Nutrition
Nutrition choices are very personal. One of the first things to remember is that if your dog is doing well, and staying healthy, that is what matters. That being said there are times when a simple change of diet can do a lot to change the overall health and well being of a dog or cat. The same thing holds true for your furry family member as it does with us. The higher the quality of food going in the better off you are.
Most people know that good quality food is important to a pet, but find the problem mostly with advertising and what pet food companies are saying. Even Vets are not always in agreement or clear on what a pet should be eating.
The biggest suggestion that we give is to make sure that
the first one, two or three ingredients in the food given
to a pet are meat, meat and meat. Not byproducts or
meals. "Meals" can mean anything from left over
bones to the whole animal or fats, ligaments etc.
Cats need more protein than dogs. Dogs that do a lot
of activities might need more lipids in their diet.
It is very unlikely that you will see any documentary
showing a pack of wolves or any other canine and
especially not a feline, hunting down a pack of corn,
sheaves of wheat or any other grain. These are
generally added to pet foods for filling and are rarely
digested. Dogs convert most carbohydrate sources
like these into fat - fat and protein are converted to
energy and used for building. Dogs and cats are not
like humans - Cats are carnivores by nature and dogs,
although they are omnivorous subsided mostly on
animals and berries and fruits. Make sure you
educate yourself before changing your pets diet.
Other links that might be helpful or fun...
Information links...
Chewing Hints
Dogs like to chew. Make sure that whatever you
give your dog is appropriate to their size and that they
don't take off "chunks" and swallow them. Chew
bones, real or manufactured, are meant to be chewed
and gnawed and not gulped down.
Nutrition Consultations
If you have any questions about nutrition, and would
like a consultation, please let us know. Fill out
the contact form, and let us know that you are
interested in a Nutritional consultation!
Training Tips
Tugging can be a great way to burn off energy. As long as your dog knows how to drop, you don't have to worry about "aggression" or "dominance" issues (which are more likely "haa haa! I have the toy, you can't get it, chase me" games). Tug can be a fun game for you, and your dog and is a good way to burn off some energy. more hints.


The Whole Dog Journal