7 Hacks for Dogs Ownership

Sarah Lifestyle

Dog owners can’t imagine their lives without the sound of paws running down the hall or those sweet soft snores the dog lets slip whenever it’s cuddling time. Yes, there is dog hair and your furniture was probably a victim of their adventurous spirit once, but dogs spread love and they are our most loyal friends. And every dog owner recognizes that their pooch sure is worth every hair tumbleweed and chewed shoe. However, we’d like you to have an even smoother relationship with your companion and that’s why we want to tell you about seven hacks that will make both yours and your pooch’s life easier!

Dog crates for the win!

When used correctly, crates can be an extremely important tool! Firstly, they can help you with potty training, then they can also help you keep your pup from chewing power cords and other dangerous things when you aren’t there to watch them and you can also provide your dog a safe place to go to take a break from too much activity. Teach your young children to leave the dog alone if they retreat to their crate. Crates are also great to take with you to give your dog a point of reference if you travel, as they will feel safer in a car, plane, or hotel room if they already see the crate as their familiar den. It’s easy to train a dog to love their crate, especially if you feed them in it. Make it comfortable with soft bedding and keep it open in a quiet area of the house, so the dog can utilize it when needed.

Natural food for a healthy life

Your dog needs to eat healthy food without additives. Period! Why? Because you need to pay attention to your pooch’s health. There is no hack that can turn things around if you fail to keep your pup healthy. Feeding your dog with natural food without additives such as the Ivory Coat brand dog food will make your life easier because you won’t have to worry about the ingredients and their quality. You can choose from turkey meat food, fish and salmon, dog’s favorite – chicken and even lamb. Stick to balanced and natural diet and your dog will be grateful.

Baby powder to eradicate the smell

Some dogs are simply stinky. It doesn’t matter how often you bathe them or if they spend most of their time indoors. And don’t bathe your dog ten times a month, please! Giving your dog a bath more than once a month will most certainly dry out their skin. However, there is something that you could do to stop the stink in between baths. Baby powder is the answer! Baby powder is safe for dogs and will leave your pooch smelling fresh and clean. Rub a handful or two into your dog’s fur, let it sit for a few minutes, and then brush it out. Voila, that’s it!

Playtime for hyperactive chewers

Some dogs love their toys for years and carry them around like a child carries a favorite teddy bear. Other dogs rip the head off the teddy bear two minutes after they get it. If the latter sounds like your dog, you have a destructive chewer. Finding dog toys tough enough to withstand heavy chewers isn’t easy, and it’s also expensive. Some dogs find sheer joy in the act of ripping a stuffed animal’s guts out, and that’s their goal for every toy they’re given. So instead of fighting that instinct, play into it. Purchase a hollow ball with holes in it and rip up some old t-shirts. Stuff the rags into the ball and let your dog go to town pulling it all apart. When they’re done, you put the rags back in, and the fun starts all over again. It’s simple and quite economical!

Eradicating urine smell

Urine smell is simply put awful. Therefore, learning how to get rid of it is a must. And that’s where baking soda and vinegar come in handy! Soak up the urine with a paper towel, spray the stain with a mixture of half vinegar and half baking soda solution, and let it soak in for 10 minutes. Then, absorb the excess moisture with a paper towel, sprinkle the spot with baking soda, and let it dry. Just keep pets away, as baking soda is toxic to dogs. Once dry, vacuum it up. Remember, dogs will eliminate where they smell their previous markings, so it’s very important to deodorize as well as clean to prevent repeat accidents. That said, you can also prevent your house from having a foul smell by training your dog to urinate outside the house in a designated place. However, if you are not able to get your pet to do so, you could always consider contacting a Dog Trainer Southampton or from your location to help you out in this matter.

Fleas issue

Do know that once those annoying fleas arrive, a full-on battle starts! First, you need to kill the adult fleas living on your dog. Going out and buying an expensive flea bath is always an option but there is something you already have in the house that could help. Dawn dish soap is tough on grease, and it’s even tougher on fleas. It effectively kills fleas while being completely safe for your dog. Once you give your dog the Dawn treatment, go ahead with your vet-prescribed flea medication.

Learn dog CPR!

Last but not least, we strongly advise you to learn how to do dog CPR. We aren’t saying that you’ll have to use that knowledge and we surely aren’t hoping that you’ll need it but we advise you to learn it just in case that something bad happens. Knowing dog CPR could save your pet’s life. Keep instructions in an easily-accessible place, in case you need to access them quickly.

Remember that owning a dog is a major responsibility! Take good care of your pooch. In the end, you are most likely its number one priority. There is no person more important to your pooch than you yourself.