Dog Care & Training
YANR-0064 Revised August 2005. Bob Ebert, Extension Animal Scientist, Animal Sciences at Auburn University. Originally prepared by Harold Kjar, former Extension Veterinarian, and Deborah Stabler, former 4-H Specialist.
Dog Care & Training
The Dog Care and Training Project Is . . .
Dogs and young people just seem to belong together. There are times when your dog is your best friend. Your pet is happy when you’re happy, and your pet always seems ready to listen when you need to talk.
Owning a dog is a big job. The 4-H Dog Care and Training Project helps you learn to take care of a dog. Owning a dog means more than feeding it whenever you remember. A healthy dog should be fed at scheduled times. This means when you go out of town for a weekend campout or go for a week to Grandma’s, you have to find someone to feed and care for your pet. Sometimes this is not easy. Sometimes it may even mean that you cannot take your trip. But this is part of what you pledge to do when you own an animal.
To take part in this project, you or your family should either own a dog or you should be able to “borrow” one and be in charge of it for at least 3 months.
Things You’ll Learn
In the Dog Care and Training Project you’ll learn the history of dogs and how they work for man. You’ll learn how to choose the right dog for you and how to make sure your dog stays healthy. You have probably seen dogs who chase cars, bark at people, or run into the street and do not obey commands. This is dangerous for the dog and for other people, so obedience training is one of the first things you’ll learn.
Things You Can Do
Some of the things you can do are:
- Practice good grooming. Keep your pet free of odor, dirt, fleas, and ticks.
- Take your dog to a veterinarian to be vaccinated and dewormed. Learn about dog diseases and protect your pet against them.
- Show your dog in a county 4-H dog show or in other supervised shows.
- Teach your dog tricks. Use him or her to entertain friends or younger children.
- Keep records on all of your project activities.
In an encyclopedia or dog book or on the Internet, look up the kind of dog you have. If your dog is a mixed breed, find a picture or description that looks most like him or her. Use the book to complete the following story.
When you complete this activity sheet, see the Extension publication YANR-0067, “Dog Project Record Sheet.”
For more information, contact your county Extension office. Visit http://www.aces.edu/counties or look in your telephone directory under your county's name to find contact information.
Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work in agriculture and
home economics, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, and other related
acts, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Alabama
Cooperative Extension System (Alabama A&M University and Auburn
University) offers educational programs, materials, and equal
opportunity employment to all people without regard to race, color,
national origin, religion, sex, age, veteran status, or disability.
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