Top 10 Mistakes Pet Parents Must Avoid
Pet Parents, Are You Making Mistakes By Doing These Things?
Although we love dogs from all our hearts, there are few things we need to keep in mind when we bring that furry ball of happiness into our home. It’s a fact that no pet parents resist those puppy eyes, but are you making mistakes by agreeing to every demand your pooch makes? Well, as much as you want your furry pal to be happy, you need to draw a line somewhere.
If you think letting your pooch do whatever he wants is love, then you might want to reconsider that thought. When you bring a dog home, it’s imperative to train him properly to prevent misbehavior in the future. Thus, here we have listed down tips that’ll help you train and guide your four-legged pal.
Free Feeding
Do you always have a bag of chips by your side? We are assuming the answer to that is NO. We don’t eat all the time even if there’s food in the fridge. Likewise, dogs also do not need his food bowl to be filled at all times. We plan meals for a reason – those gaps in between our meals are for letting the body digest the food and convert it into energy. Free feeding will only add extra calories in your dog’s body. Thus, make a schedule and provide your dog food according to that.
Hooman, Make up Your Mind!
You encourage your pooch to hug and cuddle with you, but scold him for doing the same thing with a guest. That ought to create confusion in his mind. Remember, the rules should be the same for every person in the family. If you are letting your dog cuddle you and sit on your lap, he will think it is okay to do this with everyone else in the house. Thus, ensure you are clear with the training and stick to it.
To Praise or To Scold?
We humans can get stuck on things that happened in the past, but not dogs. Hence, scolding your pooch for doing something in the past is futile. That’s one of the huge mistakes made by pet parents. When you’re getting angry at your buddy, he doesn’t know what you’re talking about a mistake he did 3 days ago. Therefore, try to encourage when your furry pal does the right thing, as that’ll prove more effective.
Socializing
Socializing is a crucial step in the training process. Until the dog isn’t familiar with strangers, he won’t know how to react in such a situation. Letting the dog stay indoor for a long time and then taking him to a dog park will certainly instigate aggressive or unexpected behavior from him. Moreover, this can also be an issue whenever someone visits your house. To keep your furry pal at his best behavior, you need to socialize him and let him get to know other people and dogs.
Not Deworming The Dog
Forgetting to deworm the dog can debilitate his immune system and lead to diarrhea and vomiting. Moreover, the infected pet may also infect humans and kids by contaminating the soil around the house. The accidental ingestion of these eggs can lead to blindness or tissue damage. Wormers like Revolution eliminates gastrointestinal worms such as tapeworms, whipworms, roundworms, and hookworms.
Not Enough Exercise
Some pet parents don’t provide enough physical or mental stimulation, which leads to many health issues in dogs. Before getting a dog, you need to know how much physical activity that breed of dog requires and choose the dog accordingly. Bringing a hyperactive dog into a house and not even taking him to a daily walk will lead to depression and loneliness. Thus, take care of the mental and physical health of your pooch.
Letting the Dog Put On Weight
If you have neglected the previous point, it will lead to obesity in pets. Letting the dog eat as much as he wants and not providing needed exercise will cause weight gain in your furry pal. The path of weight gain only leads to numerous mental and physical health problems. Thus, you need to be aware of his weight and ensure your furry pal maintains the ideal weight.
[Read] How Pet Obesity Can Cause Dangerous Diseases?
Neglecting Nails and Teeth
Nails and teeth are two body parts from where the bacteria can get into the dog’s system. Teeth require regular cleaning and grooming otherwise, it can lead to periodontal diseases, causing unbearable pain to dogs. Likewise, trimming nails is also vital to avoid any injuries.
Neglecting Parasites and Heartworm Preventatives
It’s essential to administer flea and ticks and heartworm preventatives to maintain your Fido’s good health. Even a gap of one month is sufficient for these parasites to infest your pooch and cause detriment to his health. Therefore, ensure you have preventatives like Frontline Plus for preventing and eliminating fleas and ticks and Heartgard Plus for heartworm prevention.
Not Having A Disaster Plan
When the danger of some natural disaster is looming over your head, quick action is required. However, have you thought of what to do with your frightened furry pal? In such cases, you can’t think straight and start panicking. Therefore, keep a few shelter names or hotels in mind where you can safely keep your pooch during any emergency.
Dogs are adorable, though they do need proper guidance during their early days to shape their personality. Once your fur baby is trained, there won’t be anything to worry about. Therefore, along with love and care, be stern with your pooch so he knows who’s in charge.
