Things You Should Never Do With Your Dog

Dogs are the best friends we can have, and in many cases, the best company. They'll never judge us and will stay by our side no matter what, even defending us if needed.

That's why the least they deserve is for us to care for them and show them our affection, just as they do for us. Here are the things you should never do with your dog. Want to learn them? Let's go.

Humanizing Our Dog

We think treating it like a human or a baby will make things better for it, since we pay it more attention and care for it more. However, humanizing a dog is a serious mistake, since it doesn't feel comfortable in that situation.

A dog is a dog — not a baby or a small child. We should let it act and live like a dog: sleeping as much as it wants, playing, getting dirty, fetching a stick or a ball... But we should never dress it in clothes, carry it in our arms, or treat it like a baby.

Scolding It After the Fact

If we see our dog doing something wrong, we should simply correct its behavior right at that moment. This way, the dog will associate our getting its attention with doing something we don't want it to do.

That said, if we get home and our dog has knocked over the trash, chewed up furniture, or gotten into some mischief, we shouldn't scold it. Since we didn't do it in the moment, doing it later won't do any good (after the fact, as they say). It won't understand why we're scolding it.

Don't Humiliate It

Making it angry so it growls, dressing it up to laugh at it, or teaching it tricks to make other people laugh are all things that humiliate our dog. We're putting it through a situation it doesn't like and doesn't feel comfortable with.

Dogs can't talk, but they can easily sense our mood — the last thing they expect is for us to laugh at them.

Let It Be Friendly and Sociable

Humans are how we are — some more outgoing and friendly, others more shy or standoffish. But dogs aren't like that — by nature, they're very sociable and want to greet everyone.

Don't deprive your dog of that — properly socialize it from puppyhood and let it approach and greet other dogs. Let it play with them, and even greet other people, receive pets, and so on...

Don't Give It Dangerous Foods

There are many foods suitable for humans that can be very harmful for a dog's health, even dangerous. Chocolate, salt, or sugar are some very simple examples.

Yes, we all know dogs are always hungry, and often give us those pleading looks so we share whatever we're eating. But we're responsible for their health, which is why we should avoid giving them toxic foods.

Invest in Its Food

It's very tempting to look at the cheapest kibble options, saving a bit of money this way. But the truth is our dog's health depends heavily on the quality of its food.

We should be aware that cheaper kibble is generally cheaper because its quality is very low. We can find excellent-quality dog food at a very affordable price — we invite you to check out the best dog food brands.

On another note, if we don't want to use commercial food, we can always opt for the healthier option: making our dog's food ourselves. This type of homemade dog food is called the BARF diet, and it's very simple to prepare.

Get Vet Checkups

We humans only go to the doctor when something hurts or we feel unwell. But dogs can't express themselves and tell us they feel a bit off. That's why we shouldn't only take our dog to the vet when it's sick or due for a vaccine.

The ideal is to get at least two vet checkups a year to confirm it's in good health. These are simple, affordable checkups.

Don't Deprive It of Freedom

We don't know when the image of a dog living outside or tied to a chain with a doghouse came about. Dogs are very sociable animals that want to constantly be with their family — meaning us.

We should walk them and let them exercise, play, run, and socialize with other dogs and people. Keeping a dog always locked up or tied up is torture. A dog isn't a guard or an alarm system — it's another family member.

Don't Abandon It When It Needs You Most

Some people, when a dog gets old, gets sick, or simply shows inappropriate behavior, decide it's time to give up and/or abandon it. They deserve much more, and they'd never do anything like that to you.

An elderly dog needs much more affection due to its condition, the same as a sick one that'll need care and medication. A "bad" dog (with a bad habit) just needs a trainer or ethologist to help it change its behavior. Every dog deserves to be loved — don't abandon it when it needs you most.

Never Hit It

We can correct our dog when it does something wrong, so it understands we don't want it to do that. But we should always do it the right way, never using physical or verbal violence, under any circumstances.

If we hit our dog, we'll be causing it trauma and also encouraging aggressive, antisocial behavior. Over time, it'll end up becoming an aggressive dog, something undesirable and hard to correct.

Don't Use It as a Sled Puller

It seems fun to go on rollerblades or a scooter and have our dog pull us along using its leash. We might even think it's good for it, since it gets intense exercise.

But the truth is this behavior brutally wears down its joints and puts a lot of strain on its tendons, ligaments, and muscles. It's very likely it'll develop health problems in no time. Torn ligaments or dysplasia are some of the most common resulting conditions.

Let It Sniff Everything at Its Own Pace

Going for a walk and having our dog constantly stop to sniff everything can test our patience more often than we'd think. That said, a dog is a dog.

Dogs have the most developed sense of smell of any sense — they use it as a means of communication and gathering information. Let them sniff everything they want, at their own pace — the walk is their time, let them enjoy it and act like dogs.

Protect It From Heat and Cold

We think that since it has fur, it can handle everything, but that's not true. Keep it from getting wet if you go out on a rainy day (there are raincoats for dogs), and remember to dry it thoroughly once you get home.

On hot days, avoid walking it when the sun is strongest — even the ground could burn its little paws. You should also avoid letting it lie in the sun for long periods if it's very intense, since it could easily suffer heatstroke.