Taking care of your dog is by no means an easy task, especially when they are growing at such a rapid pace. Each and every stage of their life has different needs and requirements and adjusting that is very important if you want to successfully take care of your pooch.
In this blog, we will be looking at how one can take care of their canine friend through all the life stages. So without any delays, let us get straight into it!
1st Stage: Puppy Care
From the time the puppy is born till they are able to reproduce, they come under the puppy category. When at the puppy stage, your puppy needs a lot more attention and efforts by you. This is the most difficult stage because you will need to exert more energy in taking care of them.
At the initial stages, puppies will be craving for their mother’s milk for food, but after a few weeks, you will need to make the switch to puppy food. But remember, you do not have to feed them a lot. That’s because puppies eat very little, but the number of times a day will be many.
Moreover, the number of feedings per day will decrease as they grow older. For instance, if you are feeding them 6 times a day, that number will decrease over time. Also, the quantity per feeding will gradually increase, on the other hand.
As a puppy parent, the initial life stage is important to take care of their dental health. Their teeth needs proper care and its imperative you opt for proper dental health care products that will help keep their baby teeth in good condition.
Lastly, the best time to begin training for your canine is when they are in their infant stage. Puppies are quite intelligent and they grasp things very quickly. This is why if you want to potty-train or house train your buddy, the puppy stage is the best stage to begin.
Also, not to forget, make sure you get your canine vaccinated. It is very important to do so. Thus, get in touch with your local vet.
2nd Stage: Adult Care
When your puppy grows older and enters adulthood, that’s when you can relax a wee bit but you will still need to take good care of them. Moreover, just like in the infant stage, parasites are always on the lookout to seek a host particularly during a flea and tick season. As a result, make sure you are putting your buddy on a flea and tick preventative schedule.
When it comes to their feeding habits, their food intake will drastically increase. So the quantity will increase manifold, but the number of times per day will fall down to as low as twice per day.
It is not much of a change, but it is important to make these small changes in order to keep your buddy in top shape.
As your buddy grows older and reaches adulthood, they are very much capable to move and walk around. This is the time when you should start taking them for walks in the evening.
Each and every day, at least for 30 minutes, take your buddy for a walk. This will help get some physical activity for the both of you and will help you both in the long run.
Dental care will still need to be strictly followed and vet visits will also need to be done every once in a while. Moreover, it’s during the adult stage that you can begin breeding your pet. But make sure you get in touch with your vet and discuss everything beforehand.
3rd Stage: Senior Care
Seniorhood is just like puppyhood, especially in terms of taking care of your buddy. That’s because when your buddy enters seniorhood, he is back to being heavily dependent on you for care and affection.
The first sign you’ll notice of their seniorhood is their fragile limbs. You will see them becoming more lethargic and will encounter problems in the joints. To counter this, make sure you opt for joint care products such as Joint Guard to provide relief to their aching limbs.
And once they grow very old, their food intake will fall down heavily. But do not try and feed them too much food. Just give them enough to fill their bellies. It’s important to switch their diets because senior dogs need different nutrition.
Get in touch with your vet before you make any changes to your dog’s diet.
And lastly, increase the visits to the vet because your buddy will potentially face many problems due to aging and will require the vet’s attention more often than not.
So make it a point to visit the vet every now and then to help your buddy have a good senior life.
The bottom line is that each of your buddy’s three life stages necessitates different types of attention. As a pet parent, it is not easy but it is possible if you make the efforts.
And we’re sure you will excel in it because you love and adore your buddy and would do everything to keep them safe and happy.
