As a living, breathing animal, your puppy needs a certain amount of help from you to make sure that its needs are met. Sure, an adult dog in the wild can learn to take care of itself and see to its own needs, but puppies need the help of its litter, mother, pack, and so on – and you serve as all of the above when you have your own puppy. That means being aware of everything you need to do to properly look after your puppy, as failing to do so can endanger the health and well-being of your new friend. To that end, let’s look at three basic needs that every puppy has, including yours:

1. Food

Of course, like all animals, your puppy needs to eat. For those puppies between eight and twelve weeks old, they’ll need four meals a day, while you can cut that down to three meals a day between three and six months and two meals a day between six months and a year old. One meal a day is typically sufficient for dogs after they turn one.

2. Exercise

If your dog doesn’t use their body, then they’ll start to develop serious health problems. Aerobic exercise via running, playing, and so on is great for your dog, and something you should make sure he or she gets plenty of.

3. Grooming

It can seem like your dog is plenty clean; they have short hair, and it’s not like they particularly have a lot of body odor, right? Wrong! The truth is that your dog needs his hair cut to match the weather, as well as to be regularly washed and to have his nails clipped. Failing to properly groom your dog can mean hair everywhere, a dog smell filling your home, scratched up floors and furniture, and a dirty, potentially quite-unhealthy dog.

There’s more, but those are the big three! Make sure your puppy’s needs are met and all should be well.