Daily Dog Care|Dog Day Care|How to Take Care of a Dog

Dog kennel gives the dog a private place to sleep and play with its toys without irritating the family. Having a kennel in your home for your pet dog is just like giving a kid his or her own room.

There are two options for getting a dog kennel for your canine pet either build one yourself or buy a commercial dog kennel. Do kennel is like a symbol of the good care provided to the dog.

Option 1: Building Dog Kennels

If you have the time and basic building skills or if you want to cut some of the cost of a commercial kennel, you may choose to build a kennel for your dog yourself. Building a dog kennel at home is also an enjoyable activity for many people, including kids. While building your own dog kennel, it is important to first consider the zoning and building codes of your locality so to avoid inadvertently transgressing any rules regarding the size of the kennel on your property.

Ensure To Carefully Select The Construction Material

Next, carefully select the construction material for the kennel. Steel wires for flooring have fewer chances of hosting infectious microbes or getting splintered (as do wood and plastic) and concrete is known for it strength and facile cleaning, though it may develop cracks and host insects and parasites.

Beware Of Safety Issue

Heavy duty fencing material provides extra security against possible threats to the dog in case of any accidents and also prevents the dog from digging all around the place. It is recommended to build the dog kennel on high ground so as to minimize the damage resulting from rain and snow.

Finally, remember to provide a little shaded area in the open in front of the kennel. This can be accomplished using a lightweight material.

Option 2: Commercial Dog Kennels

Commercial dog kennels are good for people who do not find enough time or lack the skills required for making a dog kennel. Thus they come ready to use and only need bit of maintenance.

Disadvantages of Commercial Dog Kennel

Commercial dog kennels, however, have a few disadvantages. First, they require you to pay more than you need to spend if making the dog kennel yourself at home.

Secondly, a commercial kennel comes with a predetermined size and other features that may not fit the specific needs of your dog. Adjusting these would then require additional costs.

Portable Dog Kennels For Traveler

For many dog owners, especially for those who travel more often or frequently have to change houses, commercially available portable dog kennels are a good option. These are smaller and relatively inexpensive kennels that are collapsible and hence easy to carry along. However, these kennels are not a good choice for very strong or aggressive dogs.

Dog grooming serves more than one important purpose. It gives dogs a good appearance, prevents many parasites from infesting them and provides a chance to examine their body parts like eyes, ears, skin and teeth. The frequency of grooming varies for various dogs according to their rate of growing hair and getting dirty, but it also depends on the groomers’ own choice. Ideally a dog should be groomed at least once a week.

What Should You Do In Dog Grooming

Dog grooming is about taking care of nearly the whole of a dog’s outer body, making it clean and giving it a better look. Thus dog grooming includes giving the dog a bath, clipping his hair and nails and cleaning his eyes, ears and teeth. These can be done easily at home using a comb, brush, nail-clipper, scissors and dog clippers. Alternatively, the dog may be groomed by hiring professional grooming services.

Bathing Your Dog

Bathing a dog usually precedes hair grooming so as to make hair trimming easy. It is important to dry the dog’s hair well after bathing and before starting the hair trimming. Bathtubs are better to use in winter and autumn for giving the dog a warm water bath while in summer hose water can be used for bathing.

Dog Grooming and Hair Trimming

Dog hair is best trimmed by means of dog clippers that are available at pet specialty stores. Dog breeds with longer hair need a more thorough trimming. Many dogs need to be leashed in order to make sure they let you do the grooming. Before and after trimming, the hair needs to be brushed. Brushing removes dead hair and stimulates the skin. Gently combing the matted hair is important in dog grooming, as matted hair resistant to brushing should be cut off with scissors.

Cleaning Eyes, Ears and Teeth

Cleaning the dog’s eyes, ears and teeth is an important part of dog grooming. Ears need to be checked for any parasites, dirt or scratches etc. After restraining the dog, a few drops of mineral oil should be put in its ear. Then the inside of the ear should be gently stroked with a cotton swab. Remember not to use the swab inside the ear canal.

Dogs usually don’t need any special eye care. The groomer can remove any dirt or foreign matter from the eyes, or from around its corners, with a soft clean cloth. Ointment may be applied if the eyes appear reddish and/or irritated. Teeth of the dog can be cleaned with dog biscuits or by brushing, though many dogs rarely allow the latter.

Last But Not Least: Nail Clipping

To make the dog accustomed to nail clipping, one should start clipping the dog’s nails regularly during the puppy stage. Clipping the nails needs a good deal of care, especially in avoiding the quick from being cut. If the quick gets cut and bleeds, press the wound for a while to stop the bleeding. It is advisable to clip the nails quietly so as not to arouse the dog.