Is On-Demand Feeding Bad for My Dog?

Feeding dogs on demand, also known as free feeding, might seem like a convenient option. However, this feeding approach can end up creating problems or making life in your home more unpleasant for you and your dog. Feeding dogs at regular times rather than on demand offers the following benefits.

Easier House Training

When you’re house training your dog, free feeding can make it difficult to prevent accidents from happening. Regular meals mean that dogs can be taken outside to eliminate at regular times. This can help your dog learn when and where to go to eliminate, which reduces the risk of accidents in your home.

Better Pest Control

Ants, mice and other pests can easily help themselves to your dog’s food if you leave it out at all times, especially overnight. When your dog is fed at certain times, you’ll be able to pick up and clean the empty bowl right away instead of having it sitting out with food in it. This helps discourage pests that would normally go after pet food, which helps keep your home healthier for you and your pet.

Health Checks

Free feeding makes it difficult to determine if your dog has had any changes in feeding habits. Dogs that have appetite changes, such as losing their appetite, might have health problems that need to be treated. Feeding dogs at certain times allows you to notice any appetite changes and schedule a vet visit if needed.

More Training Sessions

When you feed your dog at regular times, you can turn these into short training sessions. Work on training your dog to come to you when called or sit calmly and wait until you give a signal that it’s time to eat, rather than jumping around in excitement. You can also train your dog to stay before being allowed to eat.

If you need some help training your dog or correcting certain behaviors, contact DoGone Fun. At our facility, we offer group and individual training to help dogs learn to behave and follow commands.

This article was previously published at https://www.dogonefunchicago.com/owning-a-dog/is-on-demand-feeding-bad-for-my-dog/

Training Your Dog To Not Be Aggressive

Having an aggressive dog around can make your home uncomfortable and even dangerous. Whether you have a dog who doesn’t get along with other pets or a dog who snarls or snaps while guarding food or other items, it’s important to get that behavior under control. Find out how to understand why your dog acts this way and what to do about it.

Find the Cause of Aggression

Certain situations can trigger aggression in dogs. One of the first steps to take when you’re working on changing your dog’s behavior is getting to the root of it. When does your dog growl or snarl? This can happen when another pet is around or when something has happened, such as someone in your home getting too close to your dog’s food dish or a favorite treat.

Keep in mind that aggression can sometimes occur when dogs sense a lot of stress in their owners. You should also bring your dog to the vet to rule out any underlying health problems that could be causing aggressive behavior, such as a condition that causes chronic pain.

Remove or Manage Causes of Aggression

Depending on what triggers aggression in your dog, you might have a simple way to eliminate this behavior. In some cases, managing a health problem or getting rid of a trigger, such as something causing fear or possessiveness, is all that is needed.

Change Your Dog’s Behavior with Training

When you can’t remove or manage causes of aggression, then you’ll need to work on changing your dog’s behavior through training. This typically involves using an approach known as counter-conditioning and desensitization to help your dog overcome aggressive responses to certain situations or triggers, such as another pet. If you’re uncomfortable trying this kind of training on your own, have a professional dog trainer help you out.

If you’re having trouble teaching your dog to behave, contact DoGone Fun. We offer individual dog training and group training for dog owners in the Chicago area, including private lessons at our facility or in your home.

This article was previoulsy published at https://www.dogonefunchicago.com/dog-training/training-your-dog-to-not-be-aggressive/

Dog Food Recall

Does your current dog boarding facility provide food for your dog while they stay there?  Do they feed them premium dog food, or is just something ordinary and maybe not even being of good quality?  Even though your furry baby may be only staying just a few days, it’s important to know what food is in your dog’s bowl.

Making sure that your dogs eat healthy involves more than finding high-quality foods that offer the right nutrients and ingredients. It’s also important to keep an eye out for any dog food recalls that have been issued. Several types of dry dog foods were recently found to have toxic levels of vitamin D, resulting in recalls. Hills Pet Nutrition also recalled canned dog foods for this same reason.

Vitamin D Toxicity in Dogs

The foods in question were found to have elevated amounts of vitamin D. Some dogs who ate these foods developed symptoms of vitamin D toxicity, which can be serious. Some of these symptoms include appetite loss, vomiting, excessive drooling and increased thirst. Complications from vitamin D toxicity can cause dogs to develop kidney failure and other problems that can be fatal. The FDA hasn’t linked any deaths to these foods, but many cases of illness in dogs have occurred.

How to Check for Dog Food Recalls

The FDA keeps track of dog food recalls and provides an updated list for consumers online. You should check this list from time to time to see if any of the brands you feed your pets are on it. If they are, you should stop giving your dogs this food immediately and switch to a different one.

What should you do if the dog food you get hasn’t been recalled, but your pets are showing signs of illness? You should bring your dogs to the vet, especially if they are showing any serious signs of illness, such as symptoms of vitamin D toxicity. You should also give them a different dog food if you believe the food they are eating might be making them ill. You can ask your vet for recommendations on foods that have similar ingredients, so that your dogs can adjust to the new food easily.

If you’re nervous about what your dogs eat, keep in mind that you can bring their regular dog food with them when you board them at DoGone Fun. Contact us for more details on our dog boarding policies.

If you want to know what foods have been recalled, click on the link: https://www.fda.gov/animalveterinary/safetyhealth/recallswithdrawals/default.htm for more information.

This article was previously published at https://www.dogonefunchicago.com/owning-a-dog/dog-food-recall/