by Joe Wrighter

Created on: February 14, 2009

As owner and master of your dog, it is your responsibility to keep it in good health. An appropriate diet, habitual exercise and grooming, and regular check-ups at the veterinarian will go a long way towards keeping your dog in top health. It's also vital for you to become familiar with your dog's habits, such as eating, drinking, and sleeping. Sometimes a disparity in those habits can be a sign that he or she isn't feeling well.

It is very important to know the signs of good health on a dog, as well as the signs of bad health. Healthy skin, for instance, should be flexible and smooth. Scabs, growths or flakiness are bad signs and should be checked. When it comes to the coat, dandruff and bald spots are things to look out for. The coat should be glossy and supple. A dog's eyes should be shiny and bright at all times. If they have excess mucus or cloudiness, that could be trouble. The whites of the eyes should also not be yellowish. The ears should not have excess wax or redness. And the nose is supposed to be cool and moist. If it gets hot or the dog begins to discharge yellowish or foul smelling substances, it should be taken to see a vet immediately.

Nutrition and feeding your dog can be a complicated subject and many of us are not completely aware what is best for our pets. Modern dogs prefer flavored feeds. Keeping this in mind, professional pet nutritionists are producing good-tasting food that comes in diverse forms and variety. The also tends to be equally good. Dogs are essentially carnivores and their teeth are designed to rip food apart into chunks, and not to pulverize it. Their stomachs are made to absorb those chunks. For most dogs, a vegetable diet will be insufficient. Once in a while, almost every dog needs meat or the associated proteins to prevent nutritional deficiencies.

Animals also require energy, which in turn gives them heat. They also use energy to power movement, for muscle growth and repair and to keep them going in their activities. Thus, they need to be given foods that supply energy. This encompasses an acceptable combination of carbohydrates, fats and proteins (similar to healthy human diet) and adequate intake of micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals. In fact, many manufacturers now make dog vitamins that are designed to supply all the necessary supplements that active pups need.

Many people may not realize it, but grooming your dog is another important part of ownership. By grooming your dog you are performing a couple of essential functions. The first, of course, is to keep him or her looking and smelling good. This is good for the health and welfare of any dog, just like proper grooming is important for people. And the second is by grooming him every day you are letting him or her know tenderly that you are the person in charge and he or she must respect and submit to you.

Grooming is a process, but it is not too difficult and can be enjoyed both by the owner and the furry canine. People that own long coated breeds need to make sure they set aside enough time to do a complete job. For example, the show trim poodle requires a few weeks of very hard work. Even many short coated breeds should be groomed on a daily basis to preserve the dog's skin and coat in good quality condition. Fortunately, you don't have to be an expert to groom your own dog. All you need is some basic grooming information and the right tools basically a hair brush and nail clippers

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