Monday, December 14, 2009

Healthy Homemade Dog Food

Many of us are concerned about the commercial dog foods on the market today. We hear about recalls and health concerns even deaths related to them. They often contain fillers with no nutritional value and a list of ingredients that we don't understand.

You may want to consider making your own homemade dog food. You don't need any special training or tools just the motivation to ensure that your homemade dog food is the best choice for you and your dog. It is simple to do and can be done at the same time you are making your own dinner.

Basically, whatever you are having minus added salt, spices and fat your dog can have and let's face it what four legged friend of our's doesn't appreciate a homemade meal too.

For the most part your dog's nutritional requirements are the same as yours. Water, protein, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals ensuring your dog is getting his daily dose of each of these elements will help keep him happy and healthy. Generally speaking most dogs require a mix of different ingredients in order to make it the healthiest dog food for your Aussie.

In most cases, this means you should make your homemade dog food 40% meat, 30% fiber and 30% starch. This variable may change a little bit, depending on the breed and size of your dog, but it's a pretty consistent guideline that can be used to make your own homemade dog food

Supplying fresh clean water daily not only helps keep her hydrated but helps nutrients and waste products flow through the body.

Protien plays a role in tissue growth and repair. Fats supply energy and vitamins as well as add flavour which can determine how much food they will eat. Fat also helps maintain a nice healthy coat.

Carbohydrates are an energy source as they are broken down and metabolized.

Vitamins and Minerals help the proper absorption of fats and carbohydrates and for the chemical reactions in the body. It is essential that you get enough vitamins and minerals in your homemade dog food. It's recommended that you also include high quality dog food supplements to make sure your dog is getting everything she needs.

Vitamin A is essential for healthy skin, eyes and your immune system and can be found in:

Spinach
Cucumber
Corn
Asparagus
Pumpkin
Carrots
Peas
Broccoli
Cabbage
Vitamin C is essential for a healthy immune system. Some examples of foods high in vitamin C are:

Cabbage
Spinach
Peppers
Broccoli
Brussel Sprouts
Cauliflower
Oranges
Zucchini
Asparagus
Cucumber
Squash
Green peas
Green beans
Vitamin E is a valuable antioxident and helps repair cell damage and can be found in spinach, broccoli and other leafy greens.

You can also include fruits in your homemade dog food recipes. Dogs also like fruit and get the same benefits from them as we do. Remember that dogs can not have grapes or raisins!

Apples have vitamins A, B, C, iron, potassium and magnesium. They can help bring down bad cholersterol.

Bananas are good source of potassium, folic acid, vitamin A & B6. They are easily digested and high in fiber. They make a good energy boosting snack as well they can provide moisture in healthy treat recipes instead of adding oil.

Carrots are a nice crunchy snack raw. They are also full of nutrients and vitamins B, C, D, E, & K along with folic acid and the anti-cancer protecting ingredient - beta carotene. They also contain potassium, iron, sodium, phosphorus, magnesium and silica.

Strawberries is another popular one. They also contain cancer fighting beta -carotene, bone building calcium, potassium and iron and of course vitamin C.

Pineapples are packed full of vitamin C and fibre so they help the immune and digestive system. They also have anti-inflammatory effects.

Be careful of dog training hand signals

In most cases, dog exercise hand signals are not as important with basic obedience in comparison to the command and how well the dog reacts to that command. But, hand signals can be very important for hunting and various competitions. For example, when instruction for competition, especially agility, how you hold your hands and how you provide your signals can greatly determine what obstacle your dog takes next.

Dog training hand signals are a wondefull means to ensure that your dog's attention is always on you, as he's waiting for his next step. By using hand signals, you can easily reinforce your verbal instructions.

When training your dog, your dog training hand signals need to be consistent every time. You want to make sure that you keep your hands stable and clear. Even the most intelligent and well taught dog can get easily confused with dog instruction hand signals that are similar, unsteady, or just not given properly.

Common dog training hand signals can include:
  • Sit- By means of a fist or an open hand, make an upward motion
  • Stay- Make certain that your hand is open and flat, in front of your palm to your dog
  • Lay down- With an open hand, keeping the palm side of your hand facing down, make a downward motion
  • Dog instruction hand signals are great in many situations, and you can easily make up your own hand signals for different instructions that you want to use when instruction your dog. Simply remember to keep things simple for your dog to learn.

And remember that it's best when you first start instruction your dog with hand signals, that you carry on to say the verbal command at the same time that you give the hand signal. This way, the dog will associate the hand signal with the verbal command. You do not want to move on to a new hand signal until your dog is reliant and doesn't miss a hand signal. Always start with no distractions and slowly insert one or two distractions at a time to ensure that the dog fully comprehends the signal with the response that you want.

It's best to start with simple hand signals, and once your dog is fully trained and cooperates with those hand signals, start adding more to your training agenda. You simply want to make sure that you stay calm and patient; when your start to get frustrated, so will your dog. Remember that he's not born knowing dog exercise hand signals and instructions.

Make Your Own Dog Food

It is a wise move to make your own dog food, considering all the benefits you can get from switching to a more personalized and healthy dog chow. It may not be easy at first, since your dog is already used to his favorite chow mix. But introducing your new health grub in small amounts, then gradually increasing the portions can do the trick. Your Hugo will be eating your healthy new concoction in no time and with much gusto.

Putting your loving dog on a healthy diet is really easy - all it really takes is heart and some simple cooking skills. With all the home made recipes for German Sheperds using natural ingredients, you will never run out of new meals that your dog can truly drool over. All you have to do now is come up with a diet plan for your dog, as consulted with your veterinarian.

One of the most typical recipes for homemade dog food combines meat, vegetables, and grains into one appetizing meal. One such meal specifically from home made recipes for German Sheperds calls for such natural ingredients: 2 lbs hamburger, 10 oz shrimp or lobster, 1 cup raw liver, 1 boiled potato, 2 cups of rolled oats, ¼ cup blueberries, ½ cup brown rice, ¼ cup wheat germ, ¼ cup brewer's yeast and a tad of cinnamon.

Combine beef, boiled potato and shrimp or lobster and put all in a food processor. Crush the blueberries into a mushy fruit paste. Blend together all the ingredients and roll into a ball. This is meant to be fed fresh and raw.

Another one of those healthy, yet delectable recipes for home made dog food is an all-natural dog food which has the following ingredients: 8 cups oats, 2 cups brown rice, 6 cups barley, 2 lbs carrots (grated), 3-4 bunches of broccoli (stems grated and flowerettes chopped), 6 zucchini (grated) and ½ bunch parsley (chopped).

This treat is easy to make. Using two 8 quart stock pots cook the oats, while in another pot brown rice and barley. Then let cool, preferably over night. Chop the vegetables and puree using a food processor. Combine all the ingredients and shape into balls. Freeze for future consumption. This treat will have your dog begging for more and forgetting about dry tasteless dog food in an instant.

When you make your own dog food from recipes like these, keep in mind that when you're using natural ingredients, the food spoils easily so you must just make enough food that could last for a span of a few days - depending on the shelf-life of the ingredients.

Natural ingredients in dog foods are very beneficial in providing your dogs with the proper minerals, vitamins and other nutrients that he needs. When you make your own dog food you are in control of your dog's diet, so you are certain that your dog is getting all that he needs. So what are you waiting for? Get in that kitchen and whip your dog up the food he deserves.