Finding A Decent Commercial Dog Food Part One Ingredients First

The phrase "healthy dog food" means a lot of different things to different people. Dry dog food is by far the most common and easy to use, but also is the most processed, and carbohydrate-heavy dog food you can find. Personally, I home cook a balanced diet for my dog, Dexter. This allows me to truly customize his dietary needs, and he receives a healthy, fresh, preservative-free meal at every feeding. You too can learn how in, Whats For Dinner, Dexter?

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Today, I want to help you make the best dog food decision for your dog and your lifestyle. One that makes sense for you. This dog food blog is just meant to shed a little light on how to choose a commercial pet food if thats your choice. I will cover a raw diet, canned dog food, and dry dog food. My food recommendations will provide you with some ideas, and companies to look into, it is by far not a complete list. But, hopefully, my tips, and what to look for will teach you how to read and understand pet food labels.

So, here we go. First up, the ingredient list. This is such a crucial part in determining the actual meat portion of your dogs food. So often, people are swayed by the images of the pet food bag, celebrity endorsements or their friends. But, Im asking you to put those images, and endorsements aside, and flip over the bag and read the ingredient list.

The label. Dogs need meat. Dogs need a good portion of meat. When I home cook Dexters meal, I shoot for 70% meat, 15% fruits and vegetables and 15% healthy grains or beans. If you are reading a pet food label, and looking for a high-quality, meat-rich diet, minimally the first 3-5 ingredients listed should be a named meat source such as salmon, turkey, chicken or beef. This can be followed by a few fruits, veggies, and grains. Remember, a label is listed by weight, so you want your meat up there at the top. If you have a meat source or two, followed by a potato or grain, you are losing your meat.

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Heres an example taken from Primals Duck Formula: Duck, Duck Necks, Duck Wings, Organic Kale, Duck Hearts, Duck Gizzards, Organic Carrots, Organic Squash, Duck Livers, Organic Broccoli, Organic Apples, Blueberries, Cranberries, Organic Pumpkin Seeds, Organic Sunflower Seeds, Montmorillonite Clay, Organic Parsley, Organic Apple Cider Vinegar, Salmon Oil, Organic Coconut Oil, Organic Quinoa Sprout Powder, Dried Organic Kelp, Alfalfa, Vitamin E Supplement, Mixed Tocopherols (natural preservative).

Heres an example of Merricks Duck Formula: Deboned Duck, Duck Meal, Sweet Potatoes, Peas, Potatoes, Pea Protein, Duck Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), Natural Flavor, Potato Protein, Organic Alfalfa, Salt, Minerals (Zinc Sulfate, Iron Amino Acid Complex, Zinc Amino Acid Complex, Manganese Amino Acid Complex, Copper Amino Acid Complex, Potassium Iodide, Cobalt Amino Acid Complex, Sodium Selenite), Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin A Acetate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Niacin, Riboflavin Supplement, Biotin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Thiamine Mononitrate), Choline Chloride, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Dried Lactobacillus plantarum Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus casei Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococcus faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus Fermentation Product, Rosemary Extract.

Can you see how one ingredient list is much heavier in meat? Then take a look at the squash, potato, pea list. Not that any of those items is bad in themselves, but the shear quantity of Merrick vs. Primal. That means there are a lot of carbohydrate foods vs. meat.

Lets look at yet another pet food label. This dog food doesnt even have meat as the first ingredient. There are also lots of potatoes and peas.

Natural Balance Potato and Duck Formula: Potatoes, Duck Meal, Duck, Canola Oil (preserved with natural mixed tocopherols), Potato Protein, Potato Fiber, Natural Flavor, Dicalcium Phosphate, Sodium Chloride, Calcium Carbonate, Salmon Oil, Flaxseed, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Taurine, Natural Mixed Tocopherols, L-Carnitine, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Vitamin E Supplement, Iron Proteinate, Zinc Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Potassium Iodide, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B-1), Manganese Proteinate, Manganous Oxide, Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin A Supplement, Biotin, Niacin, Calcium Pantothenate, Manganese Sulfate, Sodium Selenite, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B-6), Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Riboflavin (Vitamin B-2), Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Folic Acid

Finally, we can view one of the worst dog foods out there, Beneful. You might be shocked when you read the ingredient list and, unfortunately, there are plenty of other low-quality, dog foods out there, just as bad.

Beneful Original Formula: Ground yellow corn, chicken by-product meal, corn gluten meal, whole wheat flour, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols, rice flour, beef, soy flour, meat and bone meal, propylene glycol, sugar, tricalcium phosphate, salt, phosphoric acid, potassium chloride, animal digest, sorbic acid (a preservative), mono and dicalcium phosphate, dried spinach, dried peas, dried carrots, L-Lysine monohydrochloride, calcium propionate (a preservative), choline chloride, zinc sulfate, Vitamin E supplement, ferrous sulfate, manganese sulfate, Red 40, niacin, Vitamin A supplement, Yellow 6, Yellow 5, copper sulfate, Vitamin B-12 supplement, calcium pantothenate, Blue 2, thiamine mononitrate, garlic oil, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin supplement, Vitamin D-3 supplement, calcium iodate, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), folic acid, biotin, sodium selenite.

I honestly want to cry when I read that list. Some of those ingredients are not only unhealthy, but actually toxic! Look a few up for yourself. You can start with propylene glycol. Beef is the only real meat in there, and that is so far down the list. I highlighted animal, meat and bone because they are not named items. Meaning, animal, meat or bone is very likely your neighborhood dog that was euthenized! Yes, that is a true statement.

Here are 10 ingredients that are never in any of Dexters food or treats.

1. Flavors of any kind, natural or artificial- No artificial or natural "flavors" of any kind.  If it says "flavor" in the ingredient list, back on the shelf it goes.  Its not real food guys.  And if its not a real food ingredient, it  has no place in my dogs treat, or dog food.
2. Added salt, regular or sea salt- Nope, no reason to add salt in my dogs treat.  Every living creature needs sodium in their diet, but too much can cause problems such as seizures, diarrhea & extra water intake.  A lot of foods have natural occurring sodium, so you do not need extra salt added to treats.
3. Sugar or any kind including high corn fructose, corn syrup or cane sugar- I shouldnt need to tell you this.  If we add sugar or high corn fructose we are truly just adding empty calories.  Not only are these ingredients bad for our dogs health, they will also hop them up & they can become hyperactive. 
4. Sorbitol-A sugar commonly found in berries, but prepared synthetically.
5. By-products or digest- Ewww  I want to make sure my dog receives healthy food not what is left on the floor of some meat manufacturing plant.  Or carcasses from veterinarian practices!  Scary, isnt it?  Again, I want to know what is in that bag of treats.
6. Coloring, artificial or natural- Why?  Why would a pet treat manufacture put dye or coloring in my dogs treat?  To please the consumers eyes of course.  Especially when we are talking about artificial food coloring.  Artificial anything is a chemical process & has a long list of possible side effects.  And dont be fooled by "natural food coloring".  Natural can be made by things like bugs & rocks!
7. Animal fat or anything "animal" "meat"- What kind of animal or meat?  Again, what the heck is in there anyway?  When I read it, I should have a very clear picture of what it is.
8. Chemical Preservatives - Chemical preservatives of any kind should be avoided.  Healthy does not equate to chemicals.  No BHT (Butylated Hydroxytoluene), BHA (Butylated Hydroxyanisole), Ethoxyquin, TBHQ (tertiary butylhydroquinone), Propyl Gallate, Propylene glycol, Sodium Nitrite.  BHA, BHT & Ethoxyquin  are banned in human foods.
9. Corn, wheat or soy-A lot of our dog friends are allergic, or have a low tolerance to these ingredients.  According to PetCareRX, that excessive soy may contain estrogen that might provide some estrogen-like activity in your dog & contribute to slightly lower thyroid hormone levels.
10. Glycerin, vegetable glycerin or glycerole-Glycerin or glycerole can actually be produced as a by product of diesel fuel!  It will be unlikely you will know the difference from reading the ingredient list (although vegetable glycerin is plant based, not from fuel).  This is an ingredient in dog treats that helps make a treat soft & sugary.  It is not uncommon for dogs to get a big case of diarrhea from eating treats with this product.  Dexter is one of them.

Food for thought, for sure. Stay tuned for my next installment, which will cover the processing of dog food. Dont miss out, sign up for my newsletter and follow me on Facebook.

Do you need extra dog training help?  I offer in-person,  phone consultations, weekend dog retreats and public seminars.  Contact me today for details.

Tonya Wilhelm-Global Dog Training http://www.globaldogtraining.com

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Polite Dog Human Greeting Part 1

"Can I pet your dog?" This may be a question you hear & start to worry about how your dog will greet a stranger. Will your dog jump on your guest? Will your dog knock your guest over when saying hello?

Why do dogs even jump up on people? In most cases it is just because we are taller than them & they are trying to get to our faces for a social greeting. This is a pretty normal dog behavior, but something most humans do not appreciate. This article is the first in a series that will start you & your dog on a better path to polite dog and human greeting behaviors.

Your Family: First lets address how you & your family greet your dog. After a long day at work you are probably eager to see your dog & start baby talking your dog, "Dexter Ive missed you so much! Oh, you are such a handsome boy!" If you are speaking to your dog in a high pitched, excited tone you are likely going to increase his excitement & your dog will start to get bouncy & jumpy. So, lets tone it down a bit.

Walk in your house calmly & smile softly at your dog. "Hiiii. Deexxter." Quickly squat down to your dogs level and gently rub his chest & talk very softly to him. If he jumps up, stand up & ignore him until he gets all 4 on the floor again. Repeat. It will be a bit of a Yo-Yo exercise for you. Dont yell at him, dont tell him "off," just stand up and ignore him. My rule is I have an "Invisible Dog" when my dog is jumping up on me (or barking for attention). As soon as those feet go back down, he reappears.

Fast Tip: You can jump start your dogs polite greeting behavior by the use of food or toys. When greeting your dog, or coming home from work, or letting your dog out of his crate, have some dog treats or dog food on you or in your pocket. As soon as you see your dog, drop a dog treat or dog food kibble at his feet. Repeat as soon as he finishes eating the treat. Do this as you walk around with your dog or take your dog outside to potty. As your dog gets better at this routine, your kibble drops will be spaced out more. Instead of a kibble drop every second, its every 3 seconds, 5 seconds, etc until they are no longer needed.

To use a toy in polite dog greeting behavior, you must first find a toy your dog thinks is very exciting and he wants to eagerly fetch or hold. Sometimes this means having a cupboard full of new dog toys to keep them interesting & engaging. As soon as you see your dog wiggle the toy & toss. You may need to have a few toys in your hand so you can keep tossing as you walk around with your dog. Again, this is a behavior you can fade over time.

Exercise and Attention: Please remember that your dog needs to be adequately exercised every day both physically and mentally. If your dog does not get physical & mental and quality bonding time with you, he is unlikely to be successful. If you are unsure if you provide your dog with enough exercise & attention, keep a log book for a week. Write down your daily activities with your dog. And when I say "with your dog" I mean that you are actually paying attention to & bonding with. Not that your dog is laying on the floor in the same room. Dogs are Mans/Womans Best Friends for a reason. They need you & your attention.

Read the second installment of polite greeting!

Need some extra help?  I offer both in person & online, web, video instruction!

Please feel free to contact me for details.

Tonya Wilhelm-Global Dog Training http://www.globaldogtraining.com

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Kids Dogs Part One Walking The Dog

This will likely be an ongoing topic since there are so many nuances on how kids & dogs should interact, be actively supervised by adults & safe games for kids and dogs to play together.  I already wrote an article on How Kids Should Greet Dogs, so please check that out.  Plus another article Please Dont Stare which are two other good topics when teaching kids to be safe around dogs.

I will say once again, that two of my personal favoritethings in life are dogs & kids.  Over my last 16 years working professionally with families & dogs I have truly enjoyed working with these two fun & living souls.  But that does not mean they arent challenging!

Primary Focus On Her Dog

Todays post was sparked by my recent (10 minutes ago) walk with my own dog Dexter.  While Dexter and I were casually strolling our neighborhood, we saw 3 young children (guessing first grade) walking a 25lb or so dog.  I proceeded to start to give them more distance as I always do for dogs I dont know & as they approached, I could see the one girl grip the leash tighter.  As we passed she said how her dog doesnt like other dogs & growls & barks at them.  Thankfully Dexter tends to be so neutral that a lot of dogs do not respond to him & their dog just walked past like we werent even there.

Wow!  My mind was just in overdrive as Dexter & I continued to walk home.  There are so many things with this scenario that makes my hair stand on end.  So lets breakdown the idea of kids walking dogs WITHOUT an adult with them.

At what age should a child be allowed to take the family dog for a walk without an adult?  As you can imagine there is not a gold standard in age.  But I wouldnt even consider a child under 12 to take a dog for a walk without an adult.  There needs to be some social maturity holding that leash.  Then I would look at a few key factors before making a decision.  You should be able to answer YES to all the questions below without any hesitation.

v     Does the child respect & always treat the dog kindly?

v     Will the child be able to handle the dog if he does get excited?

v     Will the child prioritize the dogs needs above their own?

v     Does your child know to pick up the dogs poo?

What about the dogs behavior & personality?  Once you have come to the conclusion that your

Photos Courtesy of Kelly Chalfant

child is mature enough to walk a dog without an adult, we need to look at the dogs personality & behavior to see if he is a suitable candidate.  You should be able to answer YES to all the questions below without any hesitation.

v     Is the dog well behaved in public & on a leash?

v     Does the dog pretty much ignore small critters such as bunnies, cats, & squirrels? 

v     Does the dog care less about passing traffic, noises & booms?

v     Does the dog listen well to the child?

v     Is the dog friendly with all strangers, but not too overly excited?

v     Does he ignore other dogs?

Where will your child be walking the family dog?  Even if your child is mature & your dog is low key & responsive to your child, the environment can play a huge factor in your decision making.  I am sad to report that I know a handful of children who where appropriate & their dog was appropriate whos dogs were attacked by other off leash dogs.  This is so terribly upsetting to me on so many levels.  Yes, I did write an article on What To Do If You Run Into An Off Leash Dog, one of my most popular articles to date, which unfortunately says a lot.

This is something  you really should think long & hard about.  As a parent you are making a decision for your child that could affect the rest of their life both emotionally & possibly physically if anything should go wrong.  I would like to say it doesnt happen that often, or only happens in "bad neighborhoods" but in my personal experience that has not been the case.

So now what?  I know I am not a parent to a human child, but I have been working with parents, their children & dogs for quite some time now to have a good grasp on what is safe behavior & what is risky behavior.  Im not a risk taker when it comes to people or dogs in my care.  So what this means to me is that I would urge you to walk WITH  your children & dogs as a family outing.  This is a wonderful time to bond with your children & to continue to teach them life lessons on dogs & dog responsibility.  Leave the ultimate responsibility of your dog & children in your hands not theirs.  

Enjoy your family & get out walking!

Need some extra help?  I offer both in person & online, web, video instruction!

Please feel free to contact me for details.

Tonya Wilhelm-Global Dog Training http://www.globaldogtraining.com

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Introducing a New Dog Part 2

Todays article was Introducing a New Dog Part 1 so you might want to read that first before reading part 2.

If your having trouble with your new dog and your dog not getting along, there are some things you can do. One thing to keep in mind though, is how bad are they not getting along? If they really dont like each other, is it fair to either of them to keep this new dog? If they arent getting along at all, even though there are things we can do, you will probably not be able to trust the two together. Is this something your willing to take on?

First thing we can do, is introduce both dogs to the Clicker. Make sure both dogs understand what the click means, bring them into the same area, but far apart from each other. Youll need another person to help you, each of you handling each dog. You want to click and reward each time the dog looks away from the other dog. Once your dog is focusing on you, more than the other dog you can move in closer. Continue clicking and rewarding each dog for ignoring the other dog.

You want to move in closer very slowly, inches at a time. Once your able to be about 5-10 feet from each other, start walking both dogs, keeping that distance between you. Keep clicking and rewarding for the dogs not paying any attention to the other dog. Youll have to use your own judgment here on when to move closer together. You only want to move closer when both dogs are doing really good on focusing on you. Remember, dogs are dogs and an attack can break out at any time. If your uncomfortable with this and really bad about reading dog body language, I recommend getting a professional to help you.

As you get closer, make sure the dogs are focusing on you. If dogs are doing extremely well, face one dogs butt towards the other one, click and reward the dog and keep his head occupied. You should pet him, holding his neck so he cant turn to bite the other dog. If hes being good you should also be treating him with your other hand. Let the other dog sniff him and be sure to reward that dog for good behavior too, not showing any sign of dominance. Now do the same with the other dog, letting that dog sniff. After doing this, please dont think both dogs are fine now and you can just let them play. You want to continue this for a few weeks, and. Go different places and practice, practice in the house, practice having dogs do obedience or tricks while in the same room. You want to do this until each dog is no longer showing ANY aggression signs towards each other. Even then you have to really watch them.

I highly recommend a professional to help you through this.

You might look into Its Me or the Dog: How to Have the Perfect Pet, if your familiar with the TV show Its Me or the Dog, this is a book written by Victoria herself. I have not read it, so I dont know if it covers anything pertaining to introducing two dogs to each other. I do know Victoria follows this method of introducing dogs though.

Another that might help you is Cesars Rules: Your Way to Train a Well-Behaved Dog. Another favorite among many is Cesar Millan. Though I have read one of Cesars books and it was a good read, I havent read this one. So once again I dont know if it would help you with introducing dogs or not.

Heres one Ive recommended before and will recommend many more times is Don Sullivans The Perfect Dog. Since the DVD on Amazon is so high priced, this time Ive linked you directly to the thane website where you can find lots of information on Don and his products. Watch videos and read testimonials. Once again I have his system myself and promise you, this is the real deal. I will say once again if you are all about positive reinforcement training and clicker training, you will NOT be happy with his system. He doesnt use treats at all and relies on a system of praise, toys, and freedom, along with discipline. If treats and clickers arent working for you, get his system. This system WILL help you in introducing two dogs and much more. You will be happy with how much information you will gain from his 2 DVD set. Here are a couple of videos to show you what I mean:





I have done his method on introducing several dogs, and yes they actually do respond exactly how the dogs in those videos do. It can be done.

Hopefully you find something that works for you and you can get your dogs doing good together. Dog aggression is difficult to explain when writing, and can be unethical to give tips when you havent seen the situation. I recommend educating yourself, and getting help from a Professional if your having trouble with your dogs. Find a method that works for you, if one method isnt working, try another one. Not all training methods work for every dog.

Also, we now have our own online store. Go to the link on the right and feel free to browse through.

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