A dog is an instinctively aggressive creature. In the wild, aggression came in very handy: dogs needed aggression to hunt, to defend themselves from other creatures, and to defend resources such as food, a place to sleep, and a mate. Selective breeding over the centuries has minimized and refined this trait significantly, but there’s just no getting around it: dogs are physically capable of inflicting serious harm (just look at those teeth!) because that’s how they’ve survived and evolved. And Mother Nature is pretty wily – it’s hard to counteract the power of instinct! But that doesn’t mean that we, as dog lovers and owners, are entirely helpless when it comes to handling our dogs. There’s a lot that we can do to prevent aggression from rearing its ugly head in the first place – and even if prevention hasn’t been conceivable(for whatever reason), there are however?steps that we can take to recognize and deal with it efficiently. – Different aggression dogs types – There are several different types of canine aggression. The two most common ones are: – Aggression towards strangers – Aggression towards household members You may be wondering why we’re bothering categorizing this stuff: after all, aggression is aggression, and we want to turf it out NOW, not waste time with the details– right? Well … not quite. These two different types of aggression stem from very different causes, and require different types of treatment. – Aggression towards strangers – What is it? It’s pretty easy to tell when a dog’s jittery around strange people. He’s jumpy and on the alert: either he can’t sit still and is constantly fidgeting, leaping at the smallest sound, and pacing around barking and whining; or he’s veerrrry still indeed, sitting rock-steady in one place, staring hard at the object of his suspicions (a visitor, the mailman, someone approaching him on the street while he’s tied up outside a store.) Why does it happen? There’s one major reason why a dog doesn’t like strange people: he’s never had the chance to get used to them. suppose, your dog relies 100% on you to broaden his horizons for him: without being taken on lots of outings to see the world and realize for himself, through consistent and positive mystify s, that the unknown doesn’t necessarily equal bad news for him, how can he realistically be plausible to relax in an unfamiliar situation? What can I do about it? The process of accustoming your dog to the world and all the strange people (and animals) that it contains is known as socialization. This is an incredibly important aspect of your dog’s upbringing: in fact, it’s pretty hard to overemphasize just how important it is. Socializing your dog way exposing him from a young age (generally speaking, as soon as he’s had his vaccinations) to a wide variety of new experiences, new people, and new animals. How does socialization prevent stranger aggression? When you socialize your aggression dogs , you’re getting him to learn through experience that new sights and sounds are fun, not scary. It’s not enough to expose an adult dog to a crowd of unfamiliar people and tell him to “Settle down,
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Filed under Dogs by on May 1st, 2010. 173 Comments.
Check out the can of dog food you are feeding your dog. Don’t just look at the label. “Super Gourmet Beef Delight” doesn’t let you know what your pet is really eating. Read the ingredients. Have you any idea what each ingredient is? What it really is? Not all ingredients inside of a can of food are necessarily good for your dog. Here are three dog food ingredients you need to steer clear of.
Corn (in any form)
You will notice it listed as corn gluten, corn gluten meal, corn cellulose, or just corn. Dogs are carnivores but they can eat and digest vegetable matter. However, corn can be quite difficult for them to digest because they don’t have enough of the correct enzymes. A lot of corn can lead to digestive issues. The corn gluten, gluten meal, and cellulose are used primarily as binders and possess very little nutritional value.
BHA/BHT
These are phenolic antioxidants, used to preserve fats and oils. Many countries have banned these from human use, but they are still permitted in the U.S. They might be human carcinogens and have been demonstrated carcinogenic in animal experiments.
Here’s how this ingredient listing looks on the bag of a preferred brand of kibbles. It is the fourth ingredient, by the way: “Animal Fat (preserved with BHA/BHT)”.
Ethoxyquin
Ethoxyquin is an antioxidant. It was developed by Monsanto as a stabilizer for rubber. It has also been used as a pesticide for fruit and also a color preservative for spices – and later for animal feed. It may be linked to thyroid, kidney, reproductive and immune related illnesses and also cancer. Studies to determine the safety of Ethoxyquin have not been completed, which explains why it’s still allowed in dog foods.
As a side note, if you see that fish meal is an ingredient in the pet food brand you’re using, unless it says “human grade” fish meal, it is preserved with Ethoxyquin, even if it’s not specifically listed.
They are a few of the pet food ingredients you might want to avoid feeding your dog. The best way to make sure that your dog is getting the healthiest, most nutritionally balanced food possible is to make it yourself. Otherwise, you could possibly be compromising your pet’s health without even realizing it.
Filed under Dogs by on May 1st, 2010. 124 Comments.
Most people believe that feeding their dog is the easiest part of owning it. However, this is not necessarily true. It is not only what you are feeding your dog, but also how much you are feeding that is important. When shopping for the best dog food you should really try and base your purchasing decision on the quality of the food, rather than the price tag. The benefits of feeding a good quality dog food are significant and your dog’s overall health and wellbeing will certainly be improved.
A good way of choosing the right dog food is by taking the time to read the ingredients list which should be shown on the packaging. Dogs are carnivores which means they like to eat meat. Therefore, the first ingredient in an adequate bag of dog food should be a form of meat. This meat needs to be lamb, beef, chicken, or liver. At the bottom end of the price scale many cheap dog food products will only contain meat by-products. These should be avoided as they offer little nutritional value. Dog food containing soya should also be avoided as research shows that an increasing number of dogs are allergic or intolerant to it. There are now specialist dog foods available that in addition to providing a nutritionally balanced meal can also improve certain aspects of the animals physical well-being. For example, you can now buy dog food that has been formulated to help clean the animal’s teeth whilst she is chewing.
Just like humans, dogs need a certain amount of fats and oils in their diets and an increasing number of manufacturers are adding good quality Omeaga 6 and 3 oils to their food to aid the dog’s health.
If you have an active dog and are struggling to satisfy her appetite then you should consider purchasing foods high in both protein and carbohydrates as these will help to keeo her energy levels high. Older, less active dogs will not need as high of a calorie diet as those that are younger and more vibrant. Many dog oweners prefer to buy canned dog food. This is a good option but you need to check that the main ingredient listed is not water. The only benefit of a dog food high in water is seen in your pocket. Your dog will not be eating a healthy and nutritious meal with such food. A diet based on canned, wet food should be supplemented with a daily dry snack which your dog can chew on, such as a bone or chewy stick. Giving your pet a high quality food with maximum nutritional value is an excellent way to add energy in your dog’s life and enhance the appearance of his coat, eyes, teeth, and physique. The ticket price of premium dog foods is generally higher but portion sizes are usually smaller, so the cost per bowl will often work out the same as a cheap supermarket type feed.
Filed under Dogs by on May 1st, 2010. 21 Comments.