How to Take Care of you Dog

Dogs are social animals who have worked with humans for thousands of years, playing a role that have been essential to various different cultures. Dogs are highly valued for their commitment and intelligence, and it’s crucial that you train and care for them properly.

New dog owners may find that adopting a dog offers many challenges in training and caring for them. While many people desire to own their own dog / puppy, few actually understand how to train them properly. A dog that is not disciplined will not bring happiness to its owners and likewise, too many people allow their dogs to keep on practicing bad habits.

You want to ensure that you purchase quality food for your dog, even if its a bit high expensive. One reason for this is that generally, cheap dog food will not give your dog the healthy coat, or bright, shiny eyes it should have.

Dogs are like small children and should be addressed as such. They really should not be left alone for long amounts of time, since they are prone to getting into trouble. When dogs are kept alone in the home, they should have a designated area with boundaries. Even a crate can be an option. Also leave dogs with chew toys and other things that keep them occupied while you are gone.

When your dog behaves properly, you should consistently praise and reward them. This teaches them that good behavior brings reward, while bad behavior does not. You will soon find that your dog behaves correctly on a typical foundation when you are doing this. When your dog doesn't behave properly however, you should also discipline them, so that they understand the difference between right and wrong behaviors.

There is certainly a difference between punishment and discipline. Unfortunately however, there are some dog owners that don't understand why, and hit or kick their dogs in order to train them. This is punishment, and punishment is not, in any way, beneficial in training your dog, and may even cause your dog to growl at, or even bite you. You want your dog to respect you, not fear you.

A good option to discipline your dog without hitting them is to provide verbal warnings along with a spray bottle filled with water, getting the message across in a non-abusive and understandable way. How you train your dog is really important as you will eventually want to take your dog for a walk without stressing about them or bothering other people while walking the dog.

Your dog really wants to please you and will do what it thinks is right. So pay good attention to training your dog.

John Silver runs a dog training site How to train a German Shepherd with a practical e-course.