Whether you’ve recently adopted a furry friend or have been a dog owner for years, there may be some things that you’re doing that are actually harming your canine. As dog owners, we want to make sure that they live a long and healthy life. We decided to explore a few common mistakes that pet owners make when taking care of their dogs.
Let’s get right into it!
1. Choosing The Wrong Collar
You may not have known this, but picking the right collar for your dog is very important and could have a huge impact if you choose the wrong kind. If your dog is a puller or likes to explore as far as it can reach, a harness might be a better option than a collar since the latter can seriously injure your pet’s neck if it pulls too hard. But the type of collar is one thing. The second step is getting the right size.
If it’s too big — the dog may escape and if it’s too small, it could be squishing the dog’s neck. The rule of thumb is, for small and medium size dogs, you should be able to place one finger between the collar/harness and the dog. For large and extra-large dogs, 2 fingers should fit.
If you follow these steps you are sure to find the perfect collar for your little friend.
2. Leaving Your Dog Alone In The Car
This one should go without saying. Unfortunately, this still happens.
According to research, the temperature inside a car can increase by 20 degrees in just 10 minutes, even if the car is parked in the shade. Dogs don’t sweat like people and overheating can happen much quicker than you expect.
If you plan on making a stop and have your dog with you, ask if it’s okay for the dog to come into the store. If that isn’t an option, we highly recommend that you take your canine home and run errands on your own.
3. Neglecting Your Dog’s Teeth
Just like humans, dogs need regular teeth cleaning. While you may think that giving your dog chewing sticks to replace brushing will help, that is far from the case.
Dogs need their teeth to get brushed to prevent diseases and bacteria buildup.
Don’t use a human’s toothpaste and toothbrush. The brush and paste for dogs are quite different and you can get them from your vet.
Let’s make sure that happy pup has a healthy smile to go along with them.
4. Letting Your Dog Eat Everything
This is a major DON’T! It is important to know that dogs don’t digest food the way humans do. Human food can be very toxic for dogs and could potentially kill them.
Besides being life-threatening, giving human food to dogs can create bad habits.
You should definitely never feed your pet any table scraps while you are having a meal. This teaches your dog very undesirable begging habits and dogs are incredibly good learners when it comes to things they’re not allowed to do.
5. Bringing Puppies To A Dog Park
This one goes mostly to new dog owners who just got a new puppy. Yes, the first thing we want to do is show off that aborable pup to the world. But trust us, it’s not advisable.
Dogs are very social but think twice before taking a small puppy to a dog park. To start with, sometimes dogs can be passive carriers of diseases. Secondly, grown-up dogs, especially large ones, can be very rough when playing and running around, they may scare or even accidentally hurt your puppy.
While it is important for dogs to socialize, make sure they are ready to do so.
6. Using Physical Punishment
While this may have been taught as a useful tactic to train your dogs, this is a big no-no.
Hitting your dogs is animal abuse and does not help with their training.
Physical punishment simply won’t work and all you achieve is making sure your dog is scared of you. Reward-based training is much more effective than physical discipline.
If your dog does naughty things all the time, maybe it’s time to sign up for obedience school.
7. A Lack Of Stimulation
Dogs are very needy animals. That is something to take into consideration before getting one. Regular walking should become a must-do activity. Dogs not only need exercise but they also need to be exposed to different sounds and smells, it makes their brain work better. If dogs don’t get much stimulation, they may start doing other sorts of self-entertainment like digging, chewing or ripping things apart.
If your pet is tearing up your house, it could be from the lack of stimulation of the outside world. Make sure to take care of them.
8. Not Securing Your Dog In The Car
We use seatbelts on ourselves and our children, so why not our dogs?
Beleive it or not, dogs aren’t any different. In case of an accident, they can get injured or even worse. There are a few ways to secure a dog in the car. Here’s an article that will help you make sure that your little friend is safe and secure when going for a ride to the park.
9. Yelling At Your Dog
Just like hitting your dog as a discipline method doesn’t work, yelling at them doesn’t work either.
You’re just freaking your dog out. Especially if you are angry about something that has happened a while ago. Your dog will not only be scared but very confused as well.
10. Leaving Harmful Objects Around
Dogs are very adventurous beings and it should be remembered. It is important to make sure that you don’t leave anything harmful laying around that your dog can get to. They don’t know the difference of what can and can’t hurt them.
Make your house dog-friendly by making sure that you put away anything your pet can chew or swallow like medication, nails, batteries, and socks. Socks seem to be every dog’s favorite pulling toy, but keep in mind that if the dog swallows it, it may get stuck in their throat.
If you do happen to own a dog, please make sure to take these into consideration. We want to make sure they live a long and happy life.
