Clever dogs and crazy people with Wendy Graydon The Dog Trainer

In all the years that I have trained dogs, I have noticed that a dog's diet has a strong correlation to their ability to concentrate and learn new behaviours' in training as well as hold that information easily until the next training session.

A bad diet does affect your dog's ability to listen and do as you ask.

What is a bad diet? Anything that is human food such as your unwanted left over's, sugary treats and overly fatty food also too much food.

Once again health is becoming important for us and as we are becoming careful of our diets and aware of the labeling on our food, your dog's food should also be scrutinized.

A well balanced and monitored diet proves to keep your pet in tip-top condition, this diet should be the closest thing to their ‘wild' diet as possible and what were they eating?

Perhaps it is more of what they were not eating! Because too many wheat laden products are offered to dogs, if your dog was in a wheat field running around would it stop to chew the wheat or choose to chase live prey?

Variety

When we make decisions for our dogs, we tend to come from a humanistic point of view having variety to our diet is important to us and so we think dogs have similar wants.

As soon as our dog turns its nose up at what we put before them, we think they don't like it and try another type or brand of food. We as humans prefer and cannot go without variety, we strive for choice. Though dogs will eat the same thing day in day out and still be satisfied.

Dogs don't have emotional attachment towards food like we do, they get hungry and so they eat. Humans attach a myriad of things to food. Memories, tradition, events and family. Whereas dogs just eat as Christmas day is just another day for our companions. It certainly doesn't have to look good, as you already know dogs will try to eat any smelly, wonderful treasure they find – When was the last time you tried to wrestle a smelly something from your dogs mouth?

We treat and feed our dogs because it makes ‘US' feel good. This is fine that's what we get dogs for, for us, for love, for companionship. Your dog should be given a diet that matches its physical needs.

As we feed our hearts and minds we must be careful to feed our dogs with respect of what and who they are. Balance your decisions with a little research and check the label. Watch out for fat content and the over use of human substitutes for dog food.

Love your dog with health and vitality. The next time you are training your dog and it is not doing as you want besides getting an experienced dog trainer to help you, perhaps a look at your dogs' diet might reveal their inability to concentrate and be the obedient dog you want?

Wendy Graydon

The Dog Trainer

www.thedogtrainer.co.nz