Dog Behavior May Be Linked To Their Diet

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By Lori Matthews

What many pet owners fail to see, is that by feeding our dogs a diet that mainly consists of processed, poorly prepared dog foods or the equivalent of junk food, they may be causing many of the behavioral and severe illnesses that are found in dogs today. Basically, the diet that you are feeding your canine companion could not only be making him aggravated, hyper or plain old mean it could possibly shorten his life span.

A well balanced diet provides quality nutrition and in turn keeps the cells, tissues and organs healthy. This enables an animals’ immune system to stay in top condition to fight any invaders.

The same holds true for behavior. If you ate fast food and candy bars everyday, eventually it will affect your energy level and your mood.

Because we love our pets, this may be a little confusing for those who think that they are doing the right thing, say, feeding their pets dog foods out of the can. Admittedly, not all dog foods are bad. However, many are and contain ingredients that are difficult for your pet to digest and can make him sick. So how do you weed out the good dog foods from the bad?

In order to give your pet the best life, you must make sure that he has the best type of lifestyle, just like us humans. Before buying pet foods, check the label to see what is in the food. Basically, the first five ingredients are important. Foods that list 2 or more grains in the first 5 ingredients may have more vegetable protein than animal protein which means less nutrition and more clean up.

Canned food can also be full of preservatives, to keep the food inside from going bad. Dog foods containing preservatives should be avoided. Not only has the pet food been filled with preservatives that could cause your pet harm, the pet food has been boiled at high temperatures in the cooking process causing any of the useful nutrition found in the food to be lost anyway. Proper cooking of pet foods will ensure that no preservatives are needed to keep it fresh.

Keep in mind that canned dog food mainly consists of water so feeding a canned diet alone will not give your pet the proper nutrition they need to live a healthy lifestyle.

So let’s look at the things that should be avoided when buying pet food:

No Preservatives. Avoid foods that contain chemicals in them such as BHT or BHA. If these preservatives are found anywhere on the label, give the food a miss, as these chemicals can be harmful to your pet.

No by-products. By-products are the parts of meat that are unsuitable for consumption, such as the feet, necks and intestines of other animals. As you can imagine these parts of animals were not made to be digested by humans, dogs or any animals for that matter.

Beware of grains. Soy, corn, corn gluten and wheat gluten are often used as protein sources; however, they are generally inferior and difficult to digest.

Give your pet the chance at life that he deserves, feed him with a good nutritious premium dog food, free from preservatives and additives that are not meant for dogs. A great way to decide what is suitable for your dog to eat is ask yourself if you would eat it? If your answer is no, don’t feed it to your pet.


Lori Matthews studies health, nutrition and wellness. Enjoys writing articles on health for both people and pets. Please visit Premium Dog Food by Lifes Abundance for more information.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lori_Matthews

World's Top Dogs Take the Stage

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(NewsUSA) - On Dec. 2 and 3, more than 150 breeds of the world's most competitive and coiffed canines will compete for the "National Champion" title at the sixth annual AKC/Eukanuba National Championship in Long Beach, Calif.

The event, which features thousands of dogs from around the world, is broadcast live by Animal Planet and the Discovery Channel, starting at 8 p.m. EST both nights. Hosted by Bob Goen and Leanza Cornett, this is the first time it will be broadcast in December, previously being shown in January.

The event returns to the Long Beach Convention Center after two years in Tampa, Fla. The facility houses the three events during the weekend: AKC/Eukanuba National Championship, the inaugural AKC Agility Invitational and the AKC National Obedience Invitational.

Almost 2,700 dogs from every AKC-recognized breed and variety competed last year, including competitors from all 50 states and 20 countries.

"We are excited that this one-of-a-kind canine extravaganza is returning to Long Beach," said AKC spokeswoman Gina DiNardo Lash. "This city and facility are ideal for hosting thousands of dogs and tens of thousands of dog lovers. We know that millions will be watching around the country, cheering on their favorite breed."

The AKC/Eukanuba National Championship offers the only sizable monetary award in dog shows, with cash and prizes totaling more than $225,000. The National Champion wins $50,000.

The previous "Best In Show" winner, CH Nanuke's Snoklassic No Boundaries, an Alaskan Malamute better known as "Costello," earned more than $80,000 when he was crowned National Champion, Best Bred-By-Exhibitor in Show and Viewer's Choice all on the same night.

All AKC parent club national specialty "Best of Breed" winners once again join the ranks of top dogs invited to the National Championship. Invitations are issued to dogs ranking in the top 25 of their breed. Any dog receiving an all-breed "Best in Show" at an AKC show held during the qualifying period also receives an invitation.

In addition, the top-ranked dog in each AKC-registered breed is invited from those countries around the world with registries that issue pedigrees acceptable for AKC registration. The system used to select the top dog in each breed is determined by each country's national kennel clubs. Dogs from Asia, Europe and South America are expected to compete.

Rebroadcasts of the event will run on Animal Planet Dec. 10, 14 and 16. For more information, visit www.topdogshow.com.

How To Potty Train Your Dog

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By Mike Strawbridge

Dogs have two natural instincts that you can use to your advantage when potty training them. One is that they prefer not to pee or poop where they sleep. They will move to another area if given the chance. Two is that they will pee or poop where there is already the residual smell of a previous pee or poop.

When potty training a dog there are basically two options to use - Indoors or outdoors.

Indoor training:

To train your dog to go indoors, you will need to set up an area in your home where you want him to learn to do his business and give him free access to that area. Make sure it is not the area where he sleeps.

Put some newspaper down on the floor of the area where you want him to go. Carefully observe your dog and the moment you see him starting to urinate or defecate, immediately take him to the papered area. You may leave a trail in the way but get him to the right area.

Praise your dog once he is in the correct area. As you are cleaning up, leave a small trace of the pee or poop on the paper in the area you want him to use. Remember your dog has much keener sense of smell than you do. Just a trace is all he needs to find his way back to the spot.

Now you must carefully and completely clean up any material that may have been deposited elsewhere. You must leave no smell trace that your dog can find on any other part of the house or your dog may return there and think he is doing just what he is supposed to do. Remember again that your dog’s nose is much more powerful than yours is. Many pet supply stores have cleaning sprays that help to mask the odor for dogs.

The idea is to use your dog’s natural instinct to return to his previous safe spot for each subsequent deposit. Also, to make sure that one and only one spot is made so inviting.

After a couple of weeks, your dog should get the hang of where you want him to go and you will no longer have to save a portion of each deposit to carry the smell over.

Outdoor training:

To train your dog to go outdoors, you will have to develop a communication method so that you and your dog know when it is time to go outside. The frequency is highly variable among breeds and dog size and is also affected by diet.

Just like indoor training you will need to establish a safe spot outside where you want your dog to go. Take him there often so he gets used to the place. Make it as far from his sleep or play area as possible.

If you catch him in the act of going in the house, immediately scoop him up and take him to the outdoor spot. It does not matter if you leave a trail, just get him to the spot. Praise him once he uses the spot.

Leave a small amount of the fecal matter in his safe spot as a scent trace for him to find later. Be sure to thoroughly clean up any indoor traces so that there is not scent trace left.

If your dog is trained to go outdoors, you must be consistent. Make sure that you are available often enough so that he can hold it between trips outside.

You can also hang a bell on a string at the door and ring it each time you take the dog out to potty. Teach the dog to nudge the bell when he needs to go out. This makes a simple and effective communication tool that won’t be confused with other behavior. Don’t teach him to scratch on the door unless you wanted to buy a new door anyway.

Whichever method you choose be consistent. Don’t try to mix indoor and outdoor training, as you will only confuse your dog.

Work with your dogs natural instincts to make this training go much smoother.


To learn more dog training tips and tricks see Mike's blog my-dog-smash.blogspot.com
Mike Strawbridge is a contributor to the Potty Training Site where he shares information on potty training human toddlers. www.pottytrainingsite.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mike_Strawbridge

Dealing with Fleas in Your Carpet

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By Enrique Cleanotto

Everyone loves pets. Well, practically everyone. While pets are great, you often will have a problem with fleas getting into your carpet.

Dealing with Fleas in Your Carpet

As anyone with pets can tell you, keeping a house clean when you have a furry friend can be a challenge. From muddy paws, to hairballs and fuzz, pets present some unique cleaning problems – especially where cleaning floors and furniture is concerned. Carpets can be more difficult than other types of flooring, just because they generally tend to trap more dirt and fur, as well as smells and other unwanted debris. One of the things that having a pet can do to your carpet is bring in more guests: like fleas.

Fleas are those annoying little blood-sucking pests that come into your home clinging to that outdoor dog or cat. Their bites can cause itching and red bumps, as well as misery, for both your pet and you. Adult fleas spend all of their time riding on their hosts, which are usually your pets, and don't spend time hanging out in your carpets or other fabric household items. Eggs, too, are found on animals; the adult fleas lay their eggs in the hair or fur of your pets. The stage at which fleas really spend a lot of time in your carpet is at the larval stage. Here, they feed off of dried blood and other matter left in areas where your pet lays (this material is produced by the adult fleas, and falls off in these areas).

The only way to truly get rid of these flea larvae is by carpet cleaning – fleas don't stand a chance if you follow some of these steps to kill them. Your first step is to vacuum. Believe it or not, this easy type of carpet cleaning – fleas can't live through. If you vacuum regularly, you will remove eggs and larvae from the carpet, which will stop them from growing into the adult flea pests. After vacuuming, be sure to seal your vacuum bag in a plastic bag, and throw the plastic bag away outside immediately. This will stop the fleas from being able to escape back into your house.

You can also apply insecticide to your carpet. Be sure to keep pets and people off of the carpet that you've treated until the insecticide dries (it can be toxic, especially to pets and small children). Then, perform some regular carpet cleaning – fleas that have died, as well as any chemical residue, will be picked up easily with a good steam cleaning. Of course, to keep your home truly flea free, you need to treat the infested pets as well. This way, your carpets will stay clean and without fleas.


Enrique Cleanotto is with CarpetCleaningYeti.com - free carpet cleaning articles.
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