As a happy and healthy beagle, all I know is that I love my life. I have a great home, and a wonderful peep that takes care of me and I’m treated with affection and an abundance of love.
Any pet owner will tell you all they want is that their dog will be with them as long as possible, which is why it’s important to give them a certain level of care to live a longer healthier life.
Most dogs can live a long and healthy life if they are in good shape physically and mentally.
Here are 7 tips that you can do to extend and improve the quality of your dog’s life.
1. See your vet regularly
Regular checkups with your vet is a must. Seeing your vet can help detect diseases and health problems early on, while they can still be treated. Every adult dog should see their vet at least once a year. Puppies need more care in their first year of growth and should see their vet two to four times per year or on the schedule that works with their vaccinations. The same goes for adult dogs too in regards of keeping up to date with their vaccinations, that can save lives.
2. Get nutritionally complete dog food
One way to extend your pet’s life is to make an effort to keep them at a healthy weight at all times. It’s important to find a manufacturer that produces high quality and nutritionally complete dog food that will improve and help your dog live a long and healthy life don’t feed your dog a lot of fatty human food and make sure he gets the right amount of appropriate food. Healthy treats are okay, just don’t overdo it. Overweight dogs are not healthy dogs. And it goes without saying, always have fresh water available for your dog.
3. Give Your Dog regular exercise
Dogs need exercise and a combination of walks, play and exploring is a must to keep them active and fit in body, mind and spirit.
- Walks: Most dogs need at least an hour of exercise everyday to keep them at a healthy weight and improve their health. However depending on the breed, some dogs need more and of course some of the little ones need less. If in doubt ask your breeder or vet what is a good length of time for your pet.
- Play: All work and no play can make a grumpy dog. Make sure your dog gets to play with other dogs, it helps them maintain a healthy weight and more importantly it keeps them emotionally healthy as well.
- Explore: Dogs are just like you, and doing the same old walk around the block day in and day out becomes dull and uninspiring. Let them run and explore for a while, or as the saying goes, let them sniff the roses. Take them on a different route, or visit a new park in your area. Both of you will feel great experiencing something new together.
4. Train Your Dog
Training your dog will improve their life and yours! It helps
- Enhance the bond between you
- It ensures their safety
- Dogs are always eager to learn and please you.
Good communication and training techniques helps your dog understand how you’d like them to behave and why it’s in their best interest to learn commands such as sit, stay, heel, and here. When your dog applies himself to processing information through training or any activity that requires him to think, he become a more confidant pet.
A confidant pet is a healthy and happy pet, and with his new commands, you are able to keep him away from dangers.
5. Make sure your dog has a comfortable place to sleep
Some people are shocked by how much a dog sleeps. However an active dog uses a lot of energy keeping up with you, life, and all the things they experience throughout the day.
You might even have a dog that sleeps almost anywhere, including the floor, however this should not be the place he settles in for a relaxing rest.
Dogs need beds just like people, and here is why…
- It’s a place to call their own: Be it a crate, dog bed or princess sleeping castle, a bed that’s just for your dog is a place where he feels content and gives him a place he can retreat to when he needs time by himself.
- Health: Sleeping on a floor or hard surface can be damaging to a dog’s health. And if you have an older dog, an Orthopedic dog bed can help ease the pain and discomfort of hip dysplasia, arthritis, or other structural ailments.
6. Spay/Neuter your dog
We all know that spaying or neutering your dog will help them to live a longer and healthier life. But did you know that it also helps…
- to prevent uterine infections and breast cancer in bitches, which is fatal in about 50 percent of dogs.
- neutering your male dog prevents testicular cancer, especially if done before six months of age.
- Your male pooch won’t want to roam away from home and risk getting injured.
7. Love and Bond With Your Dog
The loving bond between you and your pet must be the most rewarding gift of all. Strengthen this bond by simply spending time together.
As with any relationship it’s about being with one another and sharing experiences, so time spent together strengthens it.
- Play with your dog and interact
- Learn your dog’s likes and dislikes
- Learn more about your dog’s behavior, study their body language and facial expressions that can indicate contentment or stress.
The best way to keep your pet’s health is to provide a loving lifestyle that includes maintaining a healthy weight, regular checkups, training and exercise.
We all want our dogs to be with us for as long as possible. These 7 easy tips that you can do to make your dog live a longer healthier life are common sense basics, by means the world to your pooch.
Dogs do know the difference when it comes to being cared for, and will reward you with love and devotion throughout their life. They’re counting on you!
Disclaimer: We would like to thank EUKANUBA for supplying us with the information on keeping our pets healthy for a long and rewarding life span and sponsoring this post.
