Feeding your dog

Deciding what food to give your dog can be daunting, here are a few questions you may be asking yourself...

Natural or complete?

A natural diet or BARF (bones and raw food) diet is a natural diet consisting, surprisingly, of bones and raw food.  There are pro's and con's to this type of diet, the pro's are that the food you give your dog is all natural and of good quality, as you only feed human grade meat dogs also love it because is smells so much better than dried dog food.  The cons are that you are responsible for balancing the nutrition of the food ie adding the right amount of veg and carbohydrate to the meat (despite what some people may tell you, your dog is an omnivore, which means that he needs meat and veg to thrive), you may need to add supplements to the diet too, it can be expensive and difficult to store and once you start a raw food diet you will find it very hard to change your dog onto any other diet.  If you are thinking of starting the BARF diet, you should do some more research on it first, there are loads of websites that will tell you all about it, and you should definitely ask your vet for advice too.

A complete food (one that you buy from the pet store), is a cheep and convenient way to feed your dog, most dogs will happily eat complete food and it is nutritionally balanced so you know your dog is getting all the nutrients he needs, every day, without you having to add anything to it.  The disadvantage to complete dog food is that some contain ingredients that dogs don't need, and can cause hyperactive behaviour - generally brightly coloured foods are the culprits here.  When choosing a complete dog food you really do get what you pay for - choose the dearest one that you can afford.

Wet vs Dry

This is a matter of personal opinion, however it should be noted that some wet food (tins and pouches) can cause  dogs to get a little gassy and some are very rich.  Some wet food diets can work out dearer than dry food too.  Unused wet food must be stored in the fridge once opened, and then returned to room temperature before you can feed it to your dog and this may be a consideration for you, as not only could it make your fridge smell but you also need to think well ahead.  If you want to feed your dog on wet food, try him on it for a day or two and just keep an eye on him, if the results are not desirable then stick to dry food! 

Feeding Scraps

There is nothing wrong with feeding your dog the odd scraps that are left over from your dinner, however, be careful because not all foods are good for dogs - especially chocolate, which is potentially lethal to dogs, even in tiny amounts.  You should also be careful that your dog doesn't get too used to your tasty scraps and then refuses to eat his normal dog food in favour of something better, what started out as an occasional treat for your dog may become a nightmare for you.  More importantly, you should never share the food you are still eating with your dog, if there are scraps available, you should scrape them into his bowl and give them to him with his dinner at the next meal time.

Dog Bones

Bones are a controversial subject as there are risks associated with giving bones to your dog such as choking and pieces getting stuck in your dogs body, there are pro's too though, and a good munch on a bone will help keep your dogs teeth and jaws in good condition and if your dog is a chewer they may save your furniture too.  If you must give your dog a bone, raw is better and you should never give pork (ham bones are ok) or poultry bones and always supervise your dog when he has a bone.  A great alternative to bone is rawhide, the benefits to your dog are the same as rawhide but they are much safer, and often last longer too. 

How many meals?

How many meals you feed your dog per day varies depending on your dogs size and age.  As a general guide dogs should be fed four times daily up until the age of 16 weeks, three times daily between 16 and 24 weeks of age and twice daily thereafter.  Some dogs can go to one meal a day as an adult, however this can cause health problems such as bloating, with is potentially lethal, and is a long time to go between meals - twice is definitely better.

Manners at meal time?

Your dog is a pack animal, which means that he is used to living in a group with strict feeding rituals and, as his pack leader, he will expect you to follow some of the same rules.  The first rule is the pack leader always eats first so always feed your dog after you have finished your meals.  The pack leader also gets the best food, this is easy to do if you are feeding your dog complete dry food, as yours will naturally smell better than his.  He should also be expected to work for his food, in the wild he would have had to hunt for it, so it is not too much to ask that he at least sits calmly and waits patiently for it.  Your dog will also not be expecting to be able to come back to his food after he has left it, so always take your dogs food away after 10 minutes (unless he still has his head in the bowl), no matter how much he has eaten.  If you are worried about your dog missing meals, have your vet take a look at him to make sure he is healthy, as long as he is in good health he will not let himself starve and will eat when he gets hungry - he is just stubborn!

Snacking

There is nothing wrong with a few treats between meals - especially if they are given as rewards for good behaviour, however, always remember that the more treats you give your dog between meals the less food he will need in his bowl at meal times.  Think of treats like sweets and go easy, you wouldn't allow your child to eats so many cakes and biscuits that they couldn't eat their dinner, would you?