Dogs are widely considered to be man’s best friend and there are so many reasons for this. From house pets to service dogs and working companions, our canine friends certainly bring so much to our lives. Dogs are great to play with, provide great comfort and companionship to people who suffer from loneliness and help to significantly reduce our stress levels. Clearly, canine friends are not only lovable but also boost the quality of our lives considerably. However, with our busy schedules and lives, many of us do not give our dogs the love and care that they deserve. We often overlook their extra needs and just provide them with food and shelter.
But dogs are intelligent, complex animals, and to give them the best life possible, you need to do far more than that.
This article is a guide on how to improve the life of your canine friend.
Daily Exercise
Regular daily exercise is vital for a dog’s well-being, both physically and mentally. The experts at M-Dog explain that overweight dogs often suffer from increased risk of health issues including arthritis, diabetes, and heart diseases. One of the best ways to protect your dog from serious diseases is by keeping them active with daily exercise. Furthermore, it is common for dogs to feel bored and frustrated if they spend too much time indoors and not enough time exercising outdoors. When it comes to exercising and keeping dogs active, there are countless options that you can choose from. Recommended activities that you can do with your dog are walking, playing frisbee, playing fetch, or playing tug of war.
Mental Stimulation
Other than being physically active, your dog loves being mentally stimulated as well. There are various interactive mental games for you and your four-legged buddy to do together such as learning tricks, playing with toys, and overcoming obstacles. In contrast to house training, which, whilst important is usually quite boring and unrewarding for dogs, mental games stimulate your dog’s mind and enable them to learn the way they want to.
Diverse Activities Together
A daily routine with your dog doesn’t mean you have to spend 4 hours every day walking them or playing with them. Design a routine for your canine buddy that not only fits your daily schedule but also gives your dog little activities and fun throughout the day. For instance, you can schedule a walk every evening, a 5-minute game session after dinner, and 15 minutes of undivided attention and petting every morning.
Don’t Dress Them Up
While regular grooming is essential to dogs’ well-being, fashionable, but unnecessary items such as belts, hats, and outfits are totally unnecessary and can bother dogs a lot. Your dog will certainly thank you for keeping its coat clean, but definitely won’t thank you for dressing it up as a cowboy with an annoying hat that blocks its vision. Pay attention to small things such as the annoying noise their tags make when hitting their collars or whether their collar seems to be bothering them. Dogs have many non-verbal ways of showing you that they are uncomfortable so pay attention.
Provide a Healthy Environment
We all know about the dangerous risks of smoking and second-hand smoking. However, most people don’t pay attention to the risks that extend to their dogs or other pets. Second-hand smoking is dangerous to dogs as they breathe in the smoke and absorb toxins through their skin and hair. According to a study that was published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, there are proven links between tobacco smoke and oral cancer in cats. This is because cats lick toxins from environmental tobacco smoke on their fur while grooming, which causes them to develop malignant lymphoma. Dogs can have similar problems so it is recommended to provide a healthy smoke-free environment.
As dog owners, we are responsible for giving our pets a quality life that exceeds simply providing them with food and shelter. Our busy lifestyles can sometimes make it hard to properly take care of our beloved canine friends. Fortunately, with easy tips like the ones in this guide, you can ensure that your dog gets the love and attention it deserves.
