Raising a Puppy? 4 Tips for Healthy, Happy Dogs

In addition to being amazing additions to the family, dogs are also a lot of work. They need everything from leash training, to healthy diets, to daily walks. For example, did you know that many dogs kept as pets suffer from malnutrition and obesity? Also, behavior problems like aggression, barking, and chewing on or tearing up furniture are related to not getting enough exercise.

These problems go on to affect your pet's quality of life, their behavior, energy levels, and even longevity. If you want to ensure that your new family member is as healthy and happy as possible, you'll have to take extra steps to care for your dog.

Building good habits, socializing your dog, and being mindful about his or her diet will help you care for a healthy dog who is comfortable well into old age. We've compiled 4 keys to raising a puppy that all dog owners should be mindful of.

4 necessities for raising a puppy

Make Regular Visits to the Vet

No matter what breed or age your dog is, regular vet checkups can be life-saving. You probably already know that your dog has to go regularly, but how often depends on their age, medical history, and size.

Here's a general schedule based on age:

0-4 Months - Every 3 Weeks. Your puppy will get important vaccines for rabies, distemper, and parvo, alongside prevention for Lyme disease, kennel cough, and other health problems.

4-12 Months - Every 2-3 months. Here, your vet will ensure that your puppy is growing well and shows no signs of health problems. If it's recommended for your area, your vet will start a heartworm and flea prevention schedule, and your puppy will likely be spayed or neutered.

1-7 Years - At 1 year, most dog breeds are considered adult. If you have a large dog breed, you may have to wait 6-12 months longer to reach this stage. Your dog should go to the vet for a yearly checkup, even when not sick. They should get distemper-parvo and rabies booster shots during the first yearly checkup, and then every 1-3 years depending on your local laws. Your vet will also recommend changes to diet, additional checkups, and a heartworm and deworming schedule based on your dog and your area.

7+ Years - After 7 years, most dogs are seniors and will need extra care. You should take your dog to the vet at least twice yearly, and be extra conscious of any changes in behavior that may indicate health problems, such as a change in water consumption.

Prevention is better than a cure for both dogs and humans. Don't wait until your dog is sick to invest in preventive measures like vaccinations and deworming.

Tip: Ask your vet about natural treatments to prevent allergies and kennel cough while at the vet, and talk about nutritious treats and snacks to keep them healthy.

Invest in Behavioral Training

When you think of your dog's health, it's common to jump immediately to physical health. However, mental health is equally as important for your dog. A study from Animal Cognition showed that dogs can smell humans' emotions, and when exposed to sweat produced from a fearful human, dogs showed more signs of distress and sought out more comfort from their owners. Alternatively, when exposed to odor samples from happy humans, dogs were more willing to interact with strangers and were generally friendlier.

Training plays a large part in keeping your dog safe and social. A well-trained dog is typically more engaged and less bored with his or her surroundings. Training allows your dog to learn how to react in different situations and helps them stay calm and friendly despite any triggers such as a fearful human nearby.

A well-trained dog is also generally safer since you can tell him or her to sit instead of crossing the road, teach your dog not to go in dangerous areas, and build up good habits (like walking) that will benefit your dog's health for years to come.

Promote a Healthy Diet

Obesity and nutrient deficiency are among the most common health problems for domesticated dogs. These issues affect your dog's quality of life and longevity, but it's an easy fix. Combine quality food with portion control and the occasional snack, and you'll have a healthy dog.

Don't assume that cheap dog food provides the nutrition your dog needs. Most store-brand dog foods are primarily made up of flour and water with added nutrients and flavor. These can eventually lead to malnutrition, tooth decay, gastrointestinal problems, and obesity.

You don't have to choose all-organic or raw-meat based diets, as there isn't enough evidence to show that these are beneficial to your dog. Instead, you should invest in high-quality dog food with a high percentage of meat. For example, you can feed your dog a high-quality canned food supplemented by quality kibble, and have a healthy dog. Avoid human food, as many of the seasonings used aren't good for your dogs.

Don't leave food out all day. Puppies should be fed 3-4 times per day, but adult dogs only have to be fed twice per day. If you leave food out too long, some dogs tend to overeat, which will eventually lead to weight gain and obesity.

Tip: Be mindful about the snacks you give your dog. Most dog treats are about as healthy as human candy. Instead, opt for nutritious alternatives that your dogs will love just as much. For example, dogs 6 months and older can have raw honey for dogs, and not only do they love it, it's great for their overall health, digestion, and allergies.

Finally, clean water is an important part of a healthy diet. Clean your dog's water dish and replace his or her water daily, ensuring it's always full. To prevent bacteria and tooth decay, set your dog's water away from his or her food bowl.

Exercise (A Lot)

Dogs need a lot of exercise. No matter what the age or breed, your dog has a lot of energy. Most dogs, even small breeds, can benefit from approximately two hours of walking every day.

While it is crucial to pay attention to your environment (for example, no dog will benefit from being forced to run in the middle of the day in very hot weather), dogs need exercise. If you can plan four 30-minute walks each day, you are giving your dog the best chance of being healthy, happy, and well-adjusted to living inside a home.

Owning a dog is a lot of work, but after you and your dog build up good habits, it'll be much easier to live healthily for both of you. By taking small steps to keep your dog healthy, you will ensure that your new best friend lives as long and as well as possible.

Source:http://ezinearticles.com/?Raising-a-Puppy?-4-Tips-for-Healthy,-Happy-Dogs&id=9858583

How to End Puppy Play Biting

What's cuter than a puppy? Very few things, that's for sure! Raising a puppy, just like raising a toddler, is equal parts rewarding and exhausting. Play biting or mouthiness is a common problem among puppy owners that can get out of hand as the dog gets older, but can easily be addressed with a few consistent responses. Since biting is an inevitable truth with any dog, this is an important lesson for every dog and their families.

What play biting isn't

Play biting is most commonly mistaken for teething. The difference between the two is play biting is something that happens during social play and comes in short bursts of biting. You'll know your puppy is teething when they are quietly sitting there chewing or gnawing, usually on something they shouldn't!

Bite Inhibition

Biting is a form of dog-dog communication that's learned when the puppy plays with its littermates. When the action gets a little too heated and someone gets hurt they'll yelp out in pain and stop playing with the meanie who bit too hard.

Puppies use this social withdrawal to teach other puppies how hard they can bite without causing pain or damage. This is called bite inhibition and it's why it is so important that puppies are not separated from their litter before they're 7-8 weeks old. Since bite inhibition is learned through rough play, it's vital that anyone watching the puppies play not interfere with playtime.

How to Stop Play Biting

Of course, preventative measures are always something to highlight right off the bat. If you are going to buy a dog from a breeder always be sure that the breeder provides a good standard of care for their animals and never take a puppy home that is younger than 7-8 weeks.

This kind of preventative measure isn't always possible when adopting a puppy from a shelter. Because of health concerns for dogs spending any amount of time in shelters, most prefer to adopt out animals as soon as possible to reduce their likelihood of infection. This goes for puppies too despite how young they are when they leave the litter.

Once you have your puppy home, set them up to succeed! These three things can make or break the rest of your puppy's play biting training.

Playtime should be a social event full of social learning and appropriate oral stimulation. A great way to stimulate your puppy's need to bite during play is to play tug of war and fetch (even if the actual fetching of the object is lost on them!).

Provide teething toys that are safe for puppy to chew on. Doing this won't directly help with play biting, but it will limit their need for oral stimulation.

Never allow mouthy behavior. Allowing it even one time every few sessions is enough to encourage the behavior. Don't allow your puppy to bite or nibble anything inappropriate, especially anything on a human (hands, feet, shoes, clothes). This is probably the MOST important rule your puppy will have growing up since most people misinterpret mouthy adults as biters. Take this step seriously now so you don't have any biting accidents later.

Odds and Ends

Always stop playing with the puppy as soon as they bite. It's important to be very quick with your response. 

Never allow them to bite.

Be sure that all interactions between children and the puppy are supervised. Kids aren't quick or assertive enough to keep up the strict no mouthing policy. 

Supervise playtime.

Always play with appropriate toys. Toys should always be something your dog can have in his or her mouth and chew on without getting in trouble. This is obviously not the case for your arms, hands and feet. I know I already mentioned this, but it's the most common reason for out of control mouthiness.

Don't allow your puppy to get your attention with play biting. Say "No" or "Off" (you could also yipe like a littermate) to interrupt the bite and turn away or leave the room. You need your pup to understand that biting gets him nowhere.

Leave the room long enough for your puppy to be confused by your absence. You are utilizing social withdrawal (just like their littermates), so be sure to withdraw long enough for it work. Around 2-3 minutes should be sufficient, but take the temperature of your puppy to be sure it's not too long or too short.

Don't pick the puppy up to remove them from the room since it can be misinterpreted as play and won't discourage the biting.

Never physically punish your puppy. Punishments can cause anxiety and turn what was play biting into fearful or even aggressive biting. It can also cause your puppy to get even more riled up and bite more.

If biting doesn't stop after 1-2 weeks of consistent training try a head halter to help redirect your puppy from biting - and any other bad behavior - and reward them for whatever you directed them to.

*Rest assured that your puppy isn't play biting so they can dominate or control you. It's a normal part of canine communication that needs to be learned. It's a lot like volume control in kids, they need to learn from others when they are being too loud. They aren't yelling at you to intimidate you.

Source:http://ezinearticles.com/?How-to-End-Puppy-Play-Biting&id=9525240