The Complete Dog Care Guide
Bringing a dog into your home is one of the most rewarding decisions you can make — and one of the most demanding. Dogs need consistent nutrition, appropriate exercise, preventive veterinary care, mental stimulation, and clear communication to thrive. This guide covers every major area of dog care in practical detail, whether you are a first-time owner preparing for a new dog or an experienced owner looking to improve your approach.
Dog Nutrition: What Your Dog Should Eat
Nutrition is the foundation of every aspect of your dog's health — their energy, coat condition, immune system, joint health, and longevity are all substantially shaped by what they eat every day. Getting it right is not complicated, but it requires understanding a few key principles.
Life-stage feeding matters enormously. Puppies need higher protein, fat, calcium, and phosphorus than adult dogs to support rapid growth and development. Adult dogs need a maintenance formula appropriate to their size and activity level. Senior dogs often benefit from reduced calories, increased fibre, and joint-supporting ingredients as metabolism slows and activity decreases. Using a puppy food for an adult dog, or vice versa, creates nutritional mismatches that accumulate over time.
Reading dog food labels gives you the most direct insight into what your dog is actually eating. Look for a named meat protein as the first ingredient — chicken, beef, salmon, lamb. "Meat meal" or "animal digest" are lower-quality protein sources. Avoid foods where the first ingredient is a grain or where the protein sources are unnamed ("animal by-products" without specification). Guaranteed analysis panels show minimum protein and fat percentages and maximum moisture and fibre — these are useful for comparison but not the complete picture.
Wet vs dry food is a genuine choice with trade-offs. Dry kibble is convenient, calorically dense, and has the advantage of supporting dental abrasion. Wet food typically has higher moisture content (important for kidney health and hydration, especially in hot weather or for dogs that don't drink enough), higher palatability, and lower carbohydrate content. Many owners feed a combination. Neither format is definitively superior — the ingredient quality within each matters more than the format itself.
Portion control is critical and frequently underestimated. The feeding guidelines on dog food packaging are often overestimates designed to maximise food consumption. A better approach is to start with the suggested amount, monitor your dog's body condition (you should be able to feel but not visibly see their ribs), and adjust up or down accordingly. Treats should make up no more than 10% of total daily caloric intake.
Foods that are toxic to dogs include grapes and raisins (can cause kidney failure even in small amounts), onions and garlic (damage red blood cells causing haemolytic anaemia), xylitol (an artificial sweetener in many human foods that causes dangerous insulin release), chocolate (theobromine toxicity), macadamia nuts, and alcohol. Keep these away from your dog entirely. For safe fruits like blueberries and watermelon, see the guides to whether dogs can eat blueberries and whether dogs can eat watermelon for portion guidance.
Fresh water should always be available. Dogs need more water than most owners realise — approximately 50–60 ml per kilogram of body weight per day, more in hot weather or after exercise. Change water daily and wash water bowls at least twice a week to prevent biofilm buildup.
Dog Training Basics
Training is not just about making your dog obedient — it is one of the primary ways you communicate with your dog, build mutual trust, and provide the mental stimulation dogs need to be psychologically healthy. Undertrained dogs are frequently frustrated, destructive, and anxious. Well-trained dogs are calmer, safer, and generally happier.
Why training should start early is straightforward: the earlier you establish communication patterns and expectations, the more reliably they persist. Puppies can begin learning basic commands from 8 weeks of age. Their attention spans are short — 3 to 5 minute sessions are ideal early on — but their capacity to learn is high. The common belief that "you can't teach an old dog new tricks" is false; adult dogs can learn new behaviours at any age, though established habits require more consistent reinforcement to change.
The 5 fundamental commands every dog should know are sit, stay, come (recall), down, and leave it. These are not just party tricks — they are safety behaviours. A reliable recall can prevent your dog from running into traffic. A solid "leave it" can stop them from eating something toxic. A reliable "stay" keeps them calm in busy or stressful situations. For detailed step-by-step instruction on teaching these, see the dog training for beginners guide.
Positive reinforcement is the evidence-backed method for dog training: desired behaviours are immediately rewarded with something the dog values (food treats, play, verbal praise), making them more likely to repeat. Punishment-based training — shouting, leash corrections, dominance techniques — is both less effective and more harmful, creating fear, confusion, and increased aggression in some dogs. Reward-based training works faster, builds a stronger bond, and produces dogs that are engaged rather than fearful.
Consistency across all household members is one of the most common failure points in home training. If one person allows the dog on furniture while another corrects them for it, the dog cannot learn a reliable rule. All family members must use the same commands, the same reward timing, and the same boundaries. Inconsistency creates a dog that tests every person differently.
When to hire a professional is worth considering for dogs with significant behaviour problems — aggression, severe anxiety, resource guarding, or any behaviour that poses a safety risk. A force-free certified trainer or veterinary behaviourist can assess root causes and create a behaviour modification programme that home training alone cannot replicate. Early intervention is significantly easier than addressing entrenched problem behaviours.
Dog Health and Vaccinations
Preventive veterinary care is the most cost-effective investment you can make in your dog's long-term health. Regular check-ups catch problems early, vaccinations prevent serious diseases, and preventive treatments avoid issues that are expensive and painful to treat once they develop.
Core vaccines for dogs in most countries include distemper, parvovirus, hepatitis (adenovirus), and rabies where legally required. These protect against diseases that were historically major causes of death in dogs and remain present in the environment. Non-core vaccines — leptospirosis, kennel cough (Bordetella), Lyme disease — are recommended based on your dog's lifestyle and geographic risk. Your vet will advise on the appropriate schedule for your specific dog and location.
Vaccination schedules start at 6–8 weeks for puppies, with a series of boosters every 2–4 weeks until 16 weeks. After the puppy series, boosters are typically given at 1 year, then at 1–3 year intervals depending on the vaccine and local regulations. Titre testing is an alternative that measures actual antibody levels to determine whether a booster is needed rather than giving vaccines on a fixed schedule.
Annual or biannual health checks allow your vet to examine your dog's weight, teeth, joints, skin, eyes, ears, heart, and abdomen. Many conditions — dental disease, early kidney disease, hypothyroidism, heart murmurs — are detectable in physical examination well before clinical signs appear. Catching problems early means simpler, cheaper, less invasive treatment and better outcomes.
Dental health is one of the most neglected areas of dog care. By age 3, approximately 80% of dogs have some degree of periodontal disease. Bacteria from infected gums travel via the bloodstream and damage the kidneys, liver, and heart over time. Daily toothbrushing with dog-specific toothpaste is the gold standard. Dental chews, water additives, and dental diets have some evidence of benefit. Professional dental cleaning under anaesthesia is needed when calculus buildup has progressed beyond what home care can address.
Parasite prevention should cover fleas, ticks, and intestinal worms year-round in most climates, and heartworm in regions where it is prevalent. The best products for your dog depend on their health status, size, and local parasite burden — ask your vet for specific recommendations rather than choosing products based on marketing alone.
Dog Grooming
Grooming is not purely cosmetic — it is a health practice. Regular brushing prevents painful matting, allows you to find lumps, cuts, and skin abnormalities early, and maintains coat health. The right grooming routine depends heavily on your dog's coat type.
Brushing frequency by coat type varies widely. Short-coated dogs like Beagles and Labrador Retrievers need brushing once or twice a week to remove dead hair and distribute skin oils. Medium-coated dogs with some length require brushing 2–3 times weekly. Long-coated dogs — Golden Retrievers, Collies, Afghan Hounds — need daily brushing or they will mat severely. Double-coated breeds like Huskies and German Shepherds blow coat seasonally and require intensive deshedding brushing during those periods. Never shave a double-coated dog's coat as it disrupts the thermal regulation function of the double coat.
Bathing frequency should be once every 4–8 weeks for most dogs, depending on lifestyle, coat type, and skin condition. Bathing too frequently strips natural oils and can cause dry, irritated skin. Use a dog-specific shampoo with a pH appropriate for canine skin (human shampoo is too acidic). Rinse thoroughly — residue causes skin irritation. Always brush before bathing to remove existing tangles, as water sets mats tighter.
Nail trimming is necessary every 3–4 weeks for most dogs. Nails that are too long push the toes out of alignment, creating discomfort and long-term joint problems. The quick — the blood vessel and nerve inside the nail — must be avoided when trimming. In light-coloured nails the quick is visible as a pink line; in dark nails you must work in small increments and watch for a chalky white or pink circle appearing at the cut surface indicating you are near the quick. If you cut the quick and it bleeds, styptic powder stops the bleeding immediately.
Ear cleaning should be done monthly for most dogs, more frequently for floppy-eared breeds prone to infection (Cocker Spaniels, Basset Hounds). Use a veterinarian-approved ear cleaner, apply it to the ear canal, massage the base of the ear to loosen debris, then allow the dog to shake and wipe away what comes out with a cotton ball. Never insert cotton buds deep into the ear canal.
Exercise and Mental Stimulation
Exercise is one area where many owners either significantly under-deliver or, less commonly, over-do it for their dog's specific needs. Getting this right is central to your dog's physical health and behavioural stability.
Exercise needs by size and breed vary dramatically. A Border Collie working dog needs 2+ hours of vigorous daily exercise to be mentally and physically satisfied. A Basset Hound needs 30–45 minutes. A Greyhound — counterintuitively, given their speed — is a sprint dog that is content with moderate daily walks and long indoor rest periods. Understanding your breed's working origins helps predict their exercise requirements: herding dogs, hunting dogs, and working breeds need substantially more than companion breeds.
Life stage adjustments are essential. Puppy bones and joints are still developing — puppies should not do high-impact exercise like jumping, long runs, or intense fetch sessions until growth plates close (varies by breed but typically 12–18 months). The standard guidance is 5 minutes of exercise per month of age, twice daily for puppies. Senior dogs need gentler, shorter exercise as joint disease and cardiovascular capacity change with age, but maintaining some daily movement is still vital for their health.
Mental stimulation is as important as physical exercise and is frequently overlooked. A tired body does not equal a tired mind. Dogs that are physically exercised but mentally understimulated often develop problem behaviours — destructive chewing, excessive barking, repetitive behaviours. Puzzle feeders that require the dog to work for their food, scent work games, training sessions, and social play all engage cognitive function that physical exercise alone does not address. For a dog with high mental stimulation needs and difficulty with separation anxiety, enrichment activities before you leave can significantly reduce distress behaviour.
Signs of under-exercise include hyperactivity indoors, destructive behaviour, excessive barking, inability to settle, and seeking attention relentlessly. Signs of over-exercise in puppies and senior dogs include limping after activity, reluctance to exercise, soreness, and joint swelling. If you are unsure whether your dog's exercise level is appropriate, your vet can assess their body condition and joint health and advise.
Common Health Issues in Dogs
Understanding the health conditions most likely to affect your dog — whether by breed, size, or age — allows you to monitor for early signs and act promptly when something changes.
Obesity is the most prevalent preventable health problem in domestic dogs. Current estimates suggest between 25% and 40% of dogs in Western countries are overweight or obese. Excess weight shortens lifespan by an average of 1.8 years, accelerates joint disease, worsens breathing problems in brachycephalic breeds, increases cancer risk, and contributes to diabetes and cardiovascular stress. Weight loss in dogs requires reducing caloric intake, increasing exercise, and often identifying and eliminating hidden calorie sources (too many treats, supplemental scraps). Your vet can calculate a target weight and daily caloric goal.
Joint disease — primarily osteoarthritis and hip and elbow dysplasia — affects a significant proportion of dogs, particularly large breeds. Early signs include reluctance to jump, slower morning starts, and favouring one leg. Management includes weight maintenance (most impactful single intervention), appropriate low-impact exercise, omega-3 supplementation, joint supplements (glucosamine, chondroitin — evidence is moderate), and veterinary pain management when needed. Advanced cases benefit from prescription anti-inflammatory medications and physiotherapy.
Skin allergies and ear infections are common, often related, and frequently frustrating to manage. Environmental allergies (atopy), food allergies, and contact allergies all present with itching, skin redness, hot spots, recurrent ear infections, and paw licking. Identifying the allergen through elimination diet trials or allergy testing, combined with appropriate veterinary management (medicated shampoos, antihistamines, immunotherapy, or prescription medications), is necessary for effective long-term control.
Emergency signs that require immediate veterinary attention include: difficulty breathing or choking; bloating or distended abdomen with unproductive retching (possible bloat/GDV — a life-threatening emergency in large breeds); collapse or extreme weakness; seizures; suspected poisoning (ingestion of grapes, xylitol, chocolate, or other toxins); severe bleeding that does not stop; eye injury or sudden blindness; inability to urinate; pale gums; and extreme lethargy or unresponsiveness. When in doubt, call your vet — it is always better to describe symptoms over the phone and be told it can wait than to wait and discover it could not.
Understanding Dog Behaviour
Dogs communicate constantly through body language, vocalisation, and behaviour. Learning to read these signals accurately prevents misunderstandings, builds trust, and makes training significantly more effective.
Socialisation is the process of exposing puppies to the full range of experiences, people, animals, sounds, and environments they will encounter as adults, during the critical window between 3 and 14 weeks. During this period, puppies form impressions that last a lifetime — positive, calm exposure to diverse stimuli creates a confident, adaptable adult dog. Restricted socialisation creates fearful, reactive dogs. Socialisation should be gradual, positive, and never overwhelming — one new experience at a time, with treats and encouragement. See the guide to puppy socialisation in the first 12 weeks for practical week-by-week guidance.
Reading body language correctly prevents unnecessary conflict. A relaxed dog has loose body posture, soft eyes, a neutral or slowly wagging tail held at mid-height, and a slightly open mouth. Stress signals include yawning, lip licking, looking away, lowered body posture, and a tail tucked toward the belly. These are calming or displacement signals indicating the dog feels uncomfortable — not disobedience. Escalation signals — stiff body, hard stare, hackles raised, weight shifted forward, growling — indicate a dog approaching its threshold. Recognising these early allows intervention before a bite occurs.
Separation anxiety is a specific anxiety disorder — not stubbornness or revenge behaviour — in which a dog experiences genuine panic when separated from their attachment person. Signs include destructive behaviour directed at exit points, excessive vocalisation, elimination indoors, and physical symptoms of distress on departure. Management involves graduated desensitisation to departures, enrichment before leaving, and in moderate to severe cases, veterinary behavioural support or medication. The full guide to dog separation anxiety covers assessment and management in detail.
Aggression has multiple types — fear aggression, territorial aggression, pain-induced aggression, resource guarding, redirected aggression — and each has different triggers and management strategies. Punishment-based responses to aggression almost always make it worse by suppressing warning signals without addressing the underlying cause. Any dog showing aggressive behaviour should be assessed by a veterinary behaviourist or certified applied animal behaviourist, particularly if there are children or vulnerable adults in the household.
Choosing the Right Vet for Your Dog
Your veterinarian is your most important partner in your dog's health. Building a good relationship with a vet you trust, before any emergency arises, is one of the most valuable things you can do as a dog owner.
What to look for in a vet practice includes: clear communication — you should always understand the diagnosis, treatment options, and reasoning; transparent pricing — you should be given cost estimates before procedures; a willingness to answer questions without making you feel rushed; and a team that treats both you and your dog with respect. The physical practice should be clean, well-organised, and have clearly visible RCVS or equivalent accreditation.
Questions to ask at your first appointment with a new dog include: What vaccination schedule do you recommend for this dog's lifestyle and location? What parasite prevention do you recommend? When should we schedule dental assessment? What signs should prompt me to call between appointments? What is your out-of-hours emergency protocol? The answers give you both practical information and a sense of the vet's communication style.
A preventive care schedule by life stage should include: puppy checks and vaccinations at 8, 12, and 16 weeks; spay/neuter discussion at 4–6 months; annual health checks in adult dogs; biannual checks from the senior threshold (which varies by size — see the dog lifespan guide for senior age thresholds); and dental assessment at every visit with professional cleaning when the vet recommends it.
Pet insurance is worth serious consideration, ideally taken out when the dog is young and before any conditions are diagnosed that would become pre-existing exclusions. The cost of a single serious illness or injury — a broken leg, an exploratory surgery, a prolonged illness requiring diagnostics and hospitalisation — can easily reach thousands of pounds or dollars. Insurance converts unpredictable large costs into manageable monthly premiums. Read policy terms carefully: annual limits, per-condition limits, and exclusions vary significantly between providers.
All veterinary content on Pretty Happy Pets is reviewed by a licensed veterinarian before publication. For more information on our review process and the vets who check our content for accuracy, see our veterinary review policy.
This guide covers the foundations of dog care. For specific topics, explore the full library in the dog care hub, where every guide is reviewed by a licensed veterinarian.
Disclaimer: This guide is for educational purposes only. Always consult a qualified veterinarian for medical advice specific to your dog's health, age, and breed.