First Dog? The 4 Things that Your Canine Really Needs from You

If you were pulled away from everything you knew and thrust into a new environment, you would likely be highly stressed. You might react with anything from fear to aggression. Even if the place you were taken to was the safest and happiest place in the world, you would still likely be afraid. This is some of what your new puppy or adult dog experiences getting used to your home now being his home. If this is your first dog, it is important to know the fundamentals of what he really needs from you.

First Dog? The 4 Things that Your Canine Really Needs from You

Give Much Love and Extra Care

Your excitement at having a dog may not be interpreted by him as a friendly act. Children screaming in happiness that they are finally getting a dog can terrify your new family member. It takes some time for a dog to get used to the family ways of doing things. You should provide love in a calm and extremely consistent fashion. Training should be through positive reinforcement methods only. You should establish your dog with a local vet by getting a full examination and vaccination routine completed as soon as possible.

Buy Better Dog Food

You should understand that all prepared dog foods are convenience products to make it easy to feed your dog the minimum nutritional requirements necessary to sustain life. Cheap dog foods are made tasty with added fat and sugar. Your dog does not have as many taste buds as you do, and they are not as discriminating in what they eat. There are many different quality levels within the class of products sold as dog food.

Research ingredients and the sources of those ingredients. Meat should be the first ingredient. Grains are okay for many dogs as domestication has caused their intestinal tracts to elongate to be able to digest grains. Keep in mind, however, that dogs express allergies through their skin instead of watery eyes and sneezing. Food allergies can cause yeast issues that cause skin and fur problems. Feed ultra-premium dog food for the best results.

Protect Your Dog

It is idyllic to see paintings of a child and dog roaming free in the country or wandering through the streets of town. That era existed, but a lot of dogs were lost or were killed by motorists. It is your responsibility to protect your dog. No dog is 100 percent reliable no matter how well trained. They are not machines. They can make mistakes with traffic, get lost while chasing a deer, or be picked up by animal control if not leashed.

It is always best to keep your dog on a leash. Safety collars prevent strangulation accidents. A fenced yard lets your dog have freedom to roam about in a controlled and safe environment. The so-called invisible fences are useless at keeping aggressive stray dogs from getting to your dog in the yard, but a fence does provide protection. Be sure to have your dog microchipped for identification too.

Keep Bad Stress to a Minimum

Good stress is running and playing fetch. It stresses your dog’s muscles and burns calories, keeping him fit and at a proper weight. Negative stress is yelling at your dog or hitting him. You can force a dog to try and figure out what you want by inducing fear, but you are just establishing anxiety, fear and possibly aggressive outbursts. Your dog will thrive if you provide consistent safe exercise and training along with plenty of social interaction with other people and pets. Regular daily routines for walking, meals and even bedtime helps your dog not to be nervous about anything. If your life is too stressed for you, then make changes so that your new family member thrives and lives a long and happy life.

If you work to make your dog a full-fledged member of your family, the rewards are incalculable. The simple loyalty and love you will receive from your dog is worth many times over what you put into the relationship.