How to Choose a Healthy Dog Food
Not all dog foods are created equal, and it's important to know what you're looking for before you buy one. Here are some tips on how to find a good dog food and understand what your dog is eating.
- To ensure the meat content is high, make sure that it occurs early in the ingredient list. Animal meal is a good source of protein, and should ideally be three of the first five ingredients.
- Avoid by-products, corn, and soy, as these are indigestible sources of protein. Wheat is a common allergen, so if your dog has problems with allergies you might avoid dog foods high in wheat.
- Low quality dog foods often list meat first, but then follow it with by-products and fillers. This may mean that there are more fillers than protein!
- Try holistic foods. Holistic foods are natural and nutritious. In order to use the term 'holistic' a dog food manufacturer must only use human-grade ingredients. If it's healthy enough for you to eat, then your dog can eat it, too!
- Preservatives are important to keep dog food from spoiling, but look for natural, rather than chemical, preservatives. Chemical preservatives are BHA, BHT, and Ethoxyquin. Vitamin E and C are natural preservatives.
- While dogs can survive on a vegetarian diet, it may not be optimal. Dogs need animal protein and are not naturally vegetarian.
Dogs Chew!!!
Chewing is a natural behavior that all dogs need to express. But every dog is different and a treat or toy that’s good for one dog may be dangerous for another.
Watch a dog or puppy the first time she gets anything new to chew. If she can tear the chew up, crack off chunks, or seems to be go through it too fast, take it away. This chew may not be right for her. If, however, she gnaws the ends of the chew, gradually wearing it down, the chew may be a good match.
Match the size of the treat to the size of your dog. A dog needs to be able to get his teeth around the chew, carry it, and hold it between his paws. Large dogs need chews that are big enough for them to enjoy for a while without the risk of swallowing them whole.
Dogs come in all sizes, but when it comes to chewing, size can be deceiving. While small dogs are often tougher chewers than big dogs, even a big dog that chews softly can get into trouble with a chew that’s too small. When a dog wears down her chew to a size that she could accidentally swallow, replace it.
Match the hardness of the chew with the strength of the dog’s jaws and the force with which he prefers to chew. If a dog always chews aggressively, look for chews that are easily digested, or for hard chews that won’t splinter, fracture or tear.
How To Walk A Dog
By Jenna B. McDonald,
Dog Trainer
Many people think that taking Fido out for his daily walk means he's going to drag you down the street, pausing to sniff and pee, taking a look at the world and everything in it as it goes by -- and that this is enough excerise for him.
The truth is, this kind of walk will only wind him up without giving him enough excerise, and teach him that the world is over-exciting and the person on the other end of the leash -- you -- can be ignored.
Here's my guide toward proper dog walking to excersize your dog's body and mind.
When walking a dog, there are certain things you want to accomplish.
The Guide Link
How to House Train Your Puppy
- Understand dog behavior – dogs do not know right from wrong. What they understand is safe and dangerous. When your puppy comes into your house he doesn’t understand that it is “bad” behavior to urinate on your carpet. We do this by catching your dog in the act. Punishing your dog after the behavior has occurred can confuse your dog, making the house training process much more difficult.