Bringing a cute puppy into your home is a great joy that only a person who does that can experience. These dogs provide you with a very sincere relationship which you cannot get anywhere else in the world. There can be two situations after bringing in a dog and one of them is that your kids and family may get hours of entertainment, pure love, and lots of fun with that dog.

The other situation is a little embarrassing because your dog can also bring destruction, chaos, and discipline problems to your house. To ensure that you always have the first situation with your dog, you need to train your dog accordingly and make sure that he has the proper manners to live with humans. Breeding plays an important role but another very important factor is the training that your dog gets. Training can make even an ill-mannered dog mannered and similarly, bad training can always invoke the internal animal instincts of your dog.

An adult dog’s personality is based on the things which he or she learns in his early puppy days. This means that it is very important for you to take special care of your dog when he is a puppy. In this EBook, you will learn everything which can help you in training your dog and making him a good and in fact best friend of yours.

The age of the dog also matters because if you receive a dog in his very early days then, he will have more scope of learning while if you receive a dog that is quite older and has already learned some basic skills then, you need to make sure that he enhances those good skills and if he has any bad manners then, he should get rid of them as soon as possible.

Health and Nutrition

Your dog has special nutritional needs and in this chapter, you will come to know all about those needs.

• Protein and amino acids
• Fats and fatty acids for dogs
• Energy needs of your dog
• Minerals for your dog
• Weight of your dog

Nutrition Dogs need some special nutrition to survive and be healthy. There are so many things that you need to include in your dog’s diet. Following are the essential elements that you must include in your dog’s diet.

Protein and Amino Acids

Proteins are necessary for dogs more than they are necessary for humans. There are ten essential amino acids that dietary proteins contain. These amino acids provide some very essential building blocks for lots of biological compounds.

These amino acids are essential for dogs because they cannot create any of these on their own. These amino acids also donate carbon chains which are needed to construct glucose chains. High-quality proteins contain a well-balanced amount of these amino acids and you must provide your dog with that protein.

Dogs also have very strong selection criteria for their food and it is said that dogs are known to reject or accept a specific diet that contains their essential elements. This selection can be made through internal biological needs or it can be just due to taste but most of the time this selection is triggered by internal needs.

Fats and Fatty Acids for Dogs

Dietary fats which are mostly derived from animal fat and seed oil provide a very strong source of energy and they also provide some very healthy fats which are used to store insoluble vitamins in the body. Food fat also provides a very important role in cell structure and functionality. Fat in food is also a guarantee that your dog’s skin and texture will remain healthy and glowing.

If your dog’s diet is low in fat then, it will make their hair very dry and dull and their skin will also become very weak and open to different infections. Deficiency in omega-3 essential fatty acids can lead to vision problems and your dog can go through several other very dangerous infections and problems. In order to make it healthy for your dog, you should include some essential fats in his diet.

Energy Needs of Your Dog

Energy needs vary from breed to breed and they also vary according to the dog’s age and activities. If you have a habit of playing with your dog and taking him to exercise then, the energy needs will be different. Normally a growing puppy will need twice as many body calories per pound of its body weight.

You need to start feeding your dog after 4 weeks of their birth because at that age mother’s milk is not sufficient for his energy and growing needs. If you have an older dog at home then, you must know that due to less physical activity they do not need a normal amount of food. Normally they will need 20 percent fewer calories than normal middle-aged adult dogs.

Minerals for Your Dog

Minerals are essential for the strong bones and teeth of your dog. If your dog lacks these minerals in his diet then, it will make him weaker and he will not be that much active. Potassium, magnesium, and sodium are necessary for a dog's diet can either contain too many minerals or they can suffer from a deficiency of minerals but it is truly on the owner that they need to make sure that minerals are sufficient and enough for their dog. Excess calcium and magnesium can cause skeleton abnormalities in growing puppies.

Weight of Your Dog

There are signs which can tell you the exact weight of your dog and you can know whether your dog is overweight, underweight or weight is ideal. If you can see the ribs, and vertebrates of your dog and feel no fat on the bones then, you must know that your dog is underweight and you should try to improve his diet.

Ideal dog weight is when you can easily feel the ribs of your dog and can see an abdominal curve from above. In this state, you should stick with the regular diet plan. If you are not able to feel the ribs of your dog then, you need to reduce his diet because your dog is overweight.

Excerpted from the book Dog Owner's Delight.

This excerpt has been edited and condensed for clarity.

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