Preventive Care for Your Dog

A strong emphasis on avoiding health problems before they start, in combination with regular veterinary visits, will be basis of a preventive care program for your dog. Not only will you lessen the chances of debilitating injuries and diseases (and the expense of such health problems), but your dog will live longer and healthier life.

Regular visits to the veterinarian will serve as an early warning system, not only alerting you to existing health concerns but to the possible problems you and your dog could have to face in the future. Your veterinarian will also keep your dog vaccinated against a number of canine diseases. These immunizations are usually required by law, but also constitutes good preventive health care.

Your puppy will have received the first of its immunization while still at its breeder’s home. Since you have carefully chosen the source from which you purchased your puppy, made certain to get the pupp’s shot record, and made the acquaintance of a good veterinarian before you brought the puppy home, you know what immunizations have been begun.

It Doesn’t Always Have to Be a Purebred

Anyone who thinks that a mongrel – a dog resulting from various interbreedings – is the pet of his or her dreams will usually find appropriate ads in daily newspaper under the heading “Animals for Sale” or “To Give Away.” Here too, when acquiring a dog, be sure to keep is mind that the points mentioned above. With mongrels it is helpful if you know something about what breed or breeds were involved on at least one side of its lineage, so that you can make a rough estimate of the dog’s size and traits.

A dog from the animal shelter: Many a future dog owner visits an animal shelter. Full-grown dogs, however, usually are not suited for novice dog owners or families with small children, especially if the dogs have already been in the shelter for some time. Often, too, information about the dog’s previous life is sketchy, and therefore there is no way to guess what experiences these dogs have had in their youth. Particularly if they have grown up without an owner – or with a neglectful or abusive one – there is a danger that they lack the ability to relate well to human beings. That can make your life together difficult.

EDUCATING YOUR DOG WITH LOVE AND UNDERSTANDING, KATHARINA SCHLEGL-KOFLER