Dogs can fall victim to a whole host of different health problems. For many of these problems, the veterinary industry has come up with a solution in the form of a medication. Remembering back to your childhood, you can probably find a time when you despised taking a medication and would fight as hard as you could to keep from taking it. Unfortunately, most dogs feel the same way about taking their medication.

Your technique will depend on the type of medication, or the form it comes in.

Pills and Capsules

Pills and capsules can be some of the hardest forms of medication to get your dog to swallow. Many veterinary pharmaceutical companies will flavor their canine medicine like meat, liver, and the like, but these flavors are often far from true and many dogs will be able to tell the difference. The idea is that a beef flavored pill will be something that your dog wants to eat, but this is rarely the case.

Many dog owners attempt to hide or disguise the pills in a dog's food, perhaps covering the pill with peanut butter and putting it in the bowl with the other food. This has often yielded results, but some dogs will still find the pill and spit it out.

Another option involves wrapping the pill up in a little ball of ground beef. By taking a small quantity of ground beef, squashing it flat, placing the pill in the middle and rolling the meat back over it, you create a delicious smelling and tasting little ball that your dog will not even need to taste. Occasionally a dog will still recognize the pill inside. In this case, the only option may be to hold your dogs mouth shut with a hand on top and on bottom of his muzzle. This will force him to swallow.

Liquid medicine

Medicines that must be given in an oral form can be just as difficult as pills. Usually a dog owner must measure out a very precise amount before attempting to squirt it into a dog's mouth with the help of a syringe. This type of medicine can often be mixed with food, but again, a dog may recognize that their food has medicine in it. Unlike a pill however, a liquid medicine cannot be spat out effectively.

Injections

Most medicines that require an injection fall within the realm of your veterinarian's job. For some of these medications, it might be necessary for you to bring him into the clinic to administer the injections. Some injections however do not require a veterinarian. These are usually known as subcutaneous injections, and are administered by lifting up the scruff of your dog's neck and injecting the medicine just under the skin.

Sprays

Sprays are perhaps the easiest medicines to give to your dog. It's easy enough to simply pull out the bottle and spray the medicine on the affected area. Most sprays tend to act very fast and get absorbed into the skin fairly quickly, however, knowing dogs, you still need to prevent him from licking the spray off. To prevent your dog from licking the medication, you might need to put a plastic cone around her his neck for some time.

Ear Drops

As a general rule, dogs hate ear drops. For that matter, most people do too. Seriously, who would enjoy the feeling of cold liquid running down their ear canal? Dogs are no different and once they understand what's happening, they will probably do their very best to wriggle out of your grasp. You can either straddle your dog from behind or get a family member to hold him down. Remember to hold your dog down for a while as most dogs will try to shake and get the drops out of their ears immediately.