50 Essential Dog Care Tips for Pet Parents

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.