Don’t Make These Top 3 Dog Care Mistakes

Sometimes when it comes to our dogs, love is definitely blind, especially when we sincerely think we are taking care of our beloved canine companions in the best ways possible. Although making these top three dog care mistakes does not mean that you are neglecting your dog, it may indicate a bit more objectivity is needed on your part to ensure your dog has a long, happy and healthy life.

Mistake #1: You don’t think you need to take your dog to the vet unless he is sick.
Why subject your pet to the frightening experience of being closely inspected by someone in a white coat who may have to give your dog a painful shot, right? Of course, no dog owner likes to put their dog through any kind of bad experience but did you know that all animals are experts at concealing their illnesses or injuries? As an evolutionary adaptation that benefited group living millions of years ago, hiding sickness was a way to prevent animals from appearing like “easy prey” to predators or compromising the strength of the group.

Mistake #2: Has anyone ever commented on how “well-fed” your dog looks and you laughingly said something like “yes, he is certainly big-boned!” Actually, your pooch may not be big-boned at all but porkier than you really see him. In fact, veterinarians will tell you that over half of the dogs they see are overweight. Since dogs are warm-blooded animals possessing a physiology remarkably similar to ours, they will suffer from the same health issues that we suffer from when we are overweight.

Mistake #3: Leaving your dog alone all day is OK. Well, not really. Dogs are instinctively pack animals and experience “aloneness” as something unnatural and disturbing. Dogs that are left alone for over several hours a day may develop anxious behaviors resembling behaviors of children with ADHD. Fortunately, the option to take your dog to a dog daycare in Alameda is available, which is a great way for your dog to hang out with other dogs and also receive the benefits of having human contact when you are not around to give it to him. In addition, a dog daycare in Alameda can help reverse problem behaviors in dogs who have been left alone while acclimating him to the presence of other dogs just like him.