How Dog Owners Can Promote Pet and Family Health All Year Long

If you’re a St. Johns dog owner, then you already know how important it is to keep your pooch healthy all year long. And while part of keeping your dog healthy means taking them to the vet when they are sick, for checkups, and to get vaccinations, there are many other things that you can do to keep yourself healthy, your dog healthy, and the relationship between the two of you healthy.

• Invest in dog training. This may seem strange, but investing in dog training can help your dog learn to be more calm, reduce incidents of biting or playing too rough, and of causing the pet parent stress by finding ways to escape just for the fun of it. Dog training is the foundation for a stress-free pet parent, a happy pooch, and a strong bond between the two of you.
• Have playtime. As a pet parent it can be easy to get swept up in the chores and errands you have to get done every day, so much so in fact that you run out of time and aren’t able to play with your pooch. Taking your buddy for a walk isn’t enough to get his aggression, frustration, or energy to calm down. You’ll need to set aside five to 10 minutes every day to focus on play time. Don’t forget to add longer play period whenever possible so your dog can get the energy out of their system and feel more connected to you and people in general.
• Take breaks. You may feel obligated to never go on vacation without your pooch, but keeping a healthy mind and a healthy relationship with your dog may require time to yourself once in a while. Personal time is all about decompressing and you’re more likely to be a full functioning pet parent if you’ve had the time needed to relax without any responsibilities.

Remember, healthy dogs are less likely to cause trouble with the neighbors, so build the relationship with your dog healthy right from the start.