Dog Foods and Feeding

 Here is my article on Dog Foods And Feeding.

I feed a kibble balanced for dogs which is “human grade” (tho not balanced for humans) which means all beef/lamb/chicken was alive and has passed through a slaughterhouse. 
I don’t feed “pet grade” which means any meat that was unfit for human consumption because it has died outside the slaughterhouse for any reason - including diseased /already dead meat animals. 
Human grade brands are significantly more expensive than pet grade, but I feel I spend less in Veterinary costs because of the higher quality, the dog doesn’t have to eat as much to fulfill their needs, their stools are smaller,and my dogs are healthier overall.

I feed Wellness Lamb and Barley or Whitefish and Sweet potato variety, but not chicken - because chicken is the most highly used meat protein, and most likely to cause allergies because of that reason.  

For my ACD I am now feeding Wellness Complete Health, as it has Lamb as the first ingredient and Barley- his digestion was too fast ( loose stools) for the Grain Free Core which worked well for both my past Rottie x Pit mix and Black Labrador.  Kenji’s stool is firm and consistent now, his coat shines, and he has lots of energy without being manic all the time. 
If I were to go grain free again I would try and find one which is balanced for dogs,has a meat source as a first ingredient(s) has the recommendation amount of taurine in it,and without legumes.
Certain breeds like Golden Retreivers appear to be more prone to health issues using a Grain Free diet, so I would take this into consideration when choosing between a Grain and Grain Free diet if I had that breed.

LARGE BREEDS - 50 pounds healthy body weight or more as an adult are generally considered large breed dogs.
Large breed puppies have very different nutrient requirements than small and medium sized puppies. https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-feeding-tips/dog-ideal-weight/
The larger breed puppies can get permanent crippling issues in their joints if fed too much calcium while their bones are still growing.  They should stay on puppy food until they are adults - which in some late maturing breeds may be as long as 15 to 24 months of age.  As puppy food is high in calories, cut back on the amount fed as needed to keep your older pup at a healthy weight as they age.

Studies have shown that senior large breed dogs (7-10 years of age) generally need more protein and less calories in their daily meals.  The joint supplements glucosamine and chondroitin are often already added into senior specific foods to help keep them comfortable in their later years.

Here is a good resource for comparing dog foods and recalled products. 
They are not nutritionalists, but they do give a clear, unbiased opinion because they’re not paid by any of the companies they are comparing. You can also get free pet food recall  information from them sent directly to your email address as well.

https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/

I’m on the fence concerning raw feeding. I do believe unprocessed food has the best nutritional value, tho bacteria in raw meats is a major concern. Properly balancing supplements like calcium, vitamins, and minerals in raw feeding can be tricky- adding too much or too little can easily be detrimental to the dogs health. If you are going to feed raw, do a lot of research first.

Hand feeding gives “ value” to the human from the dogs point of view, instead of giving “value “ to the dog bowl. It helps the dog focus on the handler instead of being distracted, which is a huge training advantage in our favor.  Hand feeding also lessens the chance of resource guarding, as there is no longer a bowl to guard.

Free feeding (leaving food down all day) may cause resource guarding in some individuals, as the dog will become possessive of the food left in their bowl, the bowl itself, and/or the space around it.  Feeding twice a day ( for adults) as well as picking up the bowls after the dog has eaten helps eliminate this dangerous behavior issue.

My foster Kenji works for all his kibble doing basic obedience, tricks, Box Feeding, Food Toss game, handling ( brushing, nail trims, ear cleaning)and sometimes in his Kong Wobbler - as he chases it around the inside of a rubber feed tub to get the kibble out. 

For extremely hard exercises I will often substitute a few Ziwi Peak  air dried kibbles instead.  They are the gold standard of kibble, grain free,completely balanced for all adult dogs ( the fat content may be too high for some breeds if fed completely as a meal). They are small 1/2” thin semi-soft squares, I’ve never see a dog who didn’t absolutely love them.
Tripe and Lamb is the smelliest and most enjoyed version so far that I’ve seen. 
Sometimes I will use a few  Ziwi Peak in our regular training, as it keeps the dog hoping for more. * As long as by doing this the dog doesn’t choose to “ only” work for these yummier kibbles. If that were to happen I would only use the Ziwi Peak on very special occasions.

Dogs understand and respect that their most valuable resource ( food) comes directly from me.  From a training standpoint this is a huge benefit for me- hungry dogs are more motivated, and I believe learn faster. 

Some dogs have trouble focusing on a task because they are TOO interested in the food. In that case I will use food less in training, ( more fed in an interactive food toy that makes them work their minds and bodies to get it, scent work,or use a quality brand of food that is not as overwhelmingly appealing to them. ) Smell is  huge asset with food - where the dog’s nose goes, the body will follow. 

If the dog for some reason doesn’t do the already learned command ( possibly distractions are too intense, the exercise too difficult at that time,or the “smarter dogs” are testing my training consistency ) I will ask for a behavior I know for sure the dog can and will do , I reward well when it is performed - THEN ask for the behavior they refused earlier. Quite often this is very successful. In any case, I make sure to always end on a good note with training - for both me and the dog.
Sometimes succeeding means finding a different way to train the dog to understand what I want - maybe making the exercise a bit easier by breaking it down into smaller parts then linking them together, or having less distractions then gradually making them harder. 

We always want to make sure food is used as a reward for already learned behaviors, not as a bribe.
For example: 
If the specific exercise is going into his crate calmly once it is crate trained - the dog will physically do that, THEN receives his reward after going in, 
NOT by tossing his food in first for him - as this would be a bribe. The trained dog needs to perform the learned behavior first , and then is rewarded. 

With an already learned RECALL command only reward with food about 70% of the time ( think slot machines for humans) as the anticipation of food will build drive in the dog and willingness to work.  I have an entire article on RECALL training.

Jackpot ( several pieces ) of food for harder exercises well done, but also jackpot just every so often in training - this inconsistency of a large reward builds drive as well, because the dog will always be hoping for that jackpot that came once before. 

More dog training and care articles are available at my link below, which is open to the public and free of charge.  ❤️🐺❤️
https://www.facebook.com/AllBasicsDogTrainingKimChappell/

*A nice snack is applesauce, no sugar added, and no artificial sweeteners - freeze for a cooling Summer treat that dogs love.