Nutrition is Important

If you have ever had food that made you have mood swings; your dog's food can be the reason for some behaviors such as barking, mood swings, restlessness, hot spots, compulsive disorders, aggression, hyperactivity, biting, as well.

Making sure that your dog has proper nutrition is important not only for a better behaved dog but also for the overall health and longer lasting life for your furrever friend. It is important to do your research and find out what diet is best for your dog. Typically a working breed, such as a German Shepherd, one with a higher energy will need a different diet from a lazier breed, like a pug. Make sure you know what your dog needs.

When you check the ingredients on your dog's food, a few things to look out for are: yeast, wheat, dairy, eggs, soy, corn, grapes and any additives and food dyes. These ingredients typically the cause of whatever allergy or food sensitivity that your dog may have.

There are many dog food companies out there, especially the big names, will tell you that the food they sell is nutritionally balanced for your dog. How do we know this is true? Check the ingredients list on the bag. The first five ingredients that you will see on the list will be the primary ingredients in your dogs food. Meat, or meat meal, e.g. chicken, chicken meal, should be the first ingredient. You want the meat to be identified speifically. If it says poultry or poultry meal, this can contain anything in your dog's food, including road kill. Avoid meat by-products at all cost if possible. This is loaded with all the "other" stuff rather than the muscle that is important for your do. By-products can be infested with diseases and or worms. So, if you feed your dog a food with by-products, you put your dog at risk.

Next, look out for too many grains. Not saying that is bad for your dog. It definitely is not. However, the more grains the more food your dog will need to eat to get his/her nutritional balance. The more grains in a food, the cheaper it is for the company to make. This is why this is an imporant thing to look out for.

Another thing, your dog should eat two to three times a day depending on your puppy's age. Typically puppies under 5 or 6 months of age should be fed three times per day on a timely schedule. Over 5 or 6 months old, puppies can be fed twice per day.

Feeding your dog on a timely schedule is important to help regulate your dog's eating habits and keep track of the amount your dog eats. This helps avoid gorging and overeating. Another thing, this helps regulate your dogs bowel movements and will make for potty training much easier. When feeding your dog, it is always a good idea to ask something from your dog first to show that your dog should respect you and wait for their food patiently rather than devour before your hand hits the food bowl. This eliminates some behaviors automatically.

For additional information on health and nutrition, recommended dog foods and more, check out whole-dog-journal.com. This is a great resource and location for nutritional information and recommendations.