dog look his best, but it also helps you catch potential issues that could affect your dog’s overall well-being, such as fleas or parasites. Be sure to make checking and cleaning your dog’s teeth part of the grooming routine for optimal health.

Pay Attention to Diet and Exercise

What you feed your dog will have a huge impact on his quality of life. Optimally, you’ll want to feed him a balanced diet built around high-quality food, low in filler and high in real ingredients. Stay away from cheap, low-grade food as much as possible.

You’ll also want to pay special attention to your dog’s food intake so he doesn’t become obese or too thin. It can be rather easy to underfeed or overfeed a dog, particularly small breeds, where the range of proper weight seems particularly narrow. But it is important that you know where the scale’s sweet spot is for your dog, and aim for keeping him there as much as possible.

Making sure your dog is active is also a huge part of dog ownership. Now, some breeds are much more active than others. Dogs found in the herding group, for example, were bred to work and instinctually need physical activity to thrive.

Nonetheless, it’s important that you establish some sort of exercise routine with your pup, even if it’s something basic like walking around the block. Doing so will help to stimulate your pooch’s mind and burn off energy, which can be beneficial. After all, a dog whose needs aren’t met may react by creating his own mischief - at the expense of your furniture.

He’s Going to Love You, So Love Him Back!

The most important dog rule to remember - and the one that governs all of the rules of dog ownership - is to treat your pooch with kindness, respect, and love at all times. This sounds like a no-brainer, of course. But it's easier said than done.

When you see your pooch do something bad, like poop on your bedroom carpet or dig up your petunias, your gut reaction may tell you to scream at your dog and call him names. But before you go on your tirade, keep in mind that dog behavior is simply not done out of spite. Better to keep your cool and correct the issue than let your tongue loose.

Every time you stick to these dog rules, you further establish a strong bond between you and your pooch. This bond will govern the relationship you have with your four-legged friend for the rest of his life. At the end of the day, that’s exactly what you want.