Welcome back to the Acoma Animal Clinic blog! Here we are all about taking care of your best friends, keeping them healthy and giving them whatever they need to not just survive but to flourish! A healthy pet is great! No doubt about it, but a happy pet is something spectacular! Here are the ways to get both a happy and healthy animal companion!
Being a responsible and good dog owner begins even before ownership!
Know the Commitment!
Too many beautiful pets of all kinds are left to shelters or abandoned because the owner had no idea what they were getting into. A dog will require a whole mess of time, often a lot more space then we expect, plenty of money, and more. If you aren’t sure you have enough of those resources, then you may not be in a good place to own a dog.
Training Time
Training isn’t just for pooch! Attending obedience classes, reading books on ownership, and more are all important steps in becoming the best dog owner. Not only will you learn a whole lot about what’s going on in your little bud’s brain, he’ll learn what qualities you value as ‘good’ and that you’re the one to follow. This isn’t a one and done procedure by any means. You’ll always be learning and always teaching your pet.
Preventative Care is Best
Just like being a good dog owner begins before you have the pooch at home, taking care of your animal means more than just taking a look at them when they’re sick! Just like in us humans, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Get your dog their shots, keep up with their parasite preventatives, brush those teeth and get them exercise! Think of how often you brush your teeth. What all do you do with your mouth? Now think about all the things your pup does? Yeah. Brushing their teeth is crucial.
Take a Walk!
…or some kind of exercise! Your pooch spends most days cooped up at home while you’re working. You may be tired but imagine how excitable your pooch is when you get home! There’s a saying out there, a tired dog is a well-behaved dog. It’s certainly true. Not all dogs need the same level of exercise, so learn about your pup’s breed and what kind of exercise they’d appreciate!
Food For Thought
What are you feeding your pet? They shouldn’t be eating the same food from puppy to their twilight years! And even then not all puppies should have their diet made of the same kibble! Make sure you’re feeding your dog the right stuff, at the right times, and keep them fit as fiddle through diet.
Go Above and Beyond!
A lot of these things you may have been thinking ‘no duh!’ too. We’re glad you are past the basics, unfortunately, many dog owners are not. If you really want to go the extra mile for your pooch then enrich their lives! You can get a food puzzle to encourage your pup to use their senses and intelligence, take them on a walk in a neighborhood they’re not familiar with (all those new smells!)
Those are just a few of the tips and ways to go from good to better to great dog owner! There of course tons more out there from all sorts of sources but we only have so much space in our regular blog. The key to take away is this: provide your furry companion with love, and do everything you can with that in mind and you’ll be a good ways on to being a good pet owner.
