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

No matter how much you do not want to leave your dog, it is inevitable that it will happen sooner or later. But leaving your dog should not cause that much trouble. You can always ask for the help of a dog sitter.

A dog sitter is someone who can take care of your dog while you are away – much like a babysitter with babies. The only problem now is how do you choose a dog sitter who will take care of your loving pet while you are away. Here are some tips that may help you in choosing a dog sitter.

Ask Around

One of the best ways to find the that dog sitter you want is by asking other people who have asked for the help of dog sitters. This can be your neighbors or your relatives. By word of mouth, they can tell you whether a certain sitter is good at his job or not. They may also be able to refer you to sitters whom they have had good experiences with.

Ask Your Dog

Look in the directory for people who offer their services as dog sitters. You can ask these potentials to go to your house and let them interact with your dog. You can base your decision whether to hire that person or not by observing the chemistry between your dog and him or her. If you think they have good chemistry, then you can go ahead and ask for that sitter’s services. But if they do not go along well with each other, then thank the sitter for his or her time.

Experience

You want somebody who has had experience in the area of dog sitting. Most of the time, somebody with experience will somehow give better service than newbies, but this not usually the case. You could also hire somebody with little experience if you, with your instincts, tell you that he or she will be a good dog sitter for your pet.

Insurance

Even though it is not a must, it would still be good if the dog sitter you hire has insurance. This will somehow ensure the safety of your dog although this does not necessarily ensure that your dog will be given total quality care.

Contracts

Be sure to choose someone who is willing to undergo signing of contracts on whatever agreement you may both have. This will somehow show the character of the dog sitter he or she will really do his or her best to take care of your dog. Aside from the character evaluation, this will also give you written and legal proof if something goes wrong along the way.

It has been said that a dog is a man’s best friend and this has been proven to be true time and time again. Dogs give their human masters loyalty, unconditional love and friendship. As their masters, humans are responsible to provide them with proper and genuine care. Here is a guide on the basics of dog pet care.

What Is In A Name?

Provide your dog a collar and attached with it an ID with the name of the dog. It would also be good to include your own name, address and other contact information. This is for the security of your dog in case it gets lost. Anyone who finds him or her will be able to notify you right away.

Sickness Away

Dogs, just like humans, can get sick. Rabies can also be a threat to their health as well as the humans around them. So another basic dog pet care is to vaccinate your dog against rabies and from other illnesses that it may contract.

Keeping Your Dog On A Leash

Even if your dog has already been vaccinated against rabies and other dog illnesses, you still can’t let it roam around freely anywhere. For the sake of your dog and for the sake of other people, you always need to keep him or her on a leash.

Home Sweet Home

Another basic dog pet care requirement is to provide your dog with his or her own home. You can purchase or even create by yourself a doghouse in your background. However, if your dog has been properly trained, he or she may sleep inside the house.

Regular Check-Ups

Again, just like humans, dog will need regular visits to the vet. Even if it does not have any illnesses, it would still be good to go for a general check-up as part of a proper dog pet care routine. This will make sure that your dog stays healthy.

Regular Exercise

This is beneficial for both the owner and the dog. You can walk your dog at least once a day to keep yourself and your dog physically fit. If you have enough time, you can do this twice a day once in the morning and once in the evening. However, you should know the limits of your dog since different breeds of dogs have different capabilities when it comes to exercise.

Proper Nutrition

Another basic in dog pet care is to provide him or her with a nutritionally balanced diet. This does not only pertain to food. You should also regularly provide your pet with fresh and clean water.

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 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.

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.

Bathing

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.

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.

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.