New Year’s Resolutions for Pet Parents

The beginning of a new year is the perfect time to reprioritize and set new goals. If you’re the proud pet parent of a furry friend, consider them when planning your new years resolutions this year. Whether you want to focus more on your dogs health or make an attempt to become more adventurous, there are plenty of ways you can step up your dog mom (or dad) skills this year. Today, I’m sharing 6 New Year’s resolutions for pet parents. 

1. Focus on Dental Health

Did you know that by age three over 80% of dogs show signs of dental disease? Brushing your dogs teeth is not commonly discussed when it comes to the daily tasks of dog ownership, despite it being one of the most important. Just like you brush your own teeth daily, the same rule should apply to your dog. Prioritizing your dogs dental health will cut down on gum disease, plaque build up, and stinky dog breath. 

If you’ve been slacking on your dogs dental health game, make it a priority for the new year! Attempt to brush your pups teeth, using a dog toothbrush, multiple times a week and invest in some high quality chews such as bully sticks or dehydrated fish skins. You’ll save yourself thousands in dental bills in the future and kisses from your pup will become slightly more pleasant. 

2. Go on More Adventures!

Let’s face it, the Covid-19 pandemic has made most of us homebodies, and unfortunately our furry friends have suffered with us. Dogs need to get outside and experience the world in order to live a healthy and fulfilled life. Meeting new people and exploring new areas can be even better exercise for your dog than a mile long run! Dogs get bored too, and if you think your pup is suffering from doggy boredom, make going on adventures part of your New Year’s resolutions list. 

Anything from trips to a dog friendly store to hikes to full fledged vacations are great experiences for your dog! Not only are they great training opportunities, they are also great for socialization and exploration. 

3. Get Organized

The new year is the perfect time to purge our closets and deep clean our homes. While Marie Kondo-ing your house this year, don’t forget to include your dog supplies!

Here are just a few ways you can organize your dogs belongings this year:

• Throw out old, broken toys and expired treats
• Invest in storage bins for toys, treats and accessories
• Donate good quality toys, supplies, and accessories that you and your pup no longer use
• File all of your dogs medical and other important records into a folder or binder
• Ensure your dogs microchip and vaccine information is up to date

4. Check Your Pet’s Diet

One of the most common New Year’s resolutions that we see each year is the plan to eat a better, healthy diet. While this is a great resolution for people trying to enter a healthier lifestyle, it’s also an awesome resolution for your dog! 

A large majority of dog health issues are related to their diet. If you’ve noticed health issues with your pup such as excessive gas, itchy skin, or dirty ears, it might be time to switch to a healthier food choice. Research the pet food you’re currently feeding your dog and talk to your vet about the possibility of switching to a higher quality kibble, wet, raw, or homemade diet. 

If you’re confident your dogs food is the healthiest choice for them, then rethink the treats you give them or the amount of table scraps they get! Remember, health issues such as pancreatitis, allergies, and obesity are caused by a poor quality diet.

5. Learn New Tricks!

Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks? Dogs are incredibly smart animals and there’s always room for improvement when it comes to their obedience training or trick abilities. 

A perfect New Year’s resolution for pet parents is to focus on training with your furry friend! Practice new tricks such as roll over or work on obedience such as recall. You can also use the new year as an opportunity to break your dogs bad habits such as excessive barking or begging. With enough hard work and practice you can come out of 2022 with the most well behaved canine companion!

6. Get on Top of Their Health

Focusing on dental health and a high quality diet is just the beginning of getting on top of your dogs health. Make your dogs overall health a priority this year by getting them in for their annual vet exam, ensuring they’re up to date on necessary vaccines, and doing bloodwork if recommended by your vet. Being proactive is better than being reactive when it comes to our pets health. Some other things to consider when it comes to your dogs health this year include:

• Investing in pet insurance
• Keeping them on a flea/tick/and heart worm preventative
• Regular grooming and nail trims
• Daily walks and other forms of exercise
• Frequent snout to tail body exams to check for injuries, parasites (such as fleas or ticks), and anything else out of the ordinary

Prioritizing your dogs health and happiness this year will help your pet live a longer, fulfilled life. Remember, they depend on us to keep them healthy and happy. What are your pet parent related New Year’s resolutions for 2022?

This post contains affiliate links. All opinions are my own.