Can You Answer These Questions Every Dog Owner Should Know?

Many states have laws about how old puppies can be before they are adopted. For most states, such as Arizona and California, puppies have to be at least eight weeks old.

You may think your dog loves those juicy, uncooked steaks sitting on your stove. However, in reality, those steaks could hold bacteria that may poison your dog.

A dog crate should be large enough for the dog to stand up and turn around. If your dog is still a puppy, it's best to buy a crate that can house the dog when it's fully grown.

Dogs should be trained in stages if you intend to take them running with you. As you start your exercise regiment, slowly increase the amount of time you spend running with them, and make sure you bring plenty of water.

Dog food can be checked for feed-grade ingredients. Feed-grade ingredients aren't suitable for human consumption, and ideally, you should avoid giving them to your dog as well.

A stormy day shouldn't keep a pet owner from helping their dog get exercise. When weather conditions are poor, they can try running their dog up and down the stairs or hide treats around the house and encourage the dog to search for them.

Broth can help a sick dog who is having trouble eating dry dog food. It not only makes the food soft and easy to digest, but it also tastes amazing and will be much more appealing.

A dog's coat is important to the dog's overall health. The hair protects the dog's skin but also serves to control the dog's body temperature.

Around 6.5 million animals are brought to the shelter each year. Of those animals, nearly 1.5 million are euthanized before they ever make it to a home.

The first year of owning a dog is the most expensive. Aside from dog food, much of the money goes into preparing your home for an animal and veterinarian​ costs.

Spaying your dog can help improve their overall health. The surgery not only reduces​ the dog's chances of catching a urine infection but also reduces their vulnerability to breast tumors.

One common problem with male dogs who aren't neutered is that they are constantly looking for a mate that's in heat. If the dog can smell a female, they will find creative ways to break away from your home to search the female dog out.

We all heard the stories of dogs who love to chase after the mailman. This behavior is ingrained into the biological makeup of a dog from their time in the wild, but as with most behavior, with proper training it can be harnessed and released in a more productive manner.

Dogs may bring fleas into your home, but once they're there, the fleas spread like wildfire. Fleas and their larvae live in rugs, carpet, beds and furniture, making them very difficult to remove.

Female dogs who are spayed will no longer go into heat. Without the ability to go into heat, other male dogs will stay away, and the female will go into urination frenzies less often, which is common with a dog in heat.

Ticks are parasites that feed on the blood of other animals. They attach to another animal's skin and can remain there for nearly two weeks sucking blood.

Lyme diseases can last up to five months after a dog is infected. The disease will cause a lack of energy in dogs as well as a fever and enlarged lymph nodes. The disease can be treated with antibiotics.

Dogs should be bathed in lukewarm water rather than hot water. One of the main reasons is their skin, which is much more sensitive, but large dogs are also prone to overheating.

Chocolate contains theobromine, a component that dogs have a hard time metabolizing. Theobromine can easily build up in a dog's body, causing tremors, seizures and eventually, a heart attack.

A dog's hair is quite different than that of a human. One of the main differences is the hair follicle: Where humans grow one hair per follicle, dogs grow multiple hairs in a single follicle.

Animals can develop several different types of mange, all of which are harmful. A few of the common types are demodectic, sarcoptic and cheyletiella.

Dog collars can be traced back to the ancient Greeks and Egyptians. In fact, Egypt was one of the first civilizations to create dog collars for decoration rather than for restraint.

Many owners believe that neutering a dog will cause the dog to gain weight. In fact, it's actually overfeeding and a lack of exercise that is causing the problem.

The parasitic mites that cause mange live under the dog's skin and can be hard to identify. These mites breed and spread the longer they are ignored and cause very intense pain.

Puppies have two rows of 14 teeth, which they lose by around the time they are five months old. When dogs reach adulthood, they have 42 teeth with 20 on the top and 22 on the bottom.

Though dogs are less likely to develop cavities, they are not immune to​ gum disease. In fact, the most common dental problem for dogs is periodontal disease, which destroys gum tissue.

An adult dog has four categories of teeth: incisors, canines, molars and premolars. Most of those teeth are molars, which they have 10 of, and premolars, which they have 16 of.

Depending on the breed, dogs have around 18 muscles in their ears. These muscles allow dogs to move their ears in various ways, which they use to express their mood. For example, raised ears mean​ the dog is alert.

An owner has to be careful when trimming a dog's nails because of how far out the quick extends. Accidental clipping a dog's quick can be painful, since they contain nerves and blood vessels.

Wild dogs are genetically designed to be den animals, which is where a training crate can be beneficial. If a dog is properly trained, they will treat the training crate as a home rather than as a prison.

Dogs should never feel pressured to have to use the restroom inside their crate. Using a crate as a restroom alters a dog's perception of a crate as a den.

Dogs should be comfortable and trust the safety of their crates. If a dog is skeptical about a crate at first, an owner can use treats or dog food to slowly integrate the dog with the crate.

Laws on tethering a dog vary from state to state. In some states, such as California, a dog cannot be tethered to any stationary object. Other states, like Connecticut, require owners to provide a certain amount of room for the dog to move around.

During the summer, an enclosed car can heat up very quickly, often within minutes, leaving animals overheated and dehydrated. In states like Wisconsin, a person can legally break a car window if a dog is left unattended in a car.

The best way to dispose of dog poop is to flush it down the toilet without the bag. This method helps keep public spaces clean as dog feces contains harmful bacteria.