The Making of a Perfect Dog.

I get a lot of calls asking how to stop one behavior or another. The answer is almost always the same. Training.  But to have that perfect dog takes more than five or ten minutes of training each day.  Most dogs can become the perfect companions in five easy steps.

1. Make sure your dog gets the proper nutrition and exercise. We have all heard the old joke that if your fat your dogs is not getting enough excercise. But what if your pet is fat? It can lead to a whole host of health issues that go way beyond early onset of arthritis. It can lead to diabetes as well as a very expensive need for orthopedic surgery.

   What you feed your dog can be just as important as how much you feed you dog.

I am not an advocate of buying the most expensive dog food on the market and calling it good. One of the leading and most expensive foods on the market has also had the most recalls for problems.  Do ten minutes worth of research to see what is in your dogs food. Try to avoid allergins such as wheat and corn. Also avoid byproducts. They are really gross. If you wouldn't eat it your dog should not eat it.  A new craze called raw food diets is growing in popularity. My problem with some raw food diets is that the dog does not get the vitamins they need from a handful of raw chicken twice a day. Also, our dogs are not wild. They are domesticated and need domesticated foods. Read the label and make sure they are getting the proper nutrition.

2.A safe home is a must for dogs and cats alike.  Many house plants and outdoor plants are poisenous for animals. So are a lot of chemicals found in cleaning supplies or automotive products. Even some coco bean mulch can kill a dog.  Make sure you don't feed your dog certain table scaps such as chocolate, onions, raisins, and grapes.  All of these foods have the abitlity to make your dog very sick and can even be fatal. make sure your dog is safe outside as well as inside. If your dog must live outdoors, make sure they have a well insulated dog house to get into and plenty of shade and fresh water daily. Make sure they are fenced in a yard or that you are outside with them to prevent injury from another animal entering your property.  make sure you pick up small objects such as pacifiers, socks, under garments, sticks, and small toys.

3. Make sure your pet is healthy every year.  Not just a quick checkup but that they have the necessary vaccines and preventatives that they need to stay healthy. Those include flea and tick treatments as well as heartworm preventative. Please avoid some liquid flea and tick treatments that are stocked in the grocery store. Every year thousands of animals become ill due to those products. Ask your vet what is safe for your animal.  Veterinary cost scare some people but remember that your vet went to school just as long as your doctor and makes about one tenth of what your doctor does. If you need help with emergency care there are many grants available as well as other options.

4. Engage your dogs brain. It needs at least as much excercise as the dog's body.  You can spend ten or fifteen minutes every day training your dog. Start with the basics such as sit or lay down. Remember to use off for getting of a person of the counter and down for lay down. ( I learned the hard way.) Use positive reinforcement only. If your dog has an off day don't get mad. Take him for a walk and try again. If you must put it off for a day. But if you get frustrated your dog will feel it. Training should be fun for both of you. You will be amazed how much they can learn. Like get the remote, take off my socks, get the ball and not the toy. Dogs are very smart and want to please you. Play a game of fetch or get a toy where they get food if they play with it correctly. They will be much happier.

5. Keep your dog safe outside your yard.  Make sure your dog is ready when he leaves the house. Does the dog have on a tag and hopefully is microchipped so that if you become seperated you can get your dog back.  Make sure in the car that the window is not down far enough for the dog to jump out. It is very cute to see a dog with his head out the window but not quite so cute if the dog gets a bug in the eye or stung by a bee.  Make sure your leash is in good repair. In town when we go for walks we are often walking near busy roads. Make sure that the leash is not going to break and the dog won't wind up in the road.  Please remember to clean up after your dog. Take along a baggie in case the dog uses the bathroom in someone else's yard. People do not want to clean up after someone else's dog.

Finally if at all possible try to take your dog to training. Most basic training runs about $100 for a six or eight week class that you go to for a hour a week and then practice at home. It is the best $100 you will ever spend and they can help you with problems that others can't.