5 Tips For First-Time Dog Owners To Help Them Keep Their Canine Friend Happy And Healthy

Bringing home a dog for the first time is an exciting moment. It marks the beginning of what will likely be a beautiful friendship between you and your canine companion. With almost half of the households across the U.S. owning a dog, the companionship having a dog can bring is one of the major reasons so many have a canine companion.

Owning a dog comes with many responsibilities. Dog owners will know will challenges that can come with caring for a dog, especially when bringing home a puppy. Understandably, every dog owner will want their dog to remain happy and healthy as they age. Whilst experienced dog owners will know the tips and tricks to help them achieve this goal, first-time dog owners might not share the same knowledge. These tips will help you with keeping your canine friend happy and healthy.

Find Ways To Keep Their Gut Healthy

Keeping your dog healthy can involve the foods that they eat. Their gut health can impact how they feel overall. You should gather more information about a dog’s eating habits, such as why do dogs eat rocks, before you own a dog. However, it is difficult for dog owners to notice if their dog is experiencing any issues with their gut. Some signs indicate that there might be an issue, but they are hard to spot, especially if you do not know what you are looking for. To help support your dog’s gut health, consider incorporating high-quality dog food and supplements like Mighty Munch, which contains prebiotics and probiotics that can promote digestive health in dogs. By prioritizing your dog’s gut health, you can help them feel their best and live a happy, healthy life.

Spend time researching dog gut health and how to spot the signs of poor gut health. Use this guide from Native Pet about gut health for dogs which goes into greater detail about what dog owners should know about keeping their dog’s gut healthy.

Avoid Overfeeding On Treats

Alongside ensuring that the food they eat, such as Chi Dog dog food, will help maintain a healthy gut for your canine companion, you will want to ensure you are not overfeeding them on any treats. Is it easily done? Of course! Many of us are guilty of sneaking our dogs or a family member’s dog a little food from our plate. Not only do we have to be mindful of the small extras we feed our dogs, but we also have to ensure we are not overfeeding them on treats.

We’ve all fallen for the puppy dog eyes our canine companion has given us more than once – it is easily done! However, excessive weight in dogs can lead to numerous health problems, including lowering their life expectancy. Avoid overfeeding your pet treats whenever possible, and ensure that they are getting enough exercise to help keep their weight ideal for their breed and age.

Keep Them Active To Avoid Boredom

On the topic of exercise, keeping your dog active should be a top priority for any dog owner. Understandably, the older your dog gets, the less active they will become, but they should engage in gentle exercises, such as short walks around the block. When they are still young, ensure they get plenty of exercise, especially depending on their breed.

Some breeds need to be mentally stimulated. If not, they can develop a fixation on lights and shadows. These fixations are common in highly energetic breeds that need to be mentally stimulated and get enough exercise. Without this, boredom can creep in, and they begin to develop these fixations. Breaking these habits can be time-consuming and overwhelming to some owners. However, they can avoid this with the right amount of exercise and mental stimulation.

Ensure That They Are Socializing

Keeping your dog’s health in check will help you with ensuring that your dog is happy and healthy. In addition to ensuring your dog is getting enough exercise, you should make sure that they are socializing enough too. This can be socializing with other dogs and also people. Creating these healthy habits is easier when your dog is young, as they are still learning and can pick up new skills easier.

After welcoming your first dog into their new home and getting them settled, take them for walks down the street or to local dog parks. These walks help them get used to loud noises and allow them to interact with other dogs. This will help them avoid being anxious or scared about being in unfamiliar locations or encountering other dogs. It will also benefit them as it reduces the risk of developing aggressive behaviors as they age.

Taking Obedience Courses When Young

Another factor to consider when your dog is still a puppy is taking an obedience course. Due to their young age, puppies can learn quickly, whether it be tricks or positive behavior. It can be difficult to teach older dogs who have not been properly trained or who have developed negative behavior traits from previous environments they have lived in.

Of course, it is possible to take your dog to an obedience course, but remember that some will only welcome your dog if they are well-behaved. You can teach an older dog new tricks, some might pick them up quicker than a puppy, and some might need your help unlearning old bad habits and replacing them with new ones.

As you can see, there are plenty of tips and tricks that you can implement into your routine to help you keep your dog happy and healthy. Each one can be small changes to their current routine to help ensure that any trips to the vet are for emergencies and routine check-ups.