Dog Care Tips for Guide Dogs and Pet Dogs

September 26, 2014

This is Franz. He is my father’s guide dog from the Seeing Eye School for the Blind. Because guide dogs have to stay healthy and in shape to be able to work well and keep their owner safe, they often have stricter care guidelines. From my experience as a dog sitter, many owners aren’t aware of these guidelines, sometimes at the cost of their pet’s health. I thought I would share some of the tips my own guide dog adheres to to help your own dog stay healthy and happy.

*Feed them only one brand of dog food and no human food.

To keep your dog’s weight at a healthy level, keep their diet strictly to one brand of dog food, and don’t offer them human food, which can be very fattening to them. Dog treats are allowed occasionally and for training purposes, of course, and are healthier than offering human food as a treat. If you must change brands of dog food, slowly mix the new food in with the old food until the old food runs out. This will allow the dog’s stomach time to adjust to digesting different food without causing any stomach problems or indigestion. If you can touch the side of your dog and feel its ribs, the dog is at a healthy weight.

*Walk them on concrete often to keep nails short.

Concrete on sidewalks and streets acts as a nail file to a dog’s claws. My own dog requires his nails to be trimmed less often than other dogs because he stays by my father’s side on sidewalks, like in the picture, and is walked as often as my father leaves the house. This also keeps their paws from being too sharp and accidentally cutting you during playtime.

*Brush them on a weekly or daily basis.

Brushing them on a weekly basis gets them used to the more intense brushing they will need during their shedding period. When the seasons change, dogs will shed one season’s fur coat for another, either warmer or cooler, and some breeds shed more than others. Especially when your dog is shedding its winter coat to go into the hot summer, brushing your dog daily to get the excess fur out will help your dog stay cool and prevent heat exhaustion.

*Keep them on a strict bathroom schedule.

This is more for your convenience than theirs. If you train them to have a set time when they must do their business in your yard or other designated area, either right after eating or right before going for a walk, you keep them from constantly asking to go at random times during the day and from doing their business in a neighbor’s yard. My own dog’s schedule has him in our backyard four times a day, right after eating breakfast and dinner, around noon, and just before bedtime.

*During the winter and on sunny summer days, protect their paws with dog shoes.

Pet safe sidewalk snow salt exists, but not very many people buy it for their sidewalks. If you need to take your dog for a walk in the snow, it is a good idea to invest in dog shoes for them, to prevent salt from irritating the bottoms of their paws. On a similar note, dog shoes can also prevent their paws from burning on hot sidewalks and roads during the summer. Would you want to walk barefoot on concrete that has been in the sun for hours?