As a dog owner and lover, it is important to know how to raise a happy and healthy dog. Our dogs provide us with their loyal companionship and unconditional love all their lives. In return, we can contribute to their happiness and well-being by providing them with our love and affection and the following key essentials:
Safe and Suitable Environment
I’ve had multiple dogs throughout my entire life. It’s crucial for me to consider their needs in my home selection. My home needs to be in a dog-friendly neighborhood with good dog walking components such as safety, sidewalks, street lighting, ample green space and minimal traffic. I’ve never lived in an apartment, condominium or townhouse complex because I don’t believe it would have been suitable for a household with dogs.
The house and yard must likewise be dog-friendly with a large, securely enclosed yard complete with shade trees or covered patio area. I prefer a single-story house to better accommodate older dogs (no stairs). A conveniently located doggie-door leading to the enclosed backyard is necessary to provide them indoor/outdoor access as they please and for potty breaks. Clean and suitable bedding is provided for their sleeping comfort.
In locations with excessive temperature conditions, thermostat controlled central heating/air conditioning is required.
Nutritious Diet
In order to maintain our dogs’ good physical health, providing them with a nutritious diet is a must. Rely on your veterinarian’s recommendation for the best commercial food to feed your dog. There has never been a better selection of dog food now available targeting different markets, dietary and life stage (puppy, adult and senior) requirements.
Alternatively, an increasing amount of dog owners are now choosing to provide home cooked meals for their dogs instead. As with store bought food, consult with your vet about ingredients and recipes for home cooked dog food to ensure you are providing them with the proper nutrition.
In addition to providing proper nutrition, it is important to maintain your dog at a healthy weight with veterinarian recommended portion size and feeding frequency.
Plenty of Physical Exercise
Dogs require ample physical exercise to maintain good overall health and vitality. This is especially true for adolescent dogs, between 5 and 20 months, depending on breed. During this growing period, if a dog does not get enough physical exercise, it will more likely engage in negative ways to disperse excess energy such as digging, chewing, barking, lapses in house training, and aggressiveness.
Age, breed, state of health and daily routine all factor into determining the correct amount of physical exercise required by your dog to keep fit, happy and well-behaved.
Daily walks are a common choice of exercise. Ball fetching, jogging, hiking, swimming and even canine freestyle dancing are fun options to enjoy with your dog. If you are just beginning an exercise routine with your dog, pace yourself at first and increase either the pace or duration as you and your dog gain stamina and strength.
Provide your dog with consistency in getting exercise. Don’t expect good results if you only sporadically exercise your dog. Not only are you depriving your dog of physical fitness, mental fitness and emotional bonding time with your dog is also compromised. Not good!
Mental Stimulation
In addition to physical exercise, it is important to engage your dog mentally as well. Training is an excellent way not only to teach your dog tricks and good behavior, but also to stimulate and heighten mental capacity. It keeps your dog alert and mentally engaged.
Daily walks not only provide your dog with physical exercise, but mental exercise as well. They are responding to their environment which keeps them alert and vigilant. For example, on my daily walks with my dog Ben, he is constantly watching out for wild rabbits, squirrels and neighborhood cats which provides him with a sense of fun and adventure.
Also, daily walks encourage training as far as good social behavior with people and other dogs. These encounters provide situations where good social interaction can be taught and reinforced, thus mentally engaging your dog.
The same is achieved by talking frequently to your dog. Dogs are social animals who thrive on good interaction and communication with their owners. Frequent and consistent talking to your dog enables better comprehension on their part.
Maintaining a daily routine often provides a dog with a mental expectation of the day’s schedule. My dogs associate different activities with certain times of the day. Eating, exercising, grooming, relaxing, sleeping all take place at particular times during the course of a day. This seems to provide them with a continuity, a sense of purpose and security which makes them happy.
Grooming
Daily grooming includes brushing and dental care. Daily brushing keeps your dog’s coat healthy, tangle-free and minimizes shedding through the house. Dental care prevents bad breath, tooth decay and gum infection. Teeth brushing, dental wipes, water/food additives and dental treats are various ways to maintain good dental hygiene.
Baths, ear cleaning and nail trims are recommended at monthly intervals. Also, flea and tick preventatives are available in monthly or quarterly treatments.
Housekeeping Tips
Keep your dog’s bedding, toys and dishes clean. Wash bedding weekly or when dirty. The same is true for toys.
Food and water dishes should be washed with detergent/dish soap and water daily since their saliva transmits illness causing bacteria.
Pick up dog poop as quickly as possible, or at the very least, once daily.
Veterinary Care
Routine veterinary care varies with your dog’s age. Puppies, whose immune system is still developing, are recommended for monthly check-ups for the first few months or until puppy vaccinations are complete.
Adult dogs without a history of illness should have yearly veterinary visits. Senior dogs, over the age of 7, are then recommended for twice-yearly visits.
In addition to maintaining your dog’s vaccinations and prescribing medications, your veterinarian also provides routine heartworm testing and bloodwork panel testing (highly recommended for senior dogs) which aids in the early detection of illness and abnormalities.
Conclusion
Raising a happy and healthy dog requires affection, attention and dedication. Your happy and healthy dog will generously reward you with all its enthusiastic and fun companionship, wagging tails and joyful barks, loyalty through the good and bad, a gentle nudge with its nose or a soulful look of understanding and support.
A happy and healthy dog is a true blessing.
Hi Tracy,
Look what I found. Looks good. My question is, what if I have no choice but to live in an apartment and on the second floor?
I’ve never lived in an apartment, condominium or townhouse complex because I don’t believe it would have been suitable for a household with dogs.”
Finally, I can provide my long overdue response to your question. If this is your situation, please anticipate having to spend time to observe your dog’s behavior and adjust your routine for potty breaks throughout the day. Also, since your dog doesn’t have a yard for exercise and relaxation, it is vital to spend some time each day walking and getting your dog out of the confinement of apartment living.