Best tip for a healthy dog?

What's the best piece of advice you've received to ensure your dog is fit and healthy?

Reason I ask is that I've been reading this guide which include tips on spotting obesity, dieting and walking - and it got me thinking.

One thing I read in the guide that surprised me was that many vets recommend weighing out of pet food - is this something you do at home?

If you could recommend one tip for your dog to ensure they are healthy, what would it be?

Always weigh my dog's food. Always check ears,feet etc for anything that shouldnt be there after a walk. Get to know your dog's resting temperature. Apart from all that love them and get to know signs of what isn't usually there from day to day. Eg brushing/combing everyday.

Best tip it is to give him a good feed, and ofcourse you need to buy some vitamins, but before this you need to will consult with vet.

As Brenda says, take care wth food and exercise.
And make sure his medication, flea and worm at least, is kept up to date.

Games/activities that engage his intelligence is not a bad idea.

I'm working on a health-and-safety tip sheet. So far I have 3 main health tips:

1. Take your dog in for annual checkups. Vaccines are important, and your vet also will examine your dog for signs of oncoming health problems. Diseases are more easily prevented than cured.


2. Protect your dog from parasites. Some of the most common are fleas, ticks and heartworm. There are many more less common ones. It really depends on what area you live in, so be sure to ask your vet how to protect against them. There are some cheap flea repellents out there that don't work well and can irritate your dog's skin.


3. Watch for any changes in your dog's behavior. Temporary odd behaviors are to be expected from dogs, but anytime there's an unexplained depression or really negative change in behavior that persists for a significant time, something may have gone wrong with your dog's health. The course of caution is to take it to see the vet.

Feed the best food you can afford (of whichever variety whether that be dry complete, raw etc) and give appropriate exercise for the age and breed of dog and you will be well on the way to keeping your dog fit and healthy. I am a big believer in good genes being the most influencing factor though.