Five ways to keep your dog healthy

As any pet owner knows, the secret to keeping your dog happy is to keep it healthy. Here are five easy steps to ensure that your dog remains, healthy, happy and full of life.

Exercise: All dogs need regular exercise. Depending on the type of dog this can be anything from a quick run around the block to two hour long walks. Talk to your vet to find out what they recommend for your dog breed.

Food: What you feed your dog and how much they need varies according to the breed of dog. Try to feed them a good quality, complete dog food (http://www.swellpets.co.uk/dog/dog-food-698.html); whether this is dry or canned or a mixture of the two is entirely down to personal preference. Brands to look out for include IAMS, Eukanuba, Royal Canin and Baker抯 Dog food. Ensure that whatever food you use, that your dog always has access to clean water.

Veterinary care: Find a vet you can trust and visit them regularly. Ensure your dog is micro chipped in case it gets lost and keep their boosters up to date.

Play: In the wild dogs play with each other to strengthen the social bond. A dog that isn抰 bored is also less likely to chew furniture and be destructive. Any shop with a decent amount of pet supplies will stock chew toys, balls and tugging toys, get a few and see which your pet prefers as no two dogs are the same.

Clean and comfortable: A clean dog is a happy dog. If you have access to the sea or a river, encourage them to swim. Don抰 be tempted to bath your dog too often as this will dry out their skin. A bath once every two months should be fine with a dog shampoo. Regular brushing is much more important and also helps bonding with your pet. At the end of the day make sure your dog has a clean, dry, adequately sized dog bed (http://www.swellpets.co.uk/dog/dog-beds-1123.html)to sleep in.