50 essential dog care tips for pet parents
TRANSCRIPT
50 Essential Dog Care
Tips For Pet Parents
Table of Contents
Grooming Tips Slide 4
Health Tips Slide 15
Home Tips Slide 29
Food and Snack Tips Slide 35
Training Tips Slide 41
Travel Tips Slide 44
General Tips Slide 47
Caring for a dog is a lot of work and to make it easier for pet
parents, we compiled a list of 50 dog care tips to make caring
for your furry friend easier. Our list covers many important topics
including grooming, health, home, food, travel and general tips.
Grooming Tips
To prevent splashing water into your dog's ears while bathing,
try using a shower cap. The cap will help keep your dogs ears
dry, but it may take time to get your dog used to wearing it.
For an all-natural way to freshen your dog’s breath, add parsley
to your dog’s food.
If your dog dislikes having their teeth brushed, add some
enzymatic toothpaste to a chew toy or rope. This will help clean
their teeth while chewing the toy.
For an easy way to clean your dog’s ears, wet a cotton ball with
ear cleaning solution and drip it into the dog’s ears. This will help
you clean your dog’s ears without your dog being scared of the
bottle of cleaner.
Most of the bacteria that causes bad breath live on your dog’s
tongue. You can create a tongue brush by putting your dog's
toothpaste on a new lint brush while letting your dog lick it.
You should remove a tick with tweezers. Grab it and pull it
straight out. You should check to make sure the entire tick was
removed from the dog.
Rinsing your dog off with a teapot can help prevent water from
splashing into your dog’s eyes and ears while bathing by giving
you more control over the area that is being rinsed.
If your dog is ever sprayed by a skunk, you can get rid of the
smell by mixing a bottle of hydrogen peroxide, one quarter cup
of baking soda, and two teaspoons of liquid Dawn soap.
You can make homemade flea shampoo with 1 cup of
Dawn dish soap, 1 cup vinegar, and 1 quart of warm water.
Let it sit on your dog for 5 minutes before rinsing it off.
If your dog is scared of having his nails trimmed, try walking your
dog on the pavement. The ground can act like a file and
reduce the size of the nails. This can help reduce the amount of
time between nail trims. This tip does not work for the dog's dew
claws
Health Tips
If you have trouble giving your dog medicine, try adding the pills
to a spoonful of peanut butter. This will provide the dog with a
tasty snack while also hiding the medicine.
Cooked penne pasta can also be used as a way to hide your
dog’s medicine.
For relief from an upset stomach, add low sodium chicken broth
to your dog’s water.
Turmeric can be added to your dog’s food. It provides many
health benefits, but check with your vet first since it can react
with certain medications. 1/8 to ¼ teaspoon per every 10 lbs. is
the recommended amount to feed your dog.
Chicken and rice is an excellent meal for a sick dog. It can help
calm an upset stomach.
Another way to calm an upset stomach is to add canned
pumpkin to your dog’s food.
This is a list of the most toxic foods to dogs. If your dog eats any
of these foods, you should take your dog to the vet.
Keep your dog cool during hot weather by filling a kiddy pool.
This provides your dog with a place to swim and relax on hot
days.
If your dog eats too fast, try adding a ball to the food bowl or
use a slow feed dog bowl.
Pet CPR can help save your dog’s life one day.
If your dog has eaten something poisonous, you can give your
dog hydrogen peroxide to induce vomiting. One teaspoon per
5 lb is the recommended dosage, but you should also consult
your veterinarian for the dosage for your dog.
Elevated dog bowls can help provide your dog with better
digestion.
You can reduce inflammation from bee stings by making a
paste with baking soda and water.
Home Tips
If you don’t have any pet stain cleaner like Nature’s Miracle, you
can use baking soda. This can help remove urine stains from the
carpet.
A squeegee attracts dog hair and it can remove the hair from
many different surfaces in your home.
You can also remove dog hair with a damp rubber glove. The
hair will stick to the glove when you rub it over the surface.
A diaper pail can provide you with an odor free solution to your
dog's waste bag.
A shower caddy can make it easy to store your dog’s bath
supplies.
Food and Snacks
Sweet potatoes provide many health benefits for your dog. To
keep your dog busy for a while, add cooked sweet potato to a
Kong and freeze it overnight.
To make a frozen treat for your dog, combine fruit with low
sodium chicken broth. You can even use an ice cube tray to
make this snack.
Add your dog’s food to a muffin pan. It’s like having a bunch of
small bowls that will help your dog to eat less at a time.
When a Himalayan dog chew gets too small, you can place it in
the microwave for 45 seconds. It will turn into a crunchy treat.
Add some water to your dog's dry food to make it softer.
This is excellent for older dogs and puppies.
Training Tips
Need your dog to calm down? Try stepping on the leash. This will
cause the dog to lay down. This is a trick I learned for a trainer
while my dog was still a puppy. Once the dog lays down, you can
add some slack to the leash while also teaching the calm
command.
Bitter apple spray can help prevent your dog from chewing
furniture and anything else you don’t want him to chew.
Travel Tips
You can make your own homemade dog car harness with a
carabiner, a strap and a short leash.
If you are looking to travel, some hotels allow you to bring pets.
You can enjoy your vacation while bringing along your dog.
General Tips
By attaching a carabiner to your dog's leash, you can latch it to
objects outside if you need to tie down your dog for a few
minutes.
A sheet of wood and sandpaper can be used to create a
homemade digging post. It works similar to a cat scratching
post and it can even help file your dog's nails.
If your dog gets out, instead of chasing the dog, try going the
opposite direction. Dogs like to chase things and will likely come
towards you. Chasing your dog will only cause him/her to keep
running.
Know your dog’s body language since it can help you
communicate better with your best friend.
If your dog is tired of his toys, try placing the toy in an old sock.
The dog will treat it like a new toy. You can even tie the end and
toss it around the yard.
You can place a pillow case over your dog’s bed to keep it
fresh.
An old pair of cargo shorts can be turned into a dog cooling
vest.
Make your dog a bed by placing old clothes into a pillowcase.
Calm your dog during a thunderstorm by removing static
buildup from their fur. Either bathe or lightly mist the dog with
water to prevent static. Don't use a dryer sheet since they can
be highly toxic to your dog. This method won't help if your dog
is scared of the noise.
The cold weather and snow can cause your dog’s paw pads
to crack. Protect your dog’s paw pads with Vaseline.
To organize your dog's leashes, create a dog walking station
near the door. This can be done by hanging the leashes on a
key rack. You can also store waste-bags and other supplies
needed for the walk. You won't have to worry about misplacing
your dog's leashes any more.