Things Your Dog Should Be Doing Every Single Day

Ensuring your dog sticks to his or her regularly programmed schedule is important, but what, exactly, should they be doing every day and how often

Eating

It’s a no-brainer that your pup needs to eat every day, but determining the appropriate quantity of food is a bit more involved. While most high-quality dog foods have rough estimations for how much to give your dog every day, there are some additional factors—including breed, size, body type, life stage, activity level, and environmental conditions—to take into consideration when filling your dog’s food bowl.

Drinking water

Just like for humans, dogs should consume fresh water every single day and throughout the day. “As a general rule of thumb, dogs should consume one ounce of water per pound of body weight per day, and additional water intake may be required on excessively hot days or after excessive exercise,

Urinating

There’s a variance in how often your dog will urinate, but they should be going three to five times throughout the day. The amount usually correlates with the quality of food they’re eating and the amount of water they’re consuming. For example, dog food higher in salt or additives can stimulate your pet to drink more, therefore producing more urine, notes Winch. And if they consume a lot of water, they should also eliminate more.

Pooping

In general, most dogs will poop one to two times per day. That said, much of the same advice that applies to peeing also applies to how often your dog poops, and there’s a direct correlation between how much food is being consumed and the quality of said food. Devereaux explains that the higher the quality, the more nutrients are being absorbed which produces less waste. Conversely, if your dog is pooping too much it could be the result of poor-quality food.

Brushing its teeth

Though oral health often gets side-stepped when it comes to our fur companions, it’s extremely important. It’s also one of the easiest things you can do to promote their overall body health. “Without a routine dental care regiment, dogs run the risk of developing periodontal (gum) disease, which often causes gum infection, tooth pain and loss, and malnourishment,”

Exercising

“At a minimum, dogs should get 30 to 45 minutes of exercise every single day,” says Devereaux. “If you have an older dog with decreased stamina, an overweight dog trying to lose weight, or a large breed puppy still in its growing stage, it is best to break down the period of exercise into smaller intervals several times per day.”

https://www.rd.com/advice/pets/things-your-dog-should-do-daily/