If you’re a first time puppy owner, you’re probably starting to wonder about your new responsibilities. Now that you’re responsible for another life, it’s important that you understand what these responsibilities entail.

Your puppy’s diet is first on our list. Puppies are on their mother’s milk until they are about six to eight weeks old. This weaning age is usually when breeders allow the puppies to be taken home by their new owner. Ask your breeder what the pup is currently eating and continue to feed him that. Usually they will be eating a soft canned food mixed with puppy milk replacer. Use less and less milk until your puppy is on pure canned food. You can do the same when switching to dry food by mixing in a little soft food and then cutting back a little each day until the puppy is on dry food only. Dry food is recommended as the best type of food for dogs as it has less fat content and keeps your dog’s teeth strong and free of plaque build up. This should happen gradually over the course of about 7 – 10 days. You should never feed your dog human food (ie: table scraps) at any time during his life. A dog’s diet requires a specific balance of certain nutrients and feeding your dog table scraps will upset this balance. Also remember to keep a water bowl filled for your pup at all times.

The next item on the list is vaccinations. If your dog’s breeder hasn’t taken care of the vaccinations, then it’s up to you to see that your dog gets immunized. There are three separate shots given to cover the “core” illnesses, which are: distemper, parvovirus, and hepatitis. The first shot is usually given at 6 weeks of age with the other shots following in three week intervals at 9 and 12 weeks. Your veterinarian will be able to take care of the vaccinations for you, as well as recommend any non-core vaccines that they feel your dog should have. The importance of non-core vaccines differs depending on your dog’s breed and where you live. You will need to return to the vet every year of your dog’s life for an adult “booster” shot. You should be aware that social interaction with other dogs is not recommended until after your puppy has completed his round of vaccinations, with an additional 5 – 10 days for the immunization to become effective.

Our next health tip is grooming. Regardless of the breed of your puppy, all dogs require a certain amount of grooming. For instance, long-haired dogs will require much more brushing and haircuts than other breeds, but there are also some breeds, particularly the ones with long ears, that need their ears cleaned frequently to avoid infection. All dogs need to have their nails clipped every so often, but we recommend that you have this done professionally if you aren’t experienced at the job, as clipping too close to the quick in your dog’s nails causes a great deal of pain and bleeding. Do a bit of research on your puppy’s breed to get a good idea as to what your grooming responsibilities will be.

Exercise is one of the most vital aspects of your dog’s health. Your puppy will have a great deal of energy, which is completely natural! You should encourage playtime, especially outdoors so that he can have tons of room to romp around. If your puppy becomes restless, he may chew excessively which can be dangerous for your puppy (think of all the cords/cables plugging into your outlets, as well as wooden furniture that can splinter!). Pet steps are a great tool you can use to give your dog a workout. The time you spend training him to use the dog stairs to get onto furniture will encourage your pup to bond with you as well as to be obedient and respectful.

For more tips on raising a healthy pup, visit HelpYourPets.com.

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Your dog provides you so much love, care and protection, that providing him a bed is a small return. Your dog's comfort is important, however, you need to make choices about a dog bed that works in your home and with your dog. There are several options that are available but some of the factors that you consider are the size of your dog, the construction of the bed, the materials of the bed, the ease in keeping the bed clean and the cost of the bed. One of the options you should consider is a wicker dog bed, or if you have a large wicker dog bed.

A wicker dog bed has many things to recommend it to the dog owner. First a wicker dog bed can be formed into any shape. The wicker material iss is natural and renewable, and is wholly biodegradable when you dispose of the bed. Wicker can be dyed or painted to any color, so it can be an addition to you home that enhances your decor, not detracts. A wicker dog bed is then filled with a pillow or mattress on which the dog actually sleeps. The wicker dog bed pillow or mattress can be make of many different materials to accommodate the needs of your dog and to make it attractive to you, and comfortable for you pet.

A wicker dog bed provides an easy way to keep the bed clean. The wicker dog beds allow dirt, hair and depis to fall through to the floor for cleaning, while keeping a defined space for your dog to sleep. The sleeping mattresses have become available in foam and memory foam as of late, which can truly been a boon to your pet, and a nice change for your pocket book. The new foam and memory foam are long lasting and hold up to heavy wear.

One of the nice parts of a wicker dog bed is that you can replace the mattress or pillow without having to replace the entire bed, thus providing long term economy. It is not horrible to consider that some items for your pet are too expensive, it is a reality of our lives. The wicker dog bed provides a medium ground with environmental friendly, renewable materials and a mattress that is cleanable for long term use without the need for disposable. Comfort for your beloved dog and cleanliness and low-cost for you is an all around winner.

About Author: David Hueber is a Green Hosting expert. He also offers top Dog training and puppy training tips online.

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Dog and puppy owners need to be sure they understand a few dog health problems basics so they can help their pets if by chance they contract one of the common dog health problems. An oldtime belief, still held onto by many people, is that if their dog has a cold and wet nose, the dog is healthy. The plain truth here is that no one can tell with any scientific certainty from how cold or wet a dog’s nose is, whether or not the dog has any hereditary heart issues, parasites, worms, deafness or any other health condition.

Pet owners should totally repudiate such beliefs that have no scientific basis and instead pay strict attention to the physical condition of their dog in general making sure they regularly check for disease symptoms or signs in the eyes, teeth, ears, mouth and skin regions. On top of that, the dog owner should be responsible enough to provide all the care and attention that their dogs need including proper nutrition, preventative medicine and good grooming to ensure that their pets will be in good and healthy condition for years to come.   

Symptoms of Dog Health Problems

In particular, there are certain dog health symptoms that mean your canine friend has particular diseases or health challenges. Dog owners need to make sure they are familiar with symptoms of potential dog health problems so they can take quick action and avoid bigger problems later on.

* Overall, a healthy dog’s coat is shiny, soft to the touch and full. If your dog has a wiry coat, the strands should spring back up whne touched and should be thick. Breeds with double coats should have no indication of thinning on the undercoats.

* Redness or inflammation, open sores, scabs, flakes, lumps or cyst like growths on the skin can be signs of health issues. Its importatn that both your dog’s fur and skin remain free of parasites – little organisms like fleas or ticks or mites. Frequent scratching or even biting of the skin is an indication of potential parasites.

* Just like us, bright, shiny eyes in your dog means good health. In dogs, there is an area in the eyes particularly in the perimeter of the eyeballs that should always have a health pink color. This region is called the conjunvtiva and if its pale in color, this could mean some hidden health challenges. There should also be no abnormal discharges from the eyes, particular yellow or green colored fluids.

* A foul smell or bloody discharge from your dog’s ears means something is not right with your dog’s health. Its important to keep the ears clean and free of parasites like mange mites.

* Dog gums that maintain a healthy rosy pink color and which might have a bit of black color as well is a pretty good indication of good health. Pale gums might mean your dog has a problem with anemia. Inflamed and bleeding gums can be signs of periodontal diseases while a foul odor emanating from the breath can be indicative of some underlying health problems.

* Thinking back to the old time thinking about a dog’s nose, a dog full of health usually has a cold, wet nose but this is really only due to the kind of clear and watery discharge that are normal in dogs. If your dog has a bad smeling and icky colored discharge coming form the nose, you need to have your dog looked at right away. Such discharges in young pups can be a sign of canine distemper and may prove to be fatal.

A few of the other factors to indicate good dog health are weight, body temperature and the appearance of urine and feces. The most important thing is to understand these symptoms of dog health problems so that the minute you spot something out of the ordinary, you can take action right away.

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