Essential care for dogs must take into account the dog's growth and development, physical and emotional health. For her faithfulness to you, your dog needs to be taken care of for just in the same way that you care for yourself. From general cleanliness, to grooming, to medical checkups, to dietary observations, these key components need to be observed to ensure that your dog stays healthy.

The most basic level of care that you need to observe is feeding, general cleaning and physical examinations. If you are a new dog owner, you might want to visit a veterinarian to advise you on how to feed your dog. Just in the same way that you do not always walk into a store and pick the first can of human food you find, you should not do the same for your dog. There are dietary requirements for feeding your dog whether it is balancing the diet to need for clean drinking water. You also need to get utensils where you will put the food for the dog to eat as well as to drink water. Storage of food is also very important, and you must take care to keep the food in a clean place and ensure it is fresh.

Moving on to cleaning the dog, you should look for a bath tub or some similar item where you can bath your dog. The other cleaning items you need include brushes and dryers. Then you need dog grooming supplies which include shampoo. Your dog's hair or fur will need shampoo for you to clean it effectively. As you bath the dog, brush is gently but thoroughly to remove dirt without causing injury. It is very important that you bath your dog regularly otherwise it will start itching and scratching which may cause infection. However, you should avoid bathing the dog too frequently as ironically; this has the same effect as not bathing. It will cause to drying of the skins due to removal of essential oils and cause skin irritation and risk of infection.

It is recommended that you conduct physical examination of your dog at least once a month. This procedure can be done each time you bath your dog provided you do it before and during bathing. As you bath your dog, running your hand can help you identify swellings and cuts. You can also observe how the dog behaves as you bath it. If you notice discomfort at certain parts of the body, take a closer look. Also remember to check the dog's feet and paws for any possible injury. Besides these routine examination times, should you notice the dog limping or seeming uncomfortable, do not ignore. Make sure to examine. If you notice scratches or minor injuries, clean, disinfect and if necessary, cover the place to prevent infection.

Every two to three months, take your dog to a veterinary office for checkup. While you may feel that these routine require for you to spend money. You will realize that you save in the long run by taking these preventive measures.