Dog Food Secrets

by David the Dogman

Dog foods do vary in quality. So do the companies that make the foods. To some companies quality is only a word. To others, it’s a way of life.

Ultimately, the quality of a dog food is best measured by your dog. How your dog performs on the food, how he looks, feels and acts are the best measures of the quality of any food. At least 30 per cent of my clients that report behavioural problems find that a change of food changes the unwanted behaviour.

No matter what a food company claims unless your dog has bright eyes, silky hair and supple skin, and is not overweight, then the food is not right for him.

Not all dogs do well on a particular brand of food, some dogs simply do better than others.

Most foods are categorised as Economy, Regular, Premium, Super Premium and Performance. Regular and Premium foods are not formulated like a Super Premium or Performance food.

Dogs have simple stomachs and short digestive tracts for digesting meat. They also lack the saliva enzyme amylase, which is necessary for pre-digesting starch. Dogs have adapted to foods with high vegetable protein levels, however they perform better when fed foods high in meat protein and animal fats.

Checking the label of a Super Premium or Performance food an animal protein will be listed as the first or second major ingredient. These should include either chicken, or turkey meat, or poultry by products meals, meat or pork meals or other animal by products. A least two sources of fat or oil should be included for adequate energy and essential fatty acids.

Fat in food is the dog’s source of energy. Animal fat contains essential and non-essential fatty acids as well as provides a highly digestible and easily metabolised energy source. Generally, poultry, turkey or chicken fat are higher in quality because they have more unsaturated fatty acids and are more digestible than animal tallow.

Vegetable oils, such as soybean oil, lecithin corn oil, wheat germ oil, sesame seed oil or linseed oil all contain high levels of linoleic acid, an essential fatty acid for dogs. These should be combined with animal fats for the best long-term results of a glossy haircoat and soft pliable skin.

Carbohydrates are the third most important nutrient and ingredient class in modern Super Premium and Performance foods. Simple carbohydrates in dog food come from quality sources like rice, oatmeal, corn or wheat. These are easily digested when properly cooked.

Fibre, a complex carbohydrate is essential for proper digestion and stool formation. Beet pulp and tomato promace are both high in fibre. Other sources of fibre include rice, soy hulls, oat hulls, wheat bran and peanut hulls. All these come from the external portion of the seed coat. These sources except peanut hulls have microscopic sharp edges, which can cause small cuts in the intestine. This reduces the intestine’s effectiveness in nutrient digestion. Peanut hulls on the other hand, have the potential of being contaminated with aflatoxins and should never be used in a quality dog or cat food.

Vitamin and mineral fortification is an absolute necessity in nutritionally balancing any food for dogs. While the vitamins and minerals generally, make up less than 2% of the total food by weight, they provide some of the most crucial nutrients. These include 12 to 16 vitamins and 15 to 25 minerals. Often the list of these micro nutrients is much longer than the list of major ingredients. Expect this list in all dog foods. Super Premium usually feature more than one source for each vitamin and mineral. The ingredient list will be longer compared to non-premium foods.

It is not recommended that you add anything by way of food supplement, or vitamin to Super Premium Foods.

To sum it all up lets us compare Regular/Economic foods to Regular Petrol, then compare a Premium food to a Premium petrol, and of course Super Premium food to a Super Premium petrol. That is a simple example and indication. By the way I would not put diesel in my car, it would not run, it needs super premium petrol.

Commitment, Firmness, but kindness.

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Do you have any problems with your pet? Then why not send your problem to DAVID THE DOGMAN. David is a Canine Behaviourist who works and lives in Marbella, Spain. Tel/Fax (00345) 2883388. His web site is located at: http://www.thedogman.net. David has his own radio and TV shows, and writes for many newspapers and magazines. David has been working with dogs for many years and started his career in Israel, working on the Border Police. He has been involved in all forms of training, including air sea rescue, air scent work, and has trained dogs for finding drugs. David has devoted the past 10 years to studying behaviour and the very passive approach. He does not use choke chains, check chains, or any form of aggression.

David The Dogman is available for private consultations in your home, for further details telephone; Tel; (95) 2883388

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Unlock The Secrets Of Horse Riding

By: Jimmy Cox

You often hear people say that they have been riding since they were three years old, or they were practically born in the saddle. Simple logic will belie this. No child of three years has enough coordination or strength. However, children do have a natural balance but no particular rhythm. Every sportsman knows the necessity of coordination, balance, and rhythm.

Before you buy a horse there should be a year of lessons, not only to learn the fundamentals of riding but to learn how to conduct oneself around an animal and the stables.

Without instruction you pick up a lot of bad habits. It used to be common practice to throw someone into the water to teach him to swim. In self-taught riding you may be able to ride a horse you are familiar with, but put yourself on an animal inclined to be stubborn or one that hasn’t been ridden for some time and you will be grabbing for leather and your apparent accomplishments will suddenly disappear.

Not only will you be embarrassed by your own inadequacies but the horse will recognize the lack of skill and take advantage. Yes, indeed, there is more to riding a horse than the mere act of sitting on his back.

Even though it may take years to become an expert horseman you can have fun learning each lesson. Each bit of knowledge and accomplishment will make you eager for more, and each lesson will become more interesting. In riding, coordination, balance, and rhythm become a habit. Watch a horse suddenly shy with an experienced rider. The horseman’s body works automatically with the motion of the mount, his hands control the horse’s head, and the animal is brought back into position without too much effort.

An uncontrolled horse will do as he pleases. If the inexperienced rider gives the wrong cue, the horse will obey without question, even though it is poor judgment. How many times have you heard people say, “This stupid horse won’t go.” Believe me, it isn’t the horse who is stupid. It is the ignorance of horsemanship showing quite plainly. There is a slogan all horsemen know well, “It is always the rider, never the horse.” It is so easy to blame the horse.

When you start lessons, the first thing that will affect you will be a tinge of fear when you climb on the horse’s back. You have to get used to the height from a horse’s back. You cannot learn to ride as long as you have any fear, because it makes you tense and there is no place for tenseness on a horse’s back.

There is little danger of falling off during the beginner period because you will not be allowed out of a walk until you have learned to sit. However, every horseman falls off sooner or later, and the falling is not so bad as the anticipation. You may be thoroughly jarred but rarely hurt. It is usually the experienced rider who falls, and this is because he rides well enough to become careless with his balance.

To stop the horse, shift the weight slightly back and pull back lightly, then release the reins. The stop should be balanced, and if the horse does not stop, pull harder, forcing the animal to an abrupt halt. By pushing slightly with the balls of the feet and squeezing with the knees, the horse will learn to stop without so much pressure on the reins.

If the horse does not stop well with reasonable pressure on the reins, he should be retrained. The reason for releasing the reins when the cue is first given to stop is because constant pressure on the reins means to “back.”

As has been said, there is a lot to learn in riding a horse, but each stage, each new piece of learning is exciting. Have fun riding!

Article Source: ABC Article Directory

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