10 Dog Care Tips Every Dog Owner Should Know
by dogtoyadvisor | Last updated on November 18, 2020
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Dogs need daily attention and care.
And, while some dog care routines are easy enough to comply, others can be a real headache, particularly if your dog won’t cooperate.
But never forget that it still needs to be done.
Much like small children, dogs don’t know what they need, they just react naturally to what they’re feeling at the time, making life harder for us.
Why Most People Neglect Their Dog’s Health
Not because they don’t care, but because they either don’t know what to do or they don’t know how to do it.
And this is actually a serious problem because neglecting your dog’s care can seriously hurt him.
Teeth decay, injured paws, parasites, infections, much can happen when you can’t care for your dog the way you need to.
But if you’re struggling with caring for your dog, know that you’re not alone!
Our Struggle to Care For Our Dogs
Caring for three dogs (and three cats) wasn’t always easy.
The ones we added to our family as puppies make it a bit easier because we trained them from an early age.
Dobby, our eldest dog, was adopted at about one year old, with no previous care/grooming experience other than the daily baths he had to have to treat his mange (which he absolutely hated).
Also, he came to us with badly damaged teeth, so that was an immediate concern.
So, with Dobby we struggled with cleaning his teeth, trimming his nails (he has 5 extra dewclaws just to make it more exciting) and baths.
Tommy, our Jack Russell rascal hates trimming nails and cleaning ears, even though we got him used to it from early age.
He’s very infection prone and treating it sounds like we’re skinning him alive.
10 Dog Care Tips You’d Wish You Known Sooner
We’re here to tell you it doesn’t need to be a struggle.
Nor does caring for your dog need to break your bank.
There are simple, easy ways to make sure your dog is cared for, to make sure you’re keeping up with his needs and health.
1 – Teeth
One of the most important things for your dog’s health is his mouth.
More to the point, you need to know how to care of your dog’s teeth and gums.
Like humans, each time your dog eats he gets food stuck on his teeth and gum, which causes plaque that causes infection and tooth decay.
We’ve tried pretty much everything to keep our dogs’ teeth clean and the one thing we find that really makes a difference is using an enzymatic tooth paste.
Don’t worry, you don’t necessarily need to brush his teeth with it, although that would be ideal.
For less than cooperative dogs, just allow them to lick the paste, the enzymes will work their way into the saliva and eliminate all plaque and tartar buildup.
2 – Eyes
If your dog is anything like ours, he loves a good puddle of mud or to roll around in dirt.
Or maybe he just keeps his nose to the ground smelling everything he finds.
Either way, dog’s eyes are constantly exposed to dirt, plants nails, etc.
Not to mention common allergies.
More often than not, we’ll find our dogs with some sort of discharge or itch.
Luckily, for simple issues that don’t require vet treatment, a simple homemade cleaning solution will do the trick!
You can make it at home in just 5 simple steps:
1. Sterilize the jar and lid in boiling water for at least a minute. Let them cool for at least 10 minutes.
2. Pour the sterilized water, a product that can be bought at most pharmacies, into the jar. It should fill the jar up to about 2″ from the top.
3. And 1/2 teaspoon of non-iodized table salt to the water. The salt should be pure salt, with no other compounds added.
4. Fasten the lid and shake the mixture to dissolve the salt.
5. Use the eye dropper to administer four to six drops in each of your dogs eyes, two to three times a day and you’re good to go!
3 – Ears
Dog’s ears are very sensitive, particularly if they have folded ears, because dirt and parasites can easily lodge inside.
Keeping the ears clean is important and easy to do, if you use the right products. To clean our dog’s ears, we usually use wipes.
But if they’re showing a wax coating or dirt, we prefer to use a proper ear cleaning solution to make sure we don’t irritate the ears by rubbing too much
4 – Paws
It’s one of the most exposed parts of dog’s bodies.
Every time our dogs go out, their paws are touching the ground. In Summertime the ground is hot and in Winter too cold.
Not to mention stepping on thorns, glass, or anything sharp that can pierce his skin and hurt his paws.
We’ve realized that the best way to take care of our dog’s paws is to moisturize them with a paw balm.
But you’ll need to make sure not to over-moisturize the paws, otherwise you may make them too soft and injury-prone.
5 – Nails
Neglected nails lead to breakage, injuries and infections.
You need to make sure your dog’s nails are properly trimmed and clean, particularly if he has dewclaws.
Long nails can even cause your dog to change the way he walks to accommodate for the discomfort he feels by them.
There are a lot of tricks to trim your dog’s nails without causing pain, but in this case, equipment is everything.
Get a proper nail trimmer, one that feels good in your hand and that makes your job simple and quick and you’ll see better results.
6 – Fur
The best way to keep your dog’s fur properly cared for is, of course, to brush him frequently.
Use a good brush, one that feels the most comfortable to him, but also that makes your job easier and quicker.
Also, keeping your dog’s fur in check considerably reduces the shedding, which helps you keep your home clean and fur-free.
There is one dog brush we love and can’t rave about enough.
Easy to use for us and the dogs, we’ve created our own daily routine to make sure our dogs are brushed and clean.
Brushing is also the best way to look for debris or even nasty parasites that can latch on to your pet without you noticing.
7 – Skin
Dog’s skin can become itchy for a number of reasons.
Hot weather, allergies, eating something or touching something that leads to itchiness, even some medical conditions.
Also, don’t forget that too many baths can completely remove the healthy oils from your dog’s skin and make it unhealthy.
Check out our top 5 Tips to Make a Dog Smell Amazing Between Baths.
Another way to keep that from happening is to moisturize and detox his skin and you can do it easily with a homemade shampoo.
Use this gentle shampoo as a way to remove any current skin toxins or bacterial infections on your dog’s skin. Then use 1-2 x per month for maintenance as needed.
You’ll need to mix 12 oz liquid castile soap (lavender, hemp or baby), 4 oz Aloe vera juice, 2 oz decaffeinated Green tea, 1 oz Witch hazel and 2 tsp Olive oil and you’re good to go!
Related: 6 Most Common Dog Skin Problems (And How to Solve Them)
8 – Brain
Your dog’s brain and mental condition can determine not only his health, but also his happiness and the way he behaves.
If your dog is spending too much time home alone, you need to make sure you’re keeping him entertained.
Also, keeping a dog mentally challenged is just as much a part of caring for him as anything else.
If your dog loves eating (we know ours do) then you need to get him a Kong and get creative with the fillings you use.
Not only will that keep him entertained for hours, it will also challenge him.
One thing we found that fascinates our dogs is this snuffle rug. Filled with treats or kibble and entertaining stimulus, our dogs love it!
9 – Gut
Keeping your dog’s gut balanced can be harder than it looks.
A simple change in his diet can cause his lots of discomfort and ache so you need to be careful about food transitions and introducing different foods to your dog.
Not only that, but you need to keep your dog dewormed at all times. Even if he lives in the city, eats kibble from a properly sealed bag and has his vaccines in place.
Warms and parasites can cause great damage to your dog’s health and even kill them, you can never be too careful.
10 – Overall Health
Nothing you do will ever substitute a vet check, at least once a year.
No matter how pampered and protected your dog is, you can’t protect him from everything.
He needs vaccine and to get his health checked by a professional you trust.
The best way to keep your dog healthy is prevention and taking him to the vet once a year will make sure you keep things under your control and your pooch happy, healthy and cared for.
Even if he isn’t too happy with the idea.
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