More than 50% of dogs in America are obese and this number is on the rise. Overweight dogs are at increased risk of metabolic abnormalities, cardiovascular disease, joint diseases, a lowered immune system, and many other health problems.

They also are less mobile and can’t run, play, or do other activities as much as they’d like. Do your pet a favor, feed them the amount recommended by their vet and don’t give in to those puppy dogs eyes when they ask for more!

It’s not pleasant to think about, but it’s crucial that you have a plan for your dog in place should anything happen to you. Make a list of important information about your dog’s lifestyle including how often they’re fed, how much they’re fed, medications, their vet’s phone number, etc.

Give copies of this to someone in your life that could take care of your dog in the case of an emergency. It’s also worth your time to ask around and make sure you have at least one or two people who live close-by that could help your dog on short notice.

When petting and playing with your dog, especially when they are young, intentionally play with their feet, ears, and mouth. By doing things like touching their feet, toes and nails during positive play experience, you will desensitize them to being touched in these areas when its time for nail trims.Looking in their ears and mouth and getting them used to being handled in this way will make it much easier for your vet to examine your dog when they go in for check ups. This will make your vet’s job easier, your pup will be less stressed during their exam, and your vet will be more likely to catch any abnormalities in the event that there is something wrong with your dog.

Many human foods, such as chocolate, avocados, or onions, are toxic to dogs and can have serious ramifications to their health. Keep human food out of reach and be especially careful with gum and candies, as many contain xylitol which is a sugar-like substance toxic to dogs.Don’t feed your dog human foods on purpose unless recommended by your veterinarian. Some human foods, like plain chicken, canned pumpkin, or plain rice may be recommended intentionally by your vet for specific reasons such as digestive upset, diarrhea, to help hide oral medication or as highly motivating training treats in small quantities. In these instances “human food” may be appropriate for your dog, but they certainly don’t need to lick your dinner plate clean or eat your leftovers.

Lots of exercise helps burn off excess energy, which, if unattended, could cause behavioral problems, such as chewing, digging, or excess barking. Make sure you walk your dog. Your dog should go on at least two small walks or one BIG walk a day. The length of these walks varies depending on the type of dog you have.

No one wants their dog to run away. If you have a yard and you allow your dog to be outside by itself make sure you have a fence in your yard so the dog can't run away. Make sure it's tall enough for your dog not to jump over the fence.

Most dogs enjoy the one-to-one attention of a training session and these sessions help the dog to bond with you. If you use reward-based training, in which only correct behavior is rewarded and no punishment is used, the experience of training will be a very happy and positive one for your pup.

Give your dog a reward each time it obeys your command. You can use small treats (remembering not to over feed your dog) or you can simply shower the dog with love when it does something correctly. The choice of reward depends on what motivates your specific dog.

If you got the dog as an adult then still introduce it to different experiences. Take care not to overwhelm the dog and make it fearful if it is not comfortable. This requires patient handling whereby you introduce the dog to the fearful object, but at sufficient distance that it does not alarm the dog. Reward calm behavior and, over time, move the object closer, rewarding as you go, so it starts to build a positive association with the object.

For example, scent hounds, such as Bassets and Bloodhounds, love to follow scent. Make sure you give your dog time to sniff its environment. You may even wish to turn this into a game where you lay a scent trail and it gets to follow it.

This will help assure that your dog will make it home if it gets lost or separated from you. Different states have different legislation regarding dog ownership. The local animal shelter or veterinarian is a good place to ask for a list of what you need to do to register the pet and whether it is necessary the pet wears a collar and tag at all times. Be aware that certain cities have restrictions on owning so-called "dangerous" dog breeds such as pit bulls or certain guarding breeds.

Never punish with physical force, or demean the dog in any way. This includes giving the dog a respectful name, rather than a name such as "Psycho" or "Killer," which could influence how other people act towards it.

If the dog misbehaves, always review what happened and ask how your actions or inactions may have contributed to his misdemeanor.

For example, your dog needs the chance to go to the toilet regularly without soiling the house or itself. It is inhumane to keep a dog cooped up in a kennel for hours on end without human contact or the chance to relieve itself.

Leaving a dog outside on hot summer days or cold winter days without proper protection from the weather can injure, or kill, it. It is best to keep your dog inside during extreme weather but if you can't, make sure your dog has access to a good dog house and lots of water.