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Due to constant comparison with their canine counterparts, people have said that cats cannot be trained. True, they may not be trained like a soldier but cats are incredibly intelligent animals that can be trained towards developing good habits if effort is put into work and understanding them.

Most cats that are adopted from a shelter, bought from a breeder or even just rescued from the streets don”t require a lot of instruction or guidance. Cats are quite self-sufficient but can still benefit from some training. Cat training is well worth doing because it will do good for the health and safety of both cat and owner.

There is no standard procedure to follow for cat training but there are a few cardinal rules in doing so. The first is that owners need to favor incentives over deterrents when possible. Cats also have self-interests so owners and trainers would want to leverage those. Using the cat’s natural preferences to induce the cat to the desired goal will prove to be helpful. Second rule is to not let training damage the important bond of trust between owner and cat. Cat training would ideally strengthen the bond between pet and owner during training sessions. The third rule is that owners need to consult with a veterinarian to investigate any possible medical issues for any observed behavior problems. Some cats that exhibit aggression with no previous incident of violence may be showing pain aggression due to an illness or injury. Training the cat during this case is not advisable.

Before starting cat training, it is advisable that a bond be established with the cat. Cats value and look forward to attention and affection that can be gained from training. But cats would only participate when they can determine that they would not be put in any harm by the handler. It would seem that the cat is more dependent due to that aspect of their training. Although cats in the wild tend to work alone, domesticated cats are quite social.

Cats may not be pack animals that carry the instincts to please a leader but due to their curious nature, they respond to learning, playing, eating and relaxing with their human owners. Although the relationship between cat and owner would aid in training, cats still have that independent streak. Any cat owner who opts for cat training must keep their expectations realistic to avoid working under false pretenses while going through the training sessions.

the author is a editor at Niche Article Directory whe he is not looking at article he is writting articles that mean something to him go here to read more articles niche-articledirectory.com/ Article Directory

A minimum of ten toys should hang in a well-furnished cage. Parrots should not be easily seen in their cage. This their home and they should feel camouflaged as in the wild. Parrots naturally live in trees allowing them to be heard, not seen. Nests are built inside trees surrounded by more trees. Here, young are raised in the safety of nature’s cover.

Good toys have different shapes and textures for the bird to explore and destroy. At least three toys should make a bird work for food Working toys are toys that make them work for their treats or favored foods. Parrots in the wild will spend the majority of their waking hours, hunting and foraging. Toys stimulate their mind and help replicate actions they would execute in the wild. Proper toys and placement enhance a Psittacines life in captivity.

Parrots think they’re working for food while avicultural outsider sees birds playing with toys as birds; playing with bird toys. Your companion parrot is always thinking, and since nothing has changed in their minds, playing with toys is their job. It’s what Mother Nature gave them to survive, this need to forage. If you provide no means of foraging, your bird will seek other avenues. It may be furniture or personal affects. Usually because they are easy and plentiful targets. It’s important to encourage your companion parrot to work for food because it’s a natural behavior.

Three or four toys should be made of soft wood. Soft wood allows you to push your fingernail in forming an indent.

The next toys depend on the bird. Large birds like macaws and Cockatoos may have a huge appetite. Introduce hardwood toys into cages and perhaps toys with hard plastics so they can spend more time on the various pieces. Toys may be strung together with rope, leather, chain or a combination of materials.

The balance of toys should be easily shredded. Toys may be store bought or home made. Parrot toy parts are available and helps keep toy making economical. Soft wood, paper, leather and other textures are important for the bird to explore and destroy

Introduce pieces of food like broccoli or corn, using one of many commercially available or home made toy holders. The food on the toy holder rewards them for playing.

The more textures, shapes, sizes and colors the better. Diversity is important because in the wild your birds eat a diverse diet. An eclectic selection of toys helps maintain your feathered companions interest.

Watch a bird in its natural habitat and you’ll see them chewing soft bark and hard tree trunks. Toys made from compressed palm leaf or treated Yucca introduces hours of “pecking pleasure” Interactive toys made from Plexiglas are very effective at reducing birdie boredom.

The majority of toys should hang or be placed in the upper third of the cage. Introduce a few more to the middle third (without hampering access to food dishes) around a perch made from soft wood, comfortable to grasp depending on the size of the bird’s feet. The bottom third of the cage should remain relatively uncluttered to allow the bird to walk freely.

Spot-check toys and perches on a daily basis looking for frayed or sharp edges that may potentially harm your bird.

The more you change the toy and perch arrangement, the more you challenge your companion parrot. It helps them socialize and helps avoids “toy-phobia”
Parrots can develop phobic reactions to new people, new furniture, and even new birds.

Toys from household items

Cornhusks
Adding machine tape
Toilet paper roll
Nuts hidden in nested paper cups
Phone book slipped through cage bars
Wrapped straws – cable tied
Fortune cookies
Saltine cracker packet
Junk mail
Cotton swabs
Doggie rawhide
Shoelaces strung with beads or Cheerios
Branches with leaves
Breakfast-food bowl with newspaper taped to top

Mitch Rezman operates windycityparrot.com windycityparrot.com with his partner Catherine Tobsing. They are companion to their Indian ringneck Sunshine. This article can be re-printed and/or published online or offline for free, provided the website; windycityparrot.com windycityparrot.com, is posted along with it. The article must remain intact without any alteration. Questions or comments are welcomed and should be sent to mailto:mitch@windycityparrot.com mitch@windycityparrot.com

When you first start to train a cadaver dog, you will want to have a good amount of basic obedience training already accomplished. Your dog needs to know how to behave on a leash. He needs to know how to sit, especially if that is the “alert” that you will want him to use, or to “down” (for the same reason). Some handlers prefer that their dog do a bark alert at the indication of cadaver, others prefer that their dog will scratch at the cadaver. If this is the case, your dog will need to know the verbal commands to perform these behaviors. Your dog also needs to know how to follow directional signals to a certain degree, in other words when you say to your dog “check it out” and indicate to him an area that you want him to search, he should already know what those words mean.

It is best to start a Cadaver Dog who already has attended at least one obedience class, who is bonded to you well enough that the majority of the time he will focus on what you want him to perform. A good test for this thing called “focus”, (which is a highly important aspect of a good search dog) is to try this little trick. Say your dogs’ name, when he is distracted. Do this often. Say your dog’s name, when he is not distracted. Do this often too! If you can count on his looking at you within 3 seconds after you say his name, ninety percent of the time, then you are ready to advance to training for cadaver.

Depending on the breed, most dogs are not ready for this kind of focus until they are past the age of six months. In addition, some dogs will appear to be quite focused but at about 8 months old it all goes out the door and they become like wild adolescents and never “listen” to a thing you say. If that happens, cut back on the training exercises and concentrate on obedience and skill work, mixed with a lot of socialization and long walks.

Do not start your dog on cadaver until you also have a reward for him that lets him know that he is absolutely the most wonderful dog in the world and that you are very very happy with him. This must be a reward which really lets him know, in no uncertain terms, that he has done something great. You need to know your dog well enough to know what it is that will “turn him on” and be ready to give him that special thing. Whether it be praise and affection or a special toy or a food treat, have it ready.

Then get out your cadaver. For this first introduction, you will need only one cadaver scent article. This can be tissue, blood or teeth. Bone and Hair are not usually sufficient in the very beginning. Lay out several articles on the floor, or outdoors in the grass, wherever you want to start. Use common everyday articles, things that are not highly interesting to the dog and perhaps with which he is not familiar. These can be any household item, as long as it is not a special toy that your dog loves, or your own articles of clothing. Examples are; a coffee can, a hammer, a plastic spatula, a kitchen pot, you get the idea. You should scatter about six or seven of these articles around in a 50 foot square area. Amongst them have ONE cadaver item, in a glass salt shaker with the lid open so that the scent will come out through the holes. Never handle cadaver with your bare hands, you should have prepared this cadaver and placed it in the shaker and handled the shaker with plastic gloves!!

Then allow your dog, on lead or loose, to wander into this area of mixed articles. Chances are he will sniff at a few of these things and especially the chances are good that he will sniff at the cadaver. The instant he touches the cadaver, reward him with hearty praise and give him his treat. Do this several times, in different locations and using different items. Gradually add in more than one cadaver scent. Only reward him for sniffing or touching the cadaver.

Plan to conduct this exercise at least ten different times before you advance to the next stage, which will be to train the alert that you want him to give to you before you give him his reward. Only after he is giving a good “alert” on this exercise do you want to progress to hidden cadaver and different search areas and more complicated scenarios. This is going to take awhile. Be patient. In the end, careful training and consistent training will produce results.

Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to dog-training-guided.com/ Dog Training

To train your dog, you first need to understand just how your four-footed friend thinks.

Dogs, no matter how cute and cuddly, are descendents of far wilder ancestors - wolves. Though they’ve become more docile and responsive to our commands over the centuries, these beautiful animals have kept their excellent eyesight, keen sense of smell, and their need to be a member of a pack. Only today that pack is you and the other members of your household.

To train your dog, you need to understand, learn and use this to your advantage. A pack has one leader (that’s you) and others (everyone else in the house) who show respect to that leader. Most breeds, with a few exceptions, don’t want to lead the pack; they feel safer with someone else in charge. If your dog senses that you’re a wimp in need of direction, he’ll gladly step into that leadership role and rule the roost. Somebody has to be the top dog - if you won’t, your dog will.

When it comes to training, what you want to do is redirect the dog’s natural inclinations to outlets that are acceptable to you. Training continues the work of building a relationship between you and your faithful companion. The process, done correctly and with patience, helps to establish communication, enhance understanding and is a subtle demonstration of your command over the dog.

Whether house training, training for obedience, or teaching your four footed friend a few more involved tricks to impress company — start with an attitude of quiet confidence. From there, use some of these common-sense guidelines while working with your dog:

1. Always be firm and consistent - this will show your dog that he can’t get away with misbehaving, even if he is the cutest thing you’ve ever seen.

2. Keep training sessions short — no more than 10 to 15 minutes two times per day, depending on your dog’s attention span.

3. Find a distraction-free place to work — choose a quiet, familiar environment free of distractions so the dog’s attention isn’t drawn to other things that make it hard to focus on what you want to teach.

4. Every so often, show your dog who’s boss — make him move and take his place, or eat your meal before feeding him his, these simple actions put your pet in his place and establishes you as a leader.

5. Never yell at or hit your dog — this teaches him to be nervous and fearful around you and keeps him from learning what you want to teach.

6. Use repetition — do things over and over and over again, using the same tone of voice, command and hand gestures until he gets it, reward every time your dog does as you ask.

7. Use reward — not only the treats your dog loves, but lavish your dog with praise in a high-pitched, happy voice and add lots of squeals of delight for effect and be sure you say his name frequently.

8. When issuing commands like “sit” or “come” use a low, gruff voice — dogs don’t understand any of the words we say, but they do recognize and respond to a change in tone.

9. Practice learned tricks regularly — even after he’s got a trick, reinforce what he or she knows by doing the trick again and again every day; teach only one new trick each week.

If you’re having problems training your dog — don’t lose hope (or patience). Start by talking to your vet (or breeder) and asking for some suggestions. You might also want to talk with other owners whose doge are well behaved and get some tips and tricks to use. If you like to use the computer, go online to some of the discussion forums devoted to dogs, visit dog.com for example, to talk to other dog owners who are also struggling to get their “best friends” to behave properly.

The time and effort you spend working with your dog will make a huge difference in his life, and yours. Not only will your dog be happier and easier to control in dangerous situations, but also he or she will have more freedom because you can count on your pet to behave properly in your home… with company… or when you’re out and about.

Valerie Slaughter is a veteran marathoner and author of “You Want To Do What!?” who trained for marathons with her dog, Sam. For more articles, information and tips about caring for pets (dogs, cats) visit: doghealthynews.wordpress.com/ doghealthynews.wordpress.com/

The first step to stopping your dog’s destructive chewing is to recognize why your dog chews. Most dog chewing falls in one of the three categories:

1. Your puppy is teething
2. Your dog is bored
3. Your dog is tense or anxious

Chewing is a natural way for the dog to relieve the pain, boredom, or anxiety. Dogs can, however, be taught to chew on appropriate toys while leaving your belongings alone. If you have a puppy, first puppy-proof your home. Gone are the days when you can kick off your shoes after work and leave them in living room. All shoes, clothes, and other items that you don’t want chewed need to be placed in a closet or off of the floor.

Make sure your puppy cannot chew on any wires. Tape them to the wall and use pet repellent to discourage this dangerous habit. There is a product on the market called Bitter Apple. It is nontoxic but tastes bad to dogs. Use it not only on the wires, but on any furniture that the dog might be tempted to chew on.

Now that you have removed the temptation of your belongings, be sure to give your dog appropriate chew toys or treats so that she can ease her pain or stop her boredom. Frozen treats are great for young puppies that are chewing because it relieve their teething pain. You can pick up special pet formulas at the store or freeze some peanut butter. Adult dogs often enjoy frozen treats as well.

Toys that are great for chewing dogs include kongs and nylabones. Unlike some pet toys which can be dangerous with small pieces, kongs and nylabones are durable and safe. You can fill a kong with your dog’s favorite treat and keep your pooch occupied for hours. Praise your dog whenever you see him chewing on his toys instead of your furniture.

If your dog is engaging in destructive chewing because of separation anxiety, the above steps will help but may not be sufficient. Consider crate training your dog so that you may safely kennel her in your home while you are gone. Adult dogs may be crated up to five hours at a time. If your dog is suffering from separation anxiety, seek training on ending this behavior.

Lynn loves all dogs, especially well-behaved ones. To learn more about dog training, visit her site at squidoo.com/positivedogtraining squidoo.com/positivedogtraining

Preparing your dog’s food yourself

For those of you who can’t seem to get themselves satisfied with the pet food being offered in the market, you can opt to preparing them yourselves; that is if you have the luxury of time to do this. There are many books as well as websites that offer information and recipes giving you detailed instructions that you could use when preparing and cooking dog food yourself. You can do this in the knowledge that you have control over what your dog eats and what is good for him.

Important issues during training

During the entire training process timing is a very crucial factor you need to consider. A dog won’t understand if you punish him for a bad behavior he committed a while ago. He would end up being confused. It is also important that you praise your dog every time he does a positive or good behavior or has obeyed a particular command. It is always best to exercise positive reinforcement and give credit to a dog for performance of a desirable action. It is also important that you are consistent with your commands. Most often dogs cannot tell much of a difference with regards to often and sometimes. When you say never be consistent with it. For example if you don’t allow your pooch on your bed, then never allow him to get on it. Don’t be inconsistent by not allowing him at times but allowing him sometimes.

Eric Hartwell oversees “The World’s Best Homepage” intended to be a user-generated resource where YOUR opinion counts. Anybody can contribute and all are welcomed. Visit us to read, comment upon or share opinions at theworldsbesthomepage.com the worlds best homepage or submit or use content at free-content-resource.com free content resource.

Annoying fact in dog care: No matter how often you brush your dog’s mane and how hard you train it to become all prissy and well-behaved, it will roll itself in dirt just the same. The nastier and smellier the ground, the more likely your dog will gravitate to it and find sanctuary. This is simply the way they are.

So how do you spare yourself from the resulting stench and your dog from being a flea housing target? Give him baths nearly as often as you give yourself one. Okay, so maybe once or twice a week is enough.

Bath Time, Rover

You dog’s size will spell the difference in how you are to administer his baths. Finding this out does not require rocket science. The bigger your dog, the harder it will be to care for it. If you have giant in your hands, then you must be prepared to get soaked yourself.

But, dog care need not be as nasty as it sounds. You can save yourself from getting too wet and gnarly if you prepare for the bathing battle early on.

How It’s Done:

Dog Care Tip to Bathing Indoors

If you’re going to bathe your dog inside, its best to use a detachable shower nozzle so you have better control of where the water goes. Close your bathroom door and line the floor with a lot of towels as your dog is bound to get excited once water touches its fur.

To keep yourself on top of the game, have all his soaps and shampoos within arms reach, so you won’t have to stand up and leave your dog alone for a few seconds, where it is likely he will feel “free” and start a ruckus. Don’t open that door until after you’re done drying him up.

Dog Care Tip to Bathing Outdoors

This is best for larger dogs, where hosing their furs down won’t be much of a problem. If you’re looking to put him in a tub while you’re busy shampooing, a ramp might be able to help you get him into that pool of water more easily. Word of caution: seek assistance from somebody else. Big dogs are more difficult to control while bathing, and since you’re outdoors, surely you don’t want to see him rolling around dirt while you’re at it.

On both instances, keep in mind that if you don’t want your dog to flare up while you’re bathing him, make sure you don’t let the soap suds get into his eyes. You must also check the temperature of the water you’re going to put him in to avoid having to chase him around.

Giving your dog a bath is probably one of the more challenging tasks you’ll have to deal with if you truly care for him. And if you’re not iffy about getting yourself soaked in the process, then, by all means, play around. Dog care can be quite a chore sometimes, but it can also be a lot of fun.

Khieng ‘Ken‘ Chho is author and owner of Online dog-care.onew3b.net Dog Care Resources. For related articles and other resources, visit Ken’s website: dog-care.onew3b.net dog-care.onew3b.net

The Beauceron is French hunting dog that was bred to track large game animals like stags, bears, and boars. They have also been used as a shepherd for sheep flocks. This is a mid-sized dog that grows to be between 25 and 28 inches tall and they usually weigh between 66 and 85 pounds. Their coat is course, short, and thick. They also have a little fringe of fur near the thighs and under their tail. Their coats are usually dark and range from tan and black merle to solid black.

The natural temperament of this dog is protective and loyal. They work well as a family pet, however, it is a good idea to start with a puppy and raise them around children instead of introducing an adult Beauceron into a family with children. If you have other pets in the house then you will need to train your Beauceron to co-exist with these pets. This breed is territorial so they do not always mesh well with other pets and other dogs.

This is a low maintenance dog breed. They require only minimal brushing and bathing during most of the year. When they start to shed their coats you will need to increase the amount of brushing that you do to keep their coat free of matting. They are an active and agile breed that needs exercise of both their mind and body on a daily basis. To improve their ability to function is a family setting you will need to introduce obedience training and socialization early in their lives. This breed has a few health issues that you will want to watch out for, bloating, hip dysplasia, and elbow dysplasia.

Dog behavior, pet training and puppy breeder information all in one place online. The ultimate resource for dog owners. Learn expert dogbehavioronline.com/” target=”_blank dog training techniques, advice to help with dog behavior problems, a dog training forum as well as a directory of dog trainers and breeders all over the country to help you locate a professional near you. Learn about dogbehavioronline.com/crate_training.html” target=”_blank dog crate training, pet nutrition, dog obedience, housebreaking and more. Check out our dogbehavioronline.com/ebook.html” target=”_blank puppy house breaking ebook for more tips to help you raise an obedient pet and companion.

The story’s a familiar one: a person buys a cute puppy, and then takes him home only to find that housetraining isn’t going well, the pup chews up expensive furniture, and then when the puppy grows up, he can be aggressive with people or other dogs.

In my practice as a professional puppy trainer, I’ve found that 99% of problems with a pup misbehaving boil down to these three mistakes:

Basic Puppy Training Mistake #1: Underestimating your puppy’s need for mental stimulation

One of the worst culprits for common puppy problems is boredom. There is no end to the mischief a bored puppy can get into, from digging a hole to China to bringing the police to your doorstep when the neighbors complain about the incessant barking. One of the biggest mistakes people make with their puppies is underestimating their need for mental stimulation. Dogs are intelligent creatures who crave more than the occasional walk to burn off steam and expend energy.

In fact, fifteen minutes of a mentally stimulating activity can burn off as much of your pup’s energy as a quick jog around the block!

Basic puppy training mistake #2: Using punishment-based training

Imagine you’re walking through your home and reach to pick up a book you think looks interesting. You leaf through it and then put it down again on a nearby table. A few minutes later your brother walks into the room. He is looking for his book when… Whack!

You are suddenly being attacked by your brother. He’s hitting you repeatedly in the face with a rolled up newspaper. He’s screaming in what sounds like a different language to you. He’s obviously angry, but you’re not sure what caused his fury. As quickly as the attack started, it stops. Your brother sits down on the other end of the couch.

What just happened? Your brother acted like a crazy person for no apparent reason. If you think about it enough, you may come to the conclusion that the punishment had something to do with the book, but you’re not positive. You reach for the book again, and again your brother flies at you screaming and wielding the rolled up newspaper.

How do you react? You may drop the book and slink away to get away from your crazed brother. You may fight back, using the book to whack your brother.

And the most important question, how do you feel about your brother now? Mistrustful? Angry? Afraid of him? All of these things? Now, you may think no normal person would treat their siblings, or anyone else, this way. The idea is more than distasteful, it’s horrifying, and you might expect a person who treated you like this to go get some counseling for his uncontrollable outbursts.

Why, then, is it perfectly acceptable for us to treat our dogs like this? For a long time, this is exactly how trainers instructed us to train our pets. Many of us grew up thinking dog training meant using choke collars to teach our dogs to walk on leash, using a rolled up newspaper to teach our dogs not to pee on the carpet, and using a knee to the chest to teach them not to jump on us. Let’s consider the example above to figure out some of the problems with using these types of punishment-based methods to train our dogs:

Unless punishment is timed perfectly, it is ineffective in keeping your dog from repeating the behavior.

If your puppy is able to perform a behavior with no effects when you aren’t around, but he gets punished for it when you are, all you’re teaching him is not to perform the behavior in your presence.

Punishment may elicit an aggressive response.

Punishment may weaken the relationship you have with your dog.

For those reasons, it’s far more effective to use positive training methods instead of punishment-based methods.

Basic puppy training mistake #3: Failing to properly socialize your pup

Socialization is exactly what it sounds like. It’s making sure that your puppy is comfortable and safe in a variety of situations and around all types of people. Dogs seem to go through a critical period of development during their puppyhood that lasts until they reach about sixteen weeks of age. During this period, they are open to new experiences that are introduced in a positive way.

After this period, however, the window closes, and it’s much harder for your dog to adapt to new situations and people.

Some of the consequences of a lack of proper early socialization include:

Anxiety and stress in unfamiliar surroundings.

Anxiety and stress in the presence of unfamiliar people.

Phobias about new experiences or people.

Aggressive displays such as growling, snapping and biting when faced with new people.

Aggressive displays when being handled in a manner in which he isn’t accustomed (e.g., having his nails clipped, having his tail pulled, having teeth brushed, being groomed or bathed, and being examined at the vet).

At best your unsocialized dog is going to be stressed when he’s in an unfamiliar situation. At worst, he can do some serious damage to someone in an attempt to defend himself from a person or situation which he perceives as frightening.

Jill Badour is a professional puppy trainer who teaches positive training methods that are simple and effective for anyone. Visit her trainapup.com/blog Puppy Training Blog at trainapup.com/blog trainapup.com/blog

Let’s think about this for a minute: God did not design our animals to eat pre-packaged, kibble or pellet-like food. In the wild, dogs don’t tell each other, “Hey, I’m hungry, let’s go to the pet food store and grab us some lunch.” As if!

No, together, they go out and hunt down their food, then dig right in while it’s still warm. Sorry about the graphic image, but well, that’s nature for you! They also do not stoke up a campfire and sit around singing Kum Bi Ya while the meat gets cooked. Nope they just have at it in the natural raw form.

Now you might be thinking, “Yeah but that’s wild animals, not our sweet kitties and dogs.” Think again. They are and will always be carnivores. They need raw meat and bones to be healthy with a fully supported immune system. Also the raw, non-weight bearing bones such as the shoulders and backs give dogs and cats strong, clean white teeth eliminating the need for dentals done under anesthesia at a veterinarian’s office, something that is not only much riskier but much more expensive than feeding your dogs and cats what they were designed to eat: meat.

Your other pets such as horses, guinea pigs, birds and rabbits also need natural raw food in order to thrive. They do not forage for pellets, let me tell you. Many birds are omnivorous so they’ll eat fruits, veggies and meat. While our other furry and feathered friends need to eat fresh fruits and vegetables.

Kim Christopher states, “Proper diet is among the more important considerations in the health maintenance of your pet and essential in the management of many diseases. To feed correctly, a knowledge of dietary nutrients and their availability is important.”

And Dr. Russell Swift,”Carbohydrates are not needed by dogs(or cats). Carnivores cannot maintain long term production of the quantity of amylase enzyme necessary to properly digest and utilize the carbohydrates. In addition, the proteins in grains are less digestive than animal proteins. As a result, the immune system becomes irritated and weakened by the invasion of foreign, non-nutritive protein and carbohydrate particles.”

So just what do you think most packaged pet foods commonly know as premium kibble contain? Grains. Byproducts. Toxic preservatives.

The question would then arise, if pet food manufacturers know this (they must because they’re in business to know) why are these things added to our pet food and why are we told that these packaged foods are so good? Even our mainstream veterinarians are selling these foods to us.

Good questions. Part of the reason is because it’s cheaper to use grains and byproducts. Byproducts can be anything we’d normally throw out such as beaks, feathers, feet/hooves, euthanized animals, road kill, you name it. It all gets rendered and added into our packaged pet foods.

Oh but it gets better. These foods are then baked. Here is what Dr. Betty Lewis stated on her website, “What’s wrong with commercial foods? The number one item which makes commercial foods inappropriate for pets is that these foods are cooked. No one has ever reported seeing wild animals routinely barbecuing their meals! Raising the temperature of food above 118°F destroys all the enzymes and many of the nutrients.”

To top it all off, in order to be able to say that these commercial foods have all the needed nutrients in them, they SPRAY on the nutrients. To get more details on this pick up the book by Ann Martin, Foods Pets Die For.

One of the best things you can do if you’re confused about how to get started feeding your pets a natural diet is to first find a holistic veterinarian in your area and then find out what is appropriate for your pet. Homeopathic and holistic vets really adhere and promote the complete natural lifestyle for your pets and can help you put together a diet that will give your pet what he/she needs for full nutritional support.

All the problems we’re seeing in our pets: allergies, skin disorders, cancer, diabetes, feather plucking, pulling out furr, etc., can almost alway be attributed to poor nutrition AND to food allergies. Their immune systems are compromised because they are not getting enough nutrition to support themselves which then weakens their immune system. Then we see disease. If the immune system is not supported properly, disease gets a front door welcome into your pets bodies.

So if you want to start seeing your pets live healthier, longer lives and also greatly reduce your vet bills, then switch to a natural, raw food diet. Your pets will love you for it!

References:
home.earthlink.net/~pawsreflect/nutrition.html
raot.org/information/nutrition.htm

About the Author:
Kim Bloomer is a natural pet care educator helping pet owners learn to care for their pets through natural, holistic means. Disease prevention is her goal to help pet owners lower their pet care costs and extend the lives of their pets. Visit her website aspenbloompetcare.com Aspenbloom Pet Care and her dog’s blog barkin’ about natural pet care from a canine perspective bark-n-blog.com Bark ‘N’ Blog

Look for Kim’s new book on natural dog health with Dr. Jill Elliot, DVM due for release spring 2006.