Deciphering the Label of Organic Dog Foods

Deciphering the Label of Organic Dog Foods

Organic dog food is a great idea for pet owners whose companion canines may have allergies or specific nutritional requirements. When a dog owner sees the word organic, they usually conjure up images of sunny fields, mom and pop operations that lovingly make dog food and then hand bag the offerings, and overall fresh and clean ingredients and manufacturing facilities. Of course, in the wake of the recent pet food fiasco the aisles devoted to the display of organic dog foods seem to have tripled overnight while the non-organic choices are no longer as heavily marketed.

Yet do you truly understand what it means to have a dog food that is considered organic? Is that this which is called organic truly healthy pet food or could there be the proverbial fly in the ointment somewhere? As you might have guessed, reading food labels is complicated not only when going grocery shopping for yourself, but also when seeking to ferret out organic food for your canine companion. To make deciphering the label of organic dog foods just a bit simpler, here are the terms you want to look out for:

?You want to look for the label that proclaims all of the food to be 100% organic. This is the sign that every single ingredient is organic, and the plant where the food was manufactured also is considered to be organic in that there are no harmful additives that lace the chow, thus detracting from the organic benefit the food offers to your dog.
?If there is no 100% marker but the chow still proclaims to be organic, beware that there is about a five percent weasel margin. In other words, not all of the ingredients might be organic, and some could be downright questionable! Yet if 95% of the ingredients are organic, the chow can still call itself organic.
?Stay away from any chow that is labeled as having been made with organic ingredients. Governmental standards postulate that this kind of dog food must be made of at least 70% organic ingredients, but it gives a hefty 30% margin which allows for the use of manufacturing facilities that do not adhere to organic food standards. This very often indicates that the food was probably heated to within an inch of its nutrients lives and thus has lost a lot of the nutritional value that makes organic food such a good and healthy choice for your pet.

The latter dog chow option is more or less a waste of money and only the first will offer you the bona fide assurance that you are making the best food decision possible. Nonetheless, take a bag or can of the food you are considering for review to your veterinarians office and giver her or him a chance to advise you further on the ingredients and also the cooking method. Remember: just because it says organic on the label and your dog likes the chow does not mean that it is necessarily the most nutritionally sound choice for your particular dog!

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Correcting Dog Misbehavior

Correcting Dog Misbehavior

You want everyone to like your dog as much as you do and you dog’s behavior is going to determine if this is possible. A dog’s misbehavior such as excessive barking, destructive chewing, feces eating, food guarding, jumping up, mouthing or nipping, object guarding, problem digging and urine marking are all things that will not endear your dog to others. These misbehaviors must be corrected so that you dog will be likeable.

Excessive Barking happens frequently because dogs love to bark. They bark for all kinds of reasons. They bard to say hello, or because they are alarmed or startled, or when they are defending their territory or feel there is a threatening person or animal near. Dogs also bark when they are frustrated, or when they hear other dogs barking. It is no wonder dogs bark so much with all these reasons for barking!

Most owners can recognize their dog by the bark they make. Any dog though, can have an irritating bark when it is an excessive bark. To reduce your dog’s barking, it is important to know WHY the dog is barking. Remember that some dog breeds bark more than others and are just known as “barkers”, check with your breeder or shelter before buying a dog if you wish to avoid these types of dogs.

Usually dogs will bark when protecting, are distress such as when fearful or dealing with separation anxiety, when they are excited or greeting their owner, during play, to gain your attention, or to make requests, when they are frustrated, when they are being social with other dogs, or when it is a compulsive behavior.

Do NOT encourage a dog to bark at passers by or people coming to the door by getting up and looking out the window or by saying, “who’s there?” Try not to punish your dog for barking at sounds such as car doors, or people at the door. Never muzzle a dog for barking for long periods, as the dog won’t be able to drink water.

Ask your vet or a pet behaviorist for ideas on reducing your dog’s barking and for how to determine why your dog is barking.

Chewing is a natural behavior for a dog to do for stimulation and exercise and also to relieve anxiety. Dogs should be given plenty of appropriate items to chew on such as dog toys and appropriate dog bones so that they will be able to meet their need for chewing without using items that you do not want them to chew on.

Food Guarding or Aggressive behavior around treats or food is all signs of canine possession aggression (CPA), and your vet can help you to learn how to cope with this serious behavior. When the dog is young is the best time to get the dog used to you and food being together. Give your dog extra treats while he is eating such as a scoop of scrambled egg or a tasty morsel of hotdog or a scoop of blueberries.

Mouthing and nipping are playtime behavior that puppies love to play with people. Chewing on fingers and toes allows them to explore the human body. Usually this behavior disappears around 4 or five months of age. The best thing to do when nipping or mouthing behavior is happening is to substitute a chew toy immediately each time it happens. Soon your dog will get the message and chew and mouth on appropriate objects instead of you.

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Dog Bathing Tubs

Have you decided that you need to invest in one of the Dog Bathing Tubs that are available?

You hug, he licks, and then, what’s that smell? Everybody knows how these adorable creatures smell after all the running and chasing around the house all day.

Giving your cute Chihuahua or your huge Golden Retriever a bath may seem stressful to you and to anybody else who owns one!

However with one of the Dog Bathing Tubs and the basic step-by-step bathing procedures at Dog Bathing Tubs, you may actually enjoy giving these precious ones a cool bathing spree.

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