Are You Confused About What To Feed Your Dog

Are You Confused About What To Feed Your Dog

There are several choices when it comes to feeding your dog. You can find low-priced bargain dog food, even generic dog food, or you can select high quality, high priced brand name dog food. There is also the choice to feed your dog a vegetarian diet or the BARF diet. So, are you confused now about what to feed your dog?

The majority of dog owners choose to feed dogs a commercial dog food because of the convenience of just opening the bag or can and giving the food to the dog. In today’s busy world convenience is a must. There are tons of commercial dog food to choose from in different price ranges, different packaging, and different textures (some moist, some canned and some dry). The problem with commercial dog food is that some manufacturers of the food are owned my large multinational parent companies that may decide to substitute less expensive ingredients to save the company money which means the ingredients can change from time to time making the food your dog eats different and possibly upsetting to the stomach. A few of the commercial dog food companies do pride themselves on using “fixed formulas” of acceptable quality ingredients.

You should cut your confusion regarding dog food because commercial dog food may contain questionable ingredients that may implicate diseases such as allergic rashes, food intolerance, inflammatory bowel disease, chronic ear infections, bladder infection, kidney stones, certain heart diseases, canine mammary cancer, bloating, and diabetes which all have a certain nutritional component to them. In other words, what we are feeding our dogs just may be making them sick.

Commercial dog food may contain other things that can make our dogs sick such as pesticide residues, molds and antibiotics. There have been many recalls of dry dog food by different dog food manufacturers due to mold contamination of the grain ingredients in the food. Some recalled food contained fungal toxins, which are dangerous when ingested, and this particular recall occurred with the result of 20 dog fatalities. Dog foods labels are suppose to follow certain rules that are designed protect the health of dogs.

The BARF diet stands for Biologically Appropriate Raw Food or Bones and Raw Food. Ask you vet about the BARF diet and you will probably get plenty of good information about it and a hearty endorsement from the vet for you to try your dog on this diet. A raw diet has a lot of health benefits for your dog. A raw diet reduces the occurrence of skin allergies, weight problems, and gland problems too. The diet will not contain preservatives or chemicals and taste better to your dog. The dog will be forced to eat more slowly, have fewer stools, and it is generally less expensive to feed your dog the BARF diet than commercial food. The negative about the BARF diet is that it does take some time to prepare it.

It is possible to have a vegan or vegetarian dog as there are began pet foods available. If you are going to feed your canine a vegetarian diet you do need to watch for the presence of a dry, dull coat, dandruff, low energy, diarrhea, or other symptoms that may be traced to the diet.

End the confusion, talk to your dog breeder or vet about the best dog food for your dogs breed, activity level and age.

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Ergo No Bark – The No Bark Trainer of Choice

Does your Dog Bark at Nothing? The Ergo No Bark which is a No Bark Trainer could be the answer!

If you are like me you love your dog, your dog loves you; but you can’t stand all that barking. This is a common problem among dog lovers. Your dog is supposed to bark when a stranger tries to enter your house. You want your dog to bark should there be a fire.

You however, do not want unwanted barking such as barking because a kid rides his bike on the sidewalk in front of your house, or the neighbor pulls into his driveway at the end of a workday.

Barking is the way your dog vocalizes to his owner and to other dogs and animals in general. Unwanted barking can be very annoying; but how do you train your dog to stop unwanted barking without squashing his instinct to vocalize when it is important for him to do so?

Read more at Ergo No Bark – The No Bark Trainer of Choice

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Answering the Questions of Those in the Pre-Dog Era

Answering the Questions of Those in the Pre-Dog Era

You know who you are – you have never owned a dog, but here it is great. You would like to test the waters of dog ownership but are a little uncertain as to what you may be getting into. You have lots of questions and would like some reliable answers to them before you make the dog decision. You are smart to explore the dog ownership issue before jumping in and getting a dog. You and your dog will be happier because of the time you have taken to explore this adventure before embarking on it.

Dog ownership is a lot of responsibility but it is also very rewarding. Questions usually fall into common categories such as dog supplies, training, identification, vet care, and companionship.

Let us answer the supply questions first. It is obvious that owning a dog will require that you purchase a large list of dog supplies so that you can take care of the dog properly. This list will be different for different dog breeds as their needs will not be the same. The age of the dog will also determine some of the items on the list as a puppy needs different stuff such as more chew toys than an adult dog would.

Basic supplies are food and water dishes, a collar, a back up collar, a leash and a back up leash, quality dog/puppy food, and toys – especially chew toys, and dog bedding. If you are bringing home a puppy be sure to get any record of shots that the puppy has already received and make a vet appointment for the same day if possible so the vet can check the health of the puppy before you bring the puppy home. Other “supply” needs are a safe yard to do his bathroom needs in and to play and exercise in that is either fenced in or where you can take the dog on a leash. Dogs do better when they can be with the family inside but if you must have an outdoor dog be sure to also provide proper shelter from weather and protection from other animals.

All dogs need to be trained to behave properly around humans and other animals. Most puppies require obedience training either professionally or by an owner who knows how to train dogs. Never mistreat a dog by using physical punishment to train. Your vet is a good source of information regarding available dog training in your community. Crate training, housebreaking, following commands, and leash training are an all-important thing a dog should know at an early age. It is never too late to train a dog though; even old dogs can be trained to be good family members.

One topic that always arises when contemplating a dog is how to identify that dog as yours? The first way that comes to most people is to use a dog ID tag on the collar. This is a tried and true method of identifying your dog. Many companies exist today that will give your dog a number in a computerized system that will ID your dog as yours incase the dog is lost and found. Technology has also found another way to ID the dog as yours and that is by using a microchip. A vet can administer a microchip under the dog’s skin. This microchip can then be detected using a scanner. The scanner picks up the presence of the chip under the skin and then displays the ID information regarding who the owner of the dog is. This information allows the dog to be returned to the owner if the dog becomes lost or stolen. All vets and most police and sheriff departments are aware of microchip use and have scanner to use to detect them on your dog. Shelters usually also have the ability to scan a dog, especially the larger shelters. A collar can come off of a dog, but a microchip is always there under the skin.

Most people understand the need for a dog to go to the vets, but those thinking about owning a dog for the first time may not know just how often vet visits are required. A vet is needed for routine visits like those necessary for well-dog checks, routine shots, and also parasitic checks. These basic things are usually done in one visit with follow-up visits for vaccination series for puppies. A vet is also necessary if your dog should become ill, or suffer an injury other than the basic first aid variety. If your dog develops a medical condition, it may need routine vet visits to monitor care, or administer medication.

Lastly, there are questions that may arise concerning how much companionship is required of owning a dog. Some people buy dogs for human companionship when they live alone or reach retirement age. Dogs also need companionship and certain breeds do well when they are not left home alone all day. The Finnish Spitz is one such dog that needs companionship and will actually become ill if left for longer than four hours on a regular basis. Ask a breeder, or your vet for information about companionship needs of the dog you are planning to buy or adopt.

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