Your Dog's Hygiene Habits Are One of the Most Common Problems Owners Face.

Your dog's hygiene habits are one of the most common problems owners face. Relieving itself in inappropriate places is one of the main problems for dog owners. And yet, it is precisely the owners who, through their ignorance or insufficient dedication, cause this problem.
If you are bringing a young dog into your living space, you need to know that, just like babies, puppies have no control over the muscles that control urination and defecation, and that puppies digest quickly and need to relieve themselves often. Also, after a meal a puppy's stomach presses on the other organs, which is when it will most often relieve itself.
It is important to know that dogs relieve themselves when their sense of smell awakens such urges. It is advisable for the spot where you want the dog to relieve itself to be grassy, because that way the smells linger longer and are more intense. Always take the dog to the same spot. Be patient and wait until the dog has done its business. Then praise it and lead it away from that spot.
The dog will very quickly understand where it should relieve itself, but unexpected accidents will sometimes happen up until the age of 6 months, when dogs gain full control over their digestive organs. When the dog does relieve itself in a place not intended for that, scold it, but never hit it. Clean the spot where it relieved itself thoroughly with a chemical cleaning agent, and then spray it with a strong deodorant or apple cider vinegar. That way you will prevent the dog from relieving itself in that same spot again. Young dogs need to be taken to the toilet spot as often as possible, if possible 6 to 7 times a day, while for adult dogs three times a day for half an hour is quite enough.
Bathing and coat care are also an important part of a dog's hygiene needs. When it comes to bathing dogs that live indoors, bathing more often than every three weeks is not recommended. The reason is that a dog's skin naturally needs to release oils that nourish the coat and protect the dog from external influences, and shampoos strip these away. It is important that the shampoo you bathe your dog with is completely natural and suited to your pet's breed and coat length, and that the pH, i.e. the acidity, of the shampoo is matched to the natural acidity of a dog's skin. After bathing, the dog must be rinsed well and then dried. Dogs should never be bathed in the evening, because for the dog's health it is essential that it dries for as long as possible before going to sleep.
Coat maintenance varies from breed to breed, so you should ask an expert on your breed about the choice of brush and about how and how often to brush.
In some breeds, eye discharge requires cleaning with tea compresses or a specialised product. Ears also need to be cleaned with damp gauze, from the inside outwards. If your dog does not get enough exercise, you will need to trim its nails periodically, otherwise the dog may suffer pain or develop certain deformities. If you wish, you can maintain your pet's nails yourself. You need to buy suitable clippers and trim the nails to a length at which they do not touch the ground when the dog is standing.
If you dedicate yourself to each of these segments, you can be sure that your pet's basic hygiene needs are fully met.

Author: Vladimir Novaković

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