By Linda Hamilton
I may earn a small commission if you buy stuff through the links 🙂
One of the most important responsibilities you have as a dog owner is feeding him a high-quality and nutritious diet. The diet you are feeding your dog affects your furry friend’s overall health and well-being. Here are some things to keep in mind when feeding your dog:
Health problems
Just like us humans, dogs also can develop health problems.
When a dog overeats, he can become overweight and, in addition, can get severe health problems, such as diabetes, joint issues, cardiovascular disease, problems with breathing, and a short life expectancy.
So feeding your dog the right amount of food regarding his breed, age, and size is vital.
Your dog can also get sick if his diet doesn’t meet his needs or it doesn’t contain the necessary nutrients, such as proteins, fats, carbs, fibers, minerals, and vitamins.
You shouldn’t give your dog foods with a lot of salt, since the dog’s system is very sensitive to the bad effects of sodium.
Regular eating routines
Feeding a dog should be regular, and meal times should happen at a specific time daily.
After a puppy has been separated from his mother, he needs many small meal portions daily. At first, puppies eat four times a day, and after six months, three times a day. The time between each meal should be at least about 4 hours. This way, the digestive system has time to rest between each meal.
Most adult dogs only need to eat two times a day.
Eating too fast
Dogs are naturally fast eaters. Especially if you have many dogs in your household, they tend to eat fast, so others won’t eat their food.
It is good to slow your dog’s eating speed because if he eats fast, it might cause some issues. These issues can be digestive problems such as flatulence and puking.
Locate your dog’s bowl in a calm place where your dog can eat in peace and without a rush.
Another way to slow your dog’s eating down is to give the food from an anti-gulping bowl.
Ideal weight for your dog
Every breed has a different structure so find out what kind of structure your dog should have. If you are not sure how much your dog should weigh, turn to your veterinarian.
An overweight dog’s belly is big and his neck has fat folds. You are not able to feel or see his ribs, compared to an underfed dog, whose face is thin and you can see and feel his ribs easily. Their belly has shrunk.
A healthy dog has a muscular body that is not bony. Its fur is shiny.
How to deal with obesity on a dog
Every dog can become overweight if they eat too much and don’t move enough. If a dog overeats, it can lead to heart problems, diabetes, and joint pain.
To prevent your dog from becoming obese make sure you:
- feed him just the right amount considering his age, size, and his activity levels
- ask help from a vet for a dietary plan for your dog
- weigh your dog regularly
- keep an eye on his bodily structure to make sure he is not overfed; you can for example take a picture of him every week to see if any change has happened to his weigh
Begging
You shouldn’t feed your dog from the table or off your plate.
By doing this, you might teach your dog to beg.
He might learn to climb up to the table, and when you don’t notice, he could eat something. This way, he could eat something harmful to him, or he could fall and hurt himself.
If your dog has learned to beg, a way to stop your dog from begging is to try your best to ignore him completely whenever he begs.
Other things
Your dog’s bowl needs to be washed after every meal. Also, his water bowl should be washed regularly.
I suggest you use a stainless steel bowl because it won’t break. It is easy to rinse out and clean. It is also harder to knock over. It can be used for food and water.
When your dog is done eating take his bowl away.
You don’t always have to feed your dog from a bowl.
You can also hide dog food around the house so he can search for it. This is also a great mental stimulus for your dog.
A portion or all of his food can be offered to him as a reward along with training. Make sure your dog always has fresh drinking water available to him.
Both puppy’s and adult dog diets should be balanced and full of nutrients. Your puppy needs to have a balanced and nutritious diet so that he can grow into a healthy and strong adult.
Choose a food specifically for puppies, and when they are grown up, switch to food meant for full-grown adult dogs.
