Choosing The Right Dog Food To Keep Your Dog Healthy And Happy

There are 72,114,000 dogs in the United States, according to the 2007 census. With over 72 million dogs in a sales demographic, you can see why there are so many different types and varieties of dog food. The dog food industry definitely has some competition.With so many different dog food companies vying for your dog food dollar, how do you know which dog food to choose to keep your dog healthy? Do you choose dry, moist, or a combination of both? High protein, low protein, other nutrients, what exactly do you look for?You want the best for your dog that your money can buy. You want to keep your dog healthy and satisfy his hunger at the same time. What do you do? Do you go with what everybody else is buying? Do you ask your family and friends?THE DOG, THE DIET, THE FOOD.The real issue when choosing a dog food for your dog is that every dog is different. I am not just talking about breeds, though they differ to, but two dogs of the same breed may not even have the same eating habits. There is no single silver bullet cure unfortunately.So to find the right dog food to keep your dog healthy, you are going to have to do a little detective work. Breed. Start with the type of dog you have. Obviously a small lap dog is going to have different requirements than say, a Great Dane. Size is a large factor in energy levels and digestive systems.Age. Puppies are growing and require lots of good stuff to help them grow and to keep their energies up. They should be feed small amounts many times throughout the day just like a baby. In the dogs prime, say 3 years old to about 6 years old, they might have a very healthy appetite at each feeding, but only eats maybe twice a day. On the other hand the older adult isn't running after everything he sees anymore and like the "early bird special" older humans, they eat earlier in the day and not so much. Then bed time is much more craved than a bowl of food after 7pm. Just saying.Activity. Is your dog one of those hyper sort of dogs that seems to be able to run all day long until they collapse at the end of the night? Or do you have a dog like mine whose greatest ambition is to stretch after laying on the bed all morning to walk 20 feet and go lay down on her favorite chair until she is hungry or has to relieve herself.Stage in life. Sort of like age, but much more specific and maybe not lasting. Things like growth spurts, recovering from an injury, recovering from a major surgery, extreme hot day, pregnancy, nursing, dieting, training, change in location like vacation or having to stay at a kennel, and other things that are a major change in their normal routine, but is only temporary.WHAT DO I LOOK FOR?Even though every dog is different, there are some basic ideas to sort of use as a guideline. You want to pick a high quality dog food. You will know it is high quality if while reading the nutrition facts, you are seeing some pretty high numbers. One thing to look at is serving size when doing the comparisons.What you are looking for is a food that will provide protein, vitamins, minerals, and some essential fat content in the form of acids. Dog foods have varying levels of protein in them. Some have more filler than anything else. If you are around 25% protein content, give or take, it is a real good start.Look to see if the dog food is recommended for active or in-active dogs. Most dog foods will even tell you if they are for puppies, adults, or older less active dogs. Most will also tell you if they are easier to digest for dogs of certain ages than others. An older dog may not be able to digest a food designed for dogs leaving the puppy stage and moving into adulthood.You might even be looking for a dog food that helps a dog loose weight. Overweight dogs are a common issue in the United States. So it is no wonder that there is a whole line of diet dog foods to keep your dog healthy and save them from being overweight. Serious heart and other health conditions, including joint pain and other body issues can be associated simply to the dog being overweight.Another point is that just because it is a much better overall deal, sometimes large bags of dog food is not the correct choice. For example, it does not make sense to buy a 50 lb bag of combination moist and dry dog food for a toy or lap dog. The chances are the food is going go bad before the little dog can get through it. On the other hand, you are going to go broke trying to buy little individual cans of moist food for a Mastiff.If you just do not have a clue what to do. Then contact your vet. Discuss with him or her your issues and tell him or her all you can about your dog, their activities, age, weight, and other things you can think of. This will help your vet decide the best type of food for your dog. Just be leery if he only recommends a certain brand and you can only get it from his office. It does happen. And I am not saying the dog food is not a good choice, but their choice might be motivated by keeping them in money, not to keep your dog healthy.SUMMATIONThere are several dog food brands to choose from. Even grocery stores have entire aisles now dedicated to pet/dog food alone. Choosing the right dog food depends on what sort of dog you have, what their activity is like, their age, and other special things going on at that time in a dog's life. The bottom line is you are going to have to do some reading of the labels, looking for around 25% protein and as many vitamins, nutrients, and digestion types. Size of the dog should be considered when purchasing the amount of dog food at one time. And finally, if you feel completely lost, then contact your vet and ask their advice as to which dog food would be best for your dog giving them any information you can to help them determine it.
               

New Dog Traning Method

       Leash education or lead teaching is definitely the dialogue of a lot of puppy trainers in this modern-day age and discussions of tips on how to train your dog while in the nicest feasible way are aplenty. These discussions are brought about by people today and canine trainers believing that pulling about the leash to right a dog's conduct is producing injuries to your canine.I'm not right here to discus this also, but I obviously do not believe that there's something wrong with leash instruction if it can be performed within the right way and care is taken to not harm the dog or give any sudden forceful pulls around the leash.Leash puppy training is equally as common as every other form of puppy schooling in the pro dog education local community mainly because when completed appropriately it will get effects easily and effectively. Leash schooling is used by correcting your dog's movements and gently tugging about the leash to force the dog to go inside of a way they'd not have originally gone and also to immediate them within the favoured way for that education exercise in hand. Generally the issues of leash training are with acquiring your canine comfortable together with the leash and collar so I'll briefly discus the true secret features of obtaining your puppy to behave when going for walks on the leash and also the issues you could face.Some canines are fired up to obtain their collar on as well as other are usually not so fond of it, train your canine to sit and stay 1st previous to discovering to consider your canine on a leash, several canines wish to wriggle all around and run about wile you try to put a collar or lead on them so the sit stay commands might be critical.While executing any pre-leash physical exercises or walks in case your dog misbehaves by becoming also thrilled you must simply just continue being relaxed and not go for walks till they may be acting appropriately, this should calm your canine down and act as being a light punishment for them.When beginning leash schooling, get started within your individual household after which do the job your way up to additional populated and new and interesting spots, if your dog misbehaves or is pulling on the leash consistently when they are out then self-discipline accordingly, and as often apply might be the determining variable to how quickly your canine will complete very good habits.
               

               

Are You Feeding Your Pet The Right Dog Food;

                    Your dog's health and well being is important to you and your family. Not to mention keeping down the cost of veterinarian bills! So you need to carefully consider the food that you give your dog. People sometimes just pick the first dog food bag they see at the store. It's easy to overlook the importance of dog food but it is essential to pick the right one for your dog.To keep your dog healthy he needs plenty of fresh water and should be fed good quality dog food in amounts just right to meet his energy requirements. Always follow the guidelines on the dog food package for recommended feeding amounts.Picking a dog foodThe first challenge in choosing a dog food is picking one that has overall quality. The term that comes up a lot about dog food is human grade. Human grade implies that the dog food is good enough for us to eat. Many commercial dog foods are made from materials unusable or less desirable for human consumption. Often the meat that is used in dog food is of a quality considered unfit for humans to eat.Major dog food companies try to provide balanced proportions of vitamins and minerals for maximum benefit to your dog. Although you may see that many brands of dog food have almost identical labels, a reputable dog food company will provide an explanation for each supplement and how it benefits your dog.Always read the label to see what proteins, vitamins and minerals are being provided to your dog. Try not to use store brand dog food they may short change your dog on much needed nutrition.Studies have shown that the primary ingredient in dog food should be meat-based protein, not corn meal, flour or corn gluten meal. According to reviews a better quality dog food results in a healthier coat, fewer digestive problems and firmer stools. Pet-nutrition experts agree that the best dog food is made from human-grade ingredients like meat, whole grains and vegetables. Premium dog food is so important because good nutrition is essential for a long, healthy life.Types of dog foodThere are many varieties of dog food to choose from. The three most popular types of dog foods are dry, semi-moist and canned products. Check the color of your dog food. Usually dog food made from natural ingredients will have soft earth tones and contain no preservatives, artificial colors and flavors.Raw dog food is becoming more popular. More and more veterinarians recommend feeding your dog with raw dog food. They feel that this is the best choice and is the healthiest food for your dog. After all, you've never seen your dog enjoy commercial dog food the way he enjoys a good meaty bone.Raw food advocates concede the diet costs more than traditional dog food, but they argue it's worth it. You may find that locating free natural home made dog food recipes is not easy. Try making a mixture of ground turkey, rice and carrot as your own dog food. Your dog will thank you for it.If you decide to go the commercial route, try and choose a good premium dog food since it contains more energy and protein than an economy brand. Unfortunately not all dog food brands contain high quality and natural ingredients, so always check the label. It is best if you seek advice from your veterinarian before deciding on which dog food to feed your dog or puppy. He will know your dog's dietary needs and you will find that veterinary offices and feed stores often carry excellent and natural dog food.All Natural Dog FoodMany natural dog foods contain only fresh, natural and wholesome ingredients for your dog. Not only are the protein ingredients digestible, but the carbohydrates in the dog food are digestible. Natural dog food has 100% nutritional value which is important for healthy strong dogs. Chicken, egg and fish are examples of protein that is provided in natural dog food. There are also ingredients in natural dog food that really help the health of your dog's skin and also your dog's coat. One of the main draw backs of natural dog food is that it has a shorter shelf life and may spoil before it is used.Dried Dog FoodA good high quality dry dog food will work out to be more economical than the generic brands even though they cost more per pound. A vast majority of dog owners go for dry dog food for its convenience and ease of storage. The cheaper dry dog foods are made from soybean, corn or rice, while many premium dry dog foods are made with all-natural, human-grade ingredients.Vegetarian dog foodsThere are dog foods specially formulated for dogs that are allergic to wheat, corn, and/or chicken. There are also vegetarian dog foods marketed to owners who do not want their dogs to consume meat products. Most vegetarian dog foods use soy as a protein source. If your dog has allergies consult your vet before putting him on a specialized diet.ConclusionOverall it's usually best to let dogs enjoy dog food and not our food, even though they may prefer what we're eating! Of course you can feed your dog treats from time to time, every dog needs some TLC from time to time!For More information please visit My Puppy Academy