•What is a "pit bull"?

•Pit bull myths and facts

•The pit bull (over)population problem

•Obtaining a pit bull

•Ownership issues

•Photo album

•Aggression

•Breed-specific legislation

•Dog bites / Dog safety

•Friends and enemies

•How you can help

•Positive pit bull stories

•FAQs

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•About the author

•Felanie and Dozer

Food and Food Puzzles

As anyone familiar with the world of dog food can tell you, there are a TON of choices out there. Hopefully, this summary will help you pick the dog food that's right for you.

In the wild, dogs are not strictly carnivores (meat eaters). They are also known to eat grasses and berries. A balanced meal for a dog should take all its natural foods into account.

Please note, I'm not a dog nutritionist or vet, but I have taken the time to learn about the different dog foods available, and to determine which food is best for my dogs. This page is meant to give general guidelines and information which may or may not apply to you. If you have specific questions about your dog's food, appropriate body weight, or nutritional supplements, please consult with your veterinarian!

Choosing a good food for your dog is a wise investment. Proper nutrition from the start will help prevent many nutrition-related diseases and deficiencies - which will save you money at the vet. A highly nutritious, digestible diet results in less waste (therefore fewer trips outside and less cleanup), a body that is resistant to disease and that heals quickly, a more attractive coat, shiny eyes, cleaner teeth, and a better attitude. Dry food is best for a dog's teeth and digestive system, generally more nutritious, and will not spoil as quickly as wet food.

"You are what you eat" definitely applies. Poor food choices can result in intestinal problems (vomiting, stomach upset, gaseousness), irritability, hyperactivity, skin irritation, allergies, aggression, and a host of other undesirable conditions.

Rule #1 when choosing a dog food: The dog food you can buy at a supermarket is the worst kind of food for your dog. Typically, supermarket dog foods sell because they are cheap and easy to obtain. You are getting what you pay for - cheap food. These foods are full of cheap fillers like corn and low-grade crude protein that can not be absorbed by the dog's body very well. This is not the place to go for dog food. Good vets, behaviorists, and breeders will tell you the same thing.

Rule #2: Stay away from corn! Corn is a common, cheap filler in many pet foods. It is also a common ingredient that dogs tend to be allergic to. Allergy symptoms can range from gaseousness to aggression. If you have a stinky or itchy dog and you've tried everything except switching the food - check your food's ingredient label. If there's corn in it, try switching to something without corn and see if that helps.

The best kinds of foods are called "premium" and "super premium" foods. These are the kinds of foods you should seek out to feed your pet. Premium foods include: Nutro, Science Diet, Iams, and a few others. These foods still put corn near the top of their ingredient list, but they're adequate for most dogs.

Super premium foods are the ones I recommend to most dog owners. These foods are more expensive and sometimes harder to find, but the results are worth it, especially if your dog is allergic to corn. Super premium foods include: California Natural, Wellness, Sensible Choice, Solid Gold, and many more.

A variety of fresh foods can be added to the dog's daily meal in limited amounts. Vegetables like green beans, carrots, squash, canned pumpkin, tomatoes, cucumbers, and peas are excellent. Fruits include apples (no seeds!), kiwi, pears, peaches, melon, and berries. Other foods can be rice, tiny bits of cooked meat, plain yogurt, peanut butter, and the occasional bit of cheese. All of these foods should be given in very limited amounts.

Foods to avoid include: corn, wheat or flour, raisins and grapes, chocolate, apple seeds, chicken bones, large amounts of uncooked meat, sugar, onions, and oranges. At best, these foods will cause allergies or stomach upset. Some of these are poisonous and possibly deadly.

I recommend one or two feeding times a day rather than free feeding in order to control weight and make sure the dog(s) are eating normally. If you follow a "No Free Lunch" (or "Nothing in Life is Free") program, you do not want to free-feed.

Food Puzzles

Using puzzles to feed meals will mentally stimulate the dog, staving off boredom, increasing interest in food, and encouraging the dog to think for itself. A puzzle cube like the Buster Cube is a great food toy (and very hard for a dog to damage when given the right size cube). Kongs are also fun (use black Kongs for hard chewers), especially when sealed with peanut butter after the food is put in.

I have used paper lunch bags under supervision. It's always interesting to watch the dog's thought processes. Dozer tackles paper bags by tearing them open to get the food inside. Fel is daintier - she picks up the bag and drops it repeatedly until it tips and the food spills out.

Gatorade bottles are the most complicated puzzle. This is because getting the food out is counter-intuitive - you actually have to grab the bottom and tip the bottle away from your mouth to get the food to fall out. The dogs must understand this to be successful, but instinctively they want to get the food by trying to get into the bottle's mouth. Dozer has often chewed the neck of the bottle until it crimps closed and there's no chance of the food falling out. Don't leave your dog unsupervised with a plastic bottle or paper bag because of the possibility of ingesting small pieces.

Treats should be given sparingly to avoid weight gain and nutritional unbalance. Always make the dog work for the treat, whether by following a command (like "sit" or "down"), sitting still for something hard (like getting a bath or having nails trimmed), or having to solve a puzzle (by using a puzzle cube or a Kong).