Dog Owners

What your dog needs, in the order it matters.

Six areas cover almost everything owners ask us about dogs. Each one is written the way we would explain it in a consult, with the reasoning left in so you can weigh it against your own dog rather than following it blindly.

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A golden retriever running along a sunlit beach with the sea behind it

01 / Diet

Feed for the life stage, then feed for the dog in front of you.

Nutrition arguments online are mostly about brands. The decisions that actually change outcomes are simpler and less interesting: the right life stage, the right portion, and a short list of things that must never be eaten.

Start with complete and balanced

The only claim on a bag that carries real weight is that the food is complete and balanced for a stated life stage, formulated to meet or tested against the AAFCO nutrient profiles. Everything else on the front of the bag is marketing.

Match the life stage on the label to your dog: growth, adult maintenance, or all life stages
Large-breed puppies need a growth formula with controlled calcium, which lowers the risk of developmental joint disease
A food that is complete needs no added vitamin or mineral supplement, and adding one can unbalance it

Portion by body condition, not by the bag

Feeding guides on packaging are population averages and routinely overfeed neutered, low-activity dogs. Score your dog instead: at an ideal weight you can feel the ribs under light pressure, see a waist from above, and see a tuck from the side.

Weigh food on a gram scale rather than scooping by volume
Aim for a body condition score of 4 or 5 out of 9 and re-score monthly
Adjust in small steps, around ten per cent, then wait two to three weeks before judging

Treats, chews and the ten per cent rule

Treats should stay under ten per cent of daily calories, with the rest coming from the complete diet. Training rewards can be pea-sized without losing any value to the dog, and part of the daily ration can be used as rewards instead of extra food.

Cut the meal down on days with heavy treat use
Green vegetables, plain cooked carrot and cucumber work as low-calorie rewards for most dogs
Skip cooked bones entirely: they splinter and cause obstruction and perforation

Foods that are genuinely dangerous

A short list causes most of the emergency calls. Keep all of these out of reach rather than out of sight, and treat any suspected ingestion as urgent rather than waiting for symptoms.

Xylitol, also sold as birch sugar, in gum, peanut butter and baked goods
Chocolate, coffee and anything else with caffeine
Grapes, raisins, sultanas and currants, in any quantity
Onion, garlic, leek and chive, raw or cooked
Macadamia nuts, alcohol, raw yeast dough and cannabis products

Change food slowly

Most food-related upset is caused by the speed of the change rather than the new food. Move across over about a week so the gut microbiome has time to adapt.

Days one to two, a quarter new food; days three to four, half; days five to six, three quarters
Hold at a step for longer if stools loosen rather than pressing on
Any change that has to be immediate for medical reasons should be supervised by your vet

Water, and one word on grain-free

Fresh water should be available at all times, in more than one place in multi-dog homes. On grain-free diets: the FDA has investigated a possible association between some legume-heavy grain-free foods and dilated cardiomyopathy, and the picture is still not settled.

There is no proven cause and no reason to panic if your dog is thriving
There is also no nutritional need for a grain-free diet unless a grain allergy has been diagnosed
If you feed one, raise it at your next check-up so heart health can be monitored

02 / Exercise

Movement, and the kind of tiredness that lasts.

The question is rarely whether a dog is getting out. It is whether the activity matches the animal, and whether any of it engages the nose, which is where most of a dog’s processing power sits.

How much is actually enough

Most healthy adult dogs need somewhere between thirty minutes and two hours of activity a day. Breed, age, coat and health push that range around far more than size does, and a working-bred dog in a flat needs the top of the range, not the bottom.

Split the total across at least two sessions rather than one long outing
Include a slow sniffing walk where the dog sets the pace and the route
Twenty minutes of scentwork tires most dogs more thoroughly than twenty minutes of fetch

Sniffing is exercise

Scent work engages a huge amount of a dog’s brain and produces the kind of tiredness that actually settles a dog afterwards. Repetitive ball throwing does the opposite for many dogs: it raises arousal and can leave them more reactive by evening.

Scatter part of a meal in long grass and let them work it out
Hide a favourite toy indoors and build up to searching several rooms
Use a long line in open space so sniffing is not cut short by a short lead

Heat, humidity and flat faces

Dogs cool themselves mainly by panting, which stops working well in humidity. Brachycephalic breeds such as bulldogs, pugs and French bulldogs have far less margin than other dogs and overheat at temperatures owners consider mild.

Walk early morning and late evening in warm weather
Test pavement with the back of your hand for seven seconds before walking on it
Heavy panting, brick-red or purple gums, staggering or vomiting means cool the dog and get veterinary help immediately

Rest around meals

Deep-chested breeds including great danes, standard poodles, weimaraners and setters carry an elevated risk of gastric dilatation-volvulus, a twisting of the stomach that is fatal without emergency surgery.

Avoid vigorous exercise for about an hour either side of a meal
Feed two or three smaller meals rather than one large one
A distended abdomen with unproductive retching is an immediate emergency

03 / Grooming

Coat, nails, ears and the part everybody skips.

Grooming is preventive medicine dressed up as maintenance. It is also how you notice lumps, sore ears and cracked pads early, which is worth more than the tidy finish.

Brushing by coat type

Coat type sets the schedule, not breed fashion. Matting is not cosmetic: it pulls on skin, traps moisture and hides sores until they are serious.

Smooth coats such as beagles and boxers, a rubber curry once a week
Double coats such as huskies and shepherds, two or three times a week and daily while blowing coat
Curly and wool coats such as poodles and doodles, line-brushed daily plus a professional groom every four to eight weeks
Wire coats such as terriers, hand-stripped rather than clipped where the coat texture matters

Nails, and the sound of them

If you can hear nails clicking on a hard floor when the dog is standing still, they are too long. Overlong nails rotate the toes and change how the whole limb loads, which shows up as stiffness long before anyone blames the nails.

Trim or file small amounts every three to four weeks
Take thin slices to stay clear of the quick, which recedes as the nail shortens
Do not forget dewclaws, which never wear down and can curl into the pad

Ears and eyes

Check ears weekly, especially in dogs with drop ears or those that swim. You are looking for the absence of anything: no odour, no redness, no discharge and no head shaking.

Dry ears thoroughly after swimming or bathing
Clean only the part you can see, never push cotton buds into the canal
Odour, dark discharge, head tilt or pain needs a vet, not a home remedy

Teeth are the part everyone skips

Periodontal disease is the most common diagnosis in adult dogs and it is largely preventable. Daily brushing is the only home measure with strong evidence behind it, and a minute is enough.

Use dog toothpaste only, human toothpaste contains fluoride and often xylitol
Build up over a fortnight: touch the muzzle, then lift the lip, then brush a few teeth
Look for chews and diets carrying the Veterinary Oral Health Council seal rather than marketing claims

Bathing, without stripping the coat

Most dogs need a bath somewhere between every four and twelve weeks, or when they are genuinely dirty. Over-bathing strips the coat and irritates skin, which then produces more odour rather than less.

Use a dog shampoo: canine skin sits at a different pH to ours
Rinse for twice as long as feels necessary, residue is a common cause of itching
Dry double coats to the skin, since damp undercoat causes hot spots

Handling comes before grooming

Most grooming struggles are consent problems rather than equipment problems. Teaching a dog that paws, ears and muzzle can be touched, and that they can end the session, makes every future groom and vet visit shorter.

Pair every new tool with food before it ever touches the dog
Work in sixty-second sessions and stop before the dog asks you to
Let the dog move away, then invite them back, rather than restraining

04 / Vaccinations

Core, risk-based, and how the timing actually works.

Vaccination schedules confuse people because two different things are happening at once: building initial protection in a puppy, and maintaining it in an adult. They follow different rules.

Core vaccines, for every dog

Current guidance from the WSAVA and AAHA treats a small set of vaccines as core because the diseases are severe, widespread, or a risk to people. Everything else is decided by where and how your dog lives.

Distemper virus
Canine adenovirus, which also covers infectious hepatitis
Canine parvovirus, still frequently fatal in unvaccinated puppies
Rabies, core wherever it is present and mandated by law

The puppy series and why the last dose matters

Antibodies from the mother protect a puppy early on, and also block the vaccine from working. Nobody knows exactly when a given puppy loses that maternal cover, which is why the series is repeated rather than given once.

Begin at six to eight weeks of age
Repeat every two to four weeks until the final dose
The final dose must fall at sixteen weeks of age or later
A booster follows at six or twelve months depending on your vet’s protocol

Risk-based vaccines

These are recommended on lifestyle and geography rather than by default. Discuss honestly where your dog actually goes, including boarding, daycare, grooming, hiking and swimming.

Leptospirosis, for dogs with access to standing water, wildlife or livestock, and a risk to people too
Bordetella and parainfluenza, for boarding, daycare, classes, grooming and shows
Canine influenza, where local outbreaks are recognised
Lyme disease, in areas with established tick populations

Adult boosters and titres

Modern core vaccines produce long-lasting immunity, and the era of automatically re-vaccinating everything every year is over for the core components. Rabies intervals are set by law rather than by preference.

Core boosters are typically given every three years in adult dogs
Leptospirosis and Bordetella need annual re-vaccination to hold protection
Antibody titre testing is an option for core vaccines if you would rather measure than assume
Keep the vaccination record itself: boarding, travel and insurance all ask for it

Socialising safely before the series finishes

The window for socialisation closes at around fourteen weeks, well before the vaccine course ends. Keeping a puppy indoors until fully covered trades an infection risk for a behavioural one, and behaviour problems are the more common reason dogs are rehomed.

Carry the puppy in public spaces to build exposure without ground contact
Use clean private gardens and homes of vaccinated, healthy adult dogs
Choose puppy classes that require proof of an in-progress vaccination series

What we can and cannot do here

A consult is the right place to build the schedule, weigh the risk-based options against how your dog actually lives, and prepare the questions worth asking. It is not the place the injection happens.

We map the timeline and flag anything overdue
We explain what each vaccine covers and what it does not
Administration and legal certification are done by your own veterinarian

05 / Activity by age

A puppy, an adult and a senior need three different days.

The same walk that builds an adult dog can damage a puppy and exhaust a senior. Match the load to the life stage rather than to the dog you had before.

Puppy
8 weeks to 12-18 months
Daily target
Short, frequent, low-impact
Growth plates are still open, and repetitive forced exercise on hard ground during this period is associated with joint problems later. Free play that the puppy controls is far safer than a run they cannot opt out of.
- A common guideline is five minutes of formal walking per month of age, twice a day
- No jogging, cycling alongside, or repeated jumping until growth plates close
- Training sessions of three to five minutes, several times a day
- Prioritise the socialisation window from three to fourteen weeks above distance
Adult
1 to 7 years
Daily target
30 minutes to 2 hours daily
This is where breed drive matters most. A retriever, a collie and a bulldog of the same weight need very different days, and the mismatch between drive and routine causes most of the behaviour problems we are asked about.
- Two or more sessions, at least one of them off-lead or on a long line
- Add structured work: scentwork, flirt pole, hoopers, canicross or gundog games
- Build fitness gradually before any long hike or weekend of activity
- Watch weight monthly, since a slow gain is easy to miss on a dog you see daily
Senior
7 years, or 6 for giant breeds
Daily target
Shorter and more often
The goal shifts from tiring the dog out to keeping joints moving and muscle on the frame. Osteoarthritis is present in a large proportion of older dogs and is usually mistaken for slowing down with age.
- Three or four walks of fifteen to twenty minutes beats one long one
- Favour soft, level footing and swimming over hard pavement and stairs
- Warm up with a slow first five minutes and watch for stiffness the next morning
- Ramps, rugs on slippery floors and raised bowls preserve independence

06 / Toys

Toys that promote real physical activity.

These are the categories we recommend most often, chosen because they produce movement rather than noise. Every one of them carries a caveat worth reading before you buy.

Flirt pole
Why it works
A pole, line and lure that produces short, controlled sprints and turns in a small space. It gives chase-driven dogs a legitimate outlet and doubles as impulse-control practice, since the lure only moves when the dog can stop and wait.
Watch for: Keep sessions under five minutes on soft, level ground, and skip it entirely for puppies and dogs with known joint issues.
Rolling treat dispensers and wobble feeders
Why it works
A weighted ball or cylinder that releases part of the ration as the dog pushes it around. Feeding this way turns a two-minute meal into fifteen minutes of movement and problem-solving, which suits high-energy dogs stuck indoors.
Watch for: Subtract what goes in from the daily ration so enrichment does not quietly become weight gain.
Ball launcher with solid rubber balls
Why it works
Covers ground quickly for dogs that genuinely love retrieving, and the extra distance means fewer throws for the same amount of work. Solid rubber holds up to repeated use and is easy to see in long grass.
Watch for: Tennis ball felt is abrasive and wears down enamel over years of use. Keep sessions short and throw along the ground rather than high, so the dog is not twisting mid-air to catch.
Bungee tug and rope tug
Why it works
Full-body pulling work that builds strength and, done with rules, teaches an excellent release cue. It is also one of the few games that makes you part of the fun rather than the person who throws things.
Watch for: Tug side to side rather than up and down, let the dog do the pulling, and retire ropes once they start shedding strands, which are a serious obstruction risk if swallowed.
Herding and push balls
Why it works
A hard ball too large to pick up, nosed and pushed around a garden. It satisfies chase and herding drive with no jumping or hard landings, which makes it one of the better options for dogs recovering fitness.
Watch for: Use a purpose-made hard ball, since a punctured exercise ball collapses and the fragments can be swallowed.
Snuffle mat and scatter feeding
Why it works
Fabric strips that hide kibble so the dog has to work for it standing and moving. It is low-impact activity that suits senior dogs, dogs on restricted exercise and anyone who needs to tire a dog out in bad weather.
Watch for: Wash regularly and supervise dogs who like to chew fabric rather than forage in it.
Floating retrieve toys
Why it works
Swimming is close to zero-impact and builds fitness fast, which makes it valuable for both athletic dogs and arthritic ones. A brightly coloured floating dummy or ring keeps the retrieve at the surface rather than encouraging deep dives.
Watch for: Fit a buoyancy aid on brachycephalic and heavy-chested breeds, rinse and dry ears afterwards, and never let a dog drink repeatedly from the water they are swimming in.
Durable rubber chews sized to the dog
Why it works
Chewing is self-soothing as well as physical work for the jaw, and a stuffed rubber chew turns rest time into an activity. Freezing the filling extends the session considerably.
Watch for: A toy should be too large to fit entirely into the back of the mouth, and anything cracked, chunked or small enough to swallow gets thrown away rather than saved.

Not sure which of these applies to your dog?

Bring the food label, a recent weight and sixty seconds of video, and a Pexpert will build the diet, exercise and grooming plan around your actual dog rather than the average one.