Blue Dog Creature Coaching, Dog Trainer, Dog Training, Puppy Training, APDT, CPDT

To be clear, I am a dog trainer, not a nutritionist. This article does not replace doing your own research, information gathering and decision making. That said, I do feel that I have learned enough to at least light a fire under other pet people to get them to look into their pet food choices.

Why does a "dog trainer" care about nutrition? In my years of experience with both my own and my client's fur companions, I can say without hesitation that pet nutrition is strongly linked to behavior, just as poor (sugar, fast food, etc.) quality diets are linked to behavior problems in children. Trying to learn, process information, or simply be calm when you are riding a wave of over-processed, chemical laden diets is impossible. On behavior consultations for reactivity, hyperactivity, and other excessive issues, invariably those pets also have poor quality, grain based diets. Many times, I have seen a dramatic shift in behavior from a dietary change alone to a higher quality diet. So, I feel that diet is important beyond just a simple nutritional level.

So what's this going to cost me? Another important consideration is cost. I've found that I end up feeding my dogs less volume of food because without the fillers that are in most commercial pet foods, higher quality foods are nutrient dense. I feed them less, and they also create less pet waste. The cost for foods with superior ingredients and nutrition ends up being about the same as other mass produced products of lesser quality. If you do purchase from smaller pet food companies that are going for quality over quantity, also consider that you don't end up paying for the endless advertising and product placement that conglomerate pet food companies spend to convince you the buy their food.

Which Brand is Best and How do I Find the Food?

It depends! The good news is that there are so many options for good nutrition for pets. Being a good detective will help you find the right food for your pet. My best advice is to look outside the grocery store or pet megastore for your next food purchase. Take a trip to your local, independently owned pet store, look around, read labels, and ask questions. Many pet stores carry sample packets that you can take home and try.

What do I feed my own dogs? Prior to the pet food recalls, I had fed my dogs "premium" kibble for 15 years and paid a "premium" price for what I thought was the "best". My research on the pet food industry led me to experiment with home preparation of my dogs' diets which I believe is the "best" diet. I could do it myself, it was easy, and it was not expensive. I buy the meat, vegetables and few supplements and with a little time and energy, my dogs are eating home prepared meals and thriving. In my observations, they are happier, healthier, behaviorally and physically sound as they never were on just plain kibble. Their coats are shiny, their breath doesn't smell (which it had for years on kibble), and they poop so much less. I've listed some books below to help you if you want to learn how to do it all yourself. I also realize that most people don't have the time or energy to home prepare their pet's foods. The good news is there are lots of alternatives. One of which is simply switching to a better brand of kibble.