Exercise/Physical Activity

Small dogs, big dogs, they all need plenty of exercises and good health. Although depending on the breeds of dogs, the amount of exercise a dog may need differ. Dogs should be walked outside in order to get them to be active, and to help stimulate their brain, doing this can cause your dog less stress, less anxiety, and reduce boredom. Small dog breeds, like Terriers and Maltese, should get at least 30 minutes of exercise a day, at minimum. That is about two lengthy walks. This does not mean walking them to go to the bathroom, but a good walk that can stimulate your dog. Larger dog breeds, like Shepherds, Retrievers, etc, need more exercise, about one to two hours a day. This is because they are bigger, and require more physical activity.

Eating

Food takes a big part in a dog’s health. It is important to make sure your dog is eating a good and healthy diet. Just like humans dogs can be affected by certain types of foods, like an allergy or just a bad response. It is important to keep a watch on what foods do and don’t affect your dog. There are a few big NO’s that dogs can not eat. Chocolate, onions, avocado, macadamia nuts, corn on the cob, alcohol, cooked bones, artificial sweetener, etc, can have a very bad effect on dogs. In some cases, a very small amount of one of these foods, may not harm your dog, but it is important to stay away from these foods just to be safe and keep your dog healthy. 

Proportions are also a very important thing to take into consideration. It is just as important to make sure you are not over or under-feeding your dog. Small dog breeds should be fed about 1 – 1 ½ cups of dog food. They should only be fed about two times a day, this is a recommended proportion. The recommendation is to also spread out the servings about 8-10 hours apart. So one serving at breakfast and one for dinner.  For larger dog breeds, they should be fed about 3 – 4 ½ cups of food a day. Big dogs should also be fed two times a day. These servings should be spread out about 10 hours apart. 

Mental stimulation

Although dogs can speak to us as humans talk to each other, they do have their own way of communicating. Dogs have their own ways of telling us humans their emotions. Sometimes if your dog is high on energy, barking crazy, or seems hyper, they may need some exercise or mental stimulation. Sometimes you need to take your dog outside more if they are barking a lot or seem very energetic. If your dog starts to growl or starts to get aggressive this may be because they feel threatened or want to protect their territory, and sometimes dogs are just playing but their tone sounds aggressive. 

It is important to give your dogs attention and play with them. This is good for their mental stimulation, as well as taking your dog outside, for walks, to parks, and even seeing other dogs. It is good to let your dog interact with other dogs in order to have them around their own nature.  Although depending on the size and personality of your dog, some dogs don’t get along with others very well.

Training 

Depending on what breed of dog you have, training may be easier or difficult. Some of the easiest and least difficult dog breeds to train are poodles, shepherds, retrievers, the collie, and other different breeds. Some of the more difficult breeds to train are, Beagles, Rottweilers, Siberian Huskies, Basset hounds, and other breeds. Although most house training can take from 2 weeks to 4 – 6 months depending on what breed of dog you have. 

Training your dog to do tricks also takes time, but depending on what breed you have it can happen very fast. The intelligence, patience, and ability of each dog are different, and that is what makes each breed unique and it’s own. That is also why some breeds are either harder or easier to train.

Taking great care of your dog’s health and wellness is extremely important to keep in mind before and while taking care of your dog!