Is your dogs food causing bad behaviour?

Many dogs struggle with hyperactivity and aggression. 1 in 3 dogs are dealing with some form of reactivity, and many suffer from chronic stress and anxiety. Is it possible that their diet could be playing a role?

After studying Applied Behaviour Analysis for 10 years, I have only recently become aware of the effects of food on dog behaviour! After completing my first diploma in dog nutrition, it has changed my perspective on the way we feed our dogs, and the importance of a species-appropriate diet.

Providing your dog with proper nutrition is the foundation of having a well behaved dog. It will also make her live a longer, happier life - and potentially save you a lot of money at the vets!

Good quality food is one of the best investments you can make.

Ever tried asking a child who is on a sugar high to concentrate and learn something new?

It’s about as much fun as snagging your belt loop on a door handle when you’re already running late.

Just as kids become hyper and inattentive with a high-carb diet, so do our dogs! We can’t expect them to be calm and polite when they are filled with sugar at every meal.

We, just like dogs, did not evolve to eat such large quantities of carb-dense foods.

As our human diets have unfortunately progressed towards carb-heavy meals, so have the diets of our dogs.

This has had many negative effects on their physical health as well as upon their overall behaviour and trainability.

Carbs and starches such as wheat, white potato, and maize/corn will be converted to sugar and increase symptoms of hyperactivity, as well as increasing the risk of diabetes, obesity, and other health problems.

Obesity leads to the early breakdown of joints, heart & breathing problems, and generally doesn’t make you feel too good.

Set your dog up for success by feeding them a species-appropriate diet. You wouldn’t feed a cat lettuce.

We can’t expect our dogs to be calm and healthy on a diet of processed wheat and corn.

Dogs need a diet that is roughly 80% meat, raw bones, and organs (no more than 5% of that should be liver), and 20% vegetables, fruit, and herbs.

If you are buying pre-made raw food, these proportions will already be mixed up for you. Look for 80:20 on the label. Otherwise, find a dry food brand that resembles this ratio as closely as possible.

Dr Karen Shaw Becker and Rodney Habib published an excellent book titled ‘The Forever Dog’. I will quote from pages 14-15, and 20:

“Contrary to conventional wisdom, dogs don’t have a carbohydrate requirement, and the average bag of grain-based food is often more than 50% carbs, largely from insulin-raising corn or potatoes. [...] Grain-free dog food fares no better, at about 40% sugars and starches, on average. Don’t be fooled by the “grain-free” labelling that seemingly shouts “healthy”. Some grain-free kibble has the most starch of any pet food. [...]

A starch-heavy diet sets the stage for a host of degenerative diseases that can be avoided by choosing less metabolically stressful foods. [...] Replacing as little as 10 percent of your dog’s daily processed pet food (kibble) with fresh food creates positive changes in a dog’s body, so it’s not an all-or-nothing mentality when it comes to improving your dog’s health. [...]

Food is one of the most potent ways to build or destroy health in our companions (and ourselves); it can either heal or harm. And you cannot supplement your way to compensate for poor-quality food–that’s like taking a multivitamin while eating junky fast food every day. [...]

Like most medical students, veterinary students are not taught extensive nutrition in their education. [...] Vets learn protocols to prescribe after disease is present, but not a single preventative strategy, aside from weight management, was ever taught during my years of veterinary training.”

And yet many pet food companies, some of which are “supported by vets” are disappointingly made up of mostly grains and other cereals.

Their branding makes you think they must be high quality, and the high price point also leads us to assume that this must be a good quality diet for our dogs.

Many of these companies will proudly boast “grain free” on their packaging, and yet they fill it with cheap corn, peas, and soy.

Soy and wheat are among the most common allergens that dogs tend to develop, and yet I have seen several ‘specialty’ dog foods targeted at dogs with allergies that contain wheat and soy as the first two ingredients!

I won’t mention names, but let’s just say the bag may or may not feature a red crown logo and is frequently sold as a ‘prescription food’ by vets. 

When I owned a pet shop in Malta, most quality dog food brands such as AATU, Orijen, Alpha Spirit, and Lily’s Kitchen had a profit margin of around 20%. This brand with the red crown logo had a profit margin of 40%!

As tempting as it was to cash-in on this, we refused to sell this brand on the grounds that the marketing was deceiving customers in regards to the quality, and potentially causing harm to their dogs.

How was this company able to offer a 40% markup to their resellers?

Think about it for a moment.

Good quality brands spend a lot of money on good quality ingredients; this company was spending their money on a deceptive marketing campaign, and then bulking out the food with soy, wheat, and ‘hydrolysed poultry derivatives’.

Despite the fact that poultry, wheat, and soy are the top causes of allergies in dogs, they still have the audacity to market this food as ‘hypoallergenic’. They are depending on us to be ignorant of the facts due to our busy lifestyles, and the deliberate vagueness of their labelling.

All you really need to know is this: go and get your dog food bag right now. Look at the ingredients list. If the first ingredient is maize, cereals, wheat, or ‘hydrolysed poultry derivatives’ just throw it in the bin. Look for a dog food that is at least 60% meat. Preferably 80%, but not everyone’s budget will stretch to the super premium kibble.

For more information on comparing dog food brands and the quality of their ingredients, go to allaboutdogfood.com

This is an independent website, and a fantastic easy-to-use resource that helps you choose a quality dog food within your budget. You can select your dog’s weight, the age, and your daily budget - they will show you the best options for your dog!

If you’re curious as to what we feed our dogs at home: we feed Durham raw food from Grampian Pet Services in Aberdeen. One of our dogs favourite flavours is Turkey & Tripe. We mix in a little kefir (fermented milk) and some raw Scottish oats (about a tablespoon per meal for our large dogs).

For treats, we use only dried meat chunks, also bought in 1kg bags from Grampian Pet Services. They have wild boar, duck, venison, beef, rabbit, and chicken. These treats are a great option for dogs with allergies too, as there are no added ingredients.

Ditch those DentaStix! Most processed ‘dental chews’ are made of white potato - which is worse for teeth than sugar! For dental health, we make sure our dogs always have access to deer antlers, horns, and get dried chicken feet regularly.

This post is not sponsored, we just love Grampian Pet Services!

They will happily order in anything you need, so if it’s out of stock don’t hesitate to contact their friendly and knowledgeable team.