Dog Care and Obedience Training

Bathing. When you bathe your dog, which should be once a month, choose a warm place and use warm water in fairly deep tub. You will need some dog soap or shampoo. Wash your pet's head and ears first, using a damp washcloth and no shampoo. Then wash him from front to back and top to bottom. Care should be taken to keep your pet's eyes and ears free from soap. His skin and coat should be rinsed and dried thoroughly.

Inoculations. Inoculations for puppies are a "must" before they meet other dogs or are taken to place where other dogs have been. Protection against distemper and hepatitus and leptospiral infections can be obtained by a single injection, with some later shots as advised by your veterinary surgeon. All these diseases are common and infectious, and will either prove lethal or will seriously undermine health and shorten a dog's life. Inoculations are usually given at three or four months.

All puppies need to be wormed at four months old to get rid of round worms, intestinal parasites that can affect a dog's condition.

Some pet owners think that unless mated a dog will fall prey to all sorts of illnesses. This is untrue. There were cases where a pet lived a longer, healthier, and happier life had he or she been bred.

Care of the aged dog. As the years go by your dog may need a little additional care. Remember that an excessively fat dog is not healthy, particularly as he grows older, so limit the older dog's food accordingly. He needs exercise nearly as much as ever, although his heart cannot bear the strain of sudden and violent exertion. Failing eyesight or hearing means lessened awareness of dangers, so you must protect him more than ever. Should you decide at this time to get a puppy, in order not to be without a dog when your old friend is no longer with you, be very careful how to introduce the puppy. He naturally will be playful and will expect the older dog to respond to his advances. Sometimes the old dog will get a new lease on life from a new puppy, but he may be jealous. Do not give the newcomer the attention that formerly was exclusively the older dog's. Feed them apart, and show your old friend that you still love him the most; the puppy will not mind sharing your love.

Complete list of books for dog care