A Guide to Feeding Your Dog

The right diet for your dog begins in the pet store with selecting the right dog food. Many dog foods are made with corn or other grains as filler. Corn has no place in a dog's diet; this is evident as dogs have sharp canine teeth designed for eating meat, not for grinding grains. In addition, their digestive tracts are much shorter than a human's, and protein from grains often passes through them without being fully absorbed.

This results in the need to feed your dog more in order to give him the proper amount of protein he needs and also results in your dog going to the bathroom more frequently. Check the ingredient label for any dog food you buy: the dog food should be made of meat. Beware of meat by-products, as this may include things like chicken beaks and cow hooves that don't really have many nutrients.

Choosing the right kind of dog food – one made primarily of high-quality meat – will keep your dog healthy and happy. Even though the best kinds of dog food will be expensive, it will help you avoid veterinarian bills down the road, which will be even more expensive. A little forethought with selecting your dog's food can actually help save you quite a bit of money down the line.

Puppies must be fed more frequently with a special high-nutrient puppy formula since they are growing and developing so quickly. The amount of food to feed them depends on breed size; generally, the dog food you buy will have guidelines on how much to feed your dog each day. You should feed a puppy two to four times a day, so divide the daily guidelines by the number of times you feed him each day to see how much to feed him at each meal. Generally, most breeds should eat puppy dog food until they are a year old, and for some large breeds they should eat puppy formula for up to two years since they are still growing rapidly.

Dogs should generally be fed on a fixed schedule; not only will this prevent them from overeating, but it will also keep them on a regular bathroom schedule as well. Keeping your dog on a regular feeding schedule and taking him for walks on a regular schedule will minimize bathroom accidents within the home. Some dog owners allow their dogs to eat freely, refilling the food bowl when it is empty. This encourages overeating and obesity, so it should be avoided. You should also avoid switching brands of dog food suddenly, as this causes digestive upset in dogs and can cause diarrhea. If you want to switch to a new brand, feed your dog a mixture of half his old brand and half his new brand for a week until his digestive system has time to adjust.

Dry dog food should be preferred over canned whenever possible. Canned dog food may be more pleasing for your dog, but has negative effects on your pet's breath and dental health – dry dog food is great for your dog's teeth. In addition, since canned dog food has a content of mostly water, your dog will have to eat more of it to get the same amount of nutrition, making it generally more expensive than dry dog food.

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