Proper nutrition is the fundamental basis for every aspect of your dog's life.

It affects their health and longevity by offering an essential balance of proteins, fats, complex carbs and nutrients and minerals their bodies need for growth, repair. Also, the maintenance of a sound canine immune system.

Canine nutrition is a complex and integral part of your dog's ability to think clearly, lower stress levels and produce a calmer behavior.

Thinking takes a lot of energy. Dog training programs, expend tremendous amounts of mental energy focusing on the tasks presented to them. If your dog starts with minimal nutrition, they become lethargic, edgy or hyper active when asked to perform the simplest of tasks. They cannot focus and loss concentration after a short period of time or become confused. If the dog is continually asked to do something they cannot comprehend, confusion can lead to an aggressive form of acting out.

In training dogs, the first thing I look at is the dog's diet! I work from the inside out. Training becomes ineffective if the underlying cause for the behavior is not changed.

A lesser known fact is that to feed your dog only meat (with no bones and no cereals or other carbohydrate source) can cause severe deficiencies: your dog is likely to become lethargic, sick, and even death has been known to occur from an all meat diet. But what about dogs in the wild, I hear you ask? Isn't meat a dog's natural diet? Isn't that what you just said, Brigitte? Well, yes and no: in the wild dogs eat the whole of their prey, not simply muscle meat - they thus obtain vegetable matter from the digestive tract of their prey, and calcium from the bones. As well, wild dogs occasionally, but routinely, add to their diet with plants, fruit and berries.

Most dogs relish some raw fruit and vegetables in their diet, so long as that's what they're used to. A dog who has been fed commercially prepared dog food all of its life won't be used to the taste of fresh food, so may well turn up his/her nose if you introduce such healthy food later in life. But persevere - try hand feeding pieces of carrot or apple to begin with. And if your dog is still very young, even better. Start as you mean to go on and feed him/her some raw fruit and vegetables from time to time. Your dog's health will benefit!

Responsible pet owners know to look at the ingredients contained in the products they purchase to feed their four-legged best friends.  Finding

healthy dog food

, though, can sometimes be a challenge.  Have you read those long names of ingredients that read like a scientific journal?  The problem of choosing the right food for your dog can be mind-boggling.  Nevertheless, you owe it to your sidekick to do your very best to find the most nutritious and wholesome foods available.

The

ideal healthy dog foods

are those considered 100 percent human grade dog foods.  Nutritious options exist within this category for all types of dogs (i.e., puppy, adult, senior) and throughout a variety of food versions (i.e., dry, canned, treats, sauces).  There are also products specialized for dogs with medical conditions (especially important for them), such as kidney, joint, or intestinal issues.

Man’s best friend, it has been discovered, needs vitamins, minerals, and much of the same nutrition that humans need.  It stands to reason, then, that you should look for a dog food with much of the same nourishing qualities as you would in your own food (notwithstanding, of course, the occasional junk food that you might indulge in).  Some experts believe that one good standard of measure to look for in dog food ingredients is based on the ratio of 40 percent meat, 50 percent vegetables, and 10 percent grains.

Many pet owners believe that some of the illnesses that may plague dogs come from the kinds of foods they eat, just as is the case with humans.  By avoiding the entrapment of chemically altered and processed manufactured foods, dog owners believe they can prevent at least some of the medical issues that would seek to interfere with their best friend’s enjoyment of life.  Gourmet dog food that is healthy, wholesome, and nutritious for your pet can, literally, be a life saver.  A variety of specialty

healthy dog food

and recipes that can be prepared by you are available to satisfy healthy dog food requirements.

The bulk of commercial dog food is created with low-quality fillers that enables the manufacturer to get more products for the dollar, but that doesn’t necessarily provide the best ingredients for your dog’s food.  To give your dog the best quality of life, ensure that you make the best choices for foods that are healthy for your pet.  Your dog will love you all the more for it.

There are many aspects involved with dog care and making sure you cover them all can be daunting. Dogs are subject to allergies but they catch them from the air. Proper allergy care involves not only treating the symptoms but also prevention. You should bath your dog regularly and rinse their feet after they have been outside to remove any allergens on your dog's skin.

Dog dental care can also be done at home and is very easy but also critical to your dogs health. Proper dental care provides for more than clean breath, it also keeps your dogs organs healthy as bacterial buildup on the teeth can spread throughout your pets whole system and cause illness and disease.

As with your own dental care you only need a few tools in order to care for your dog's teeth, these are dental clens solution, toothpaste, toothbrushes, dental treats or toys or a dental cleaning dog kit. It may take your dog a few days or even weeks to get used to the dental care procedure but their teeth and gums will be much healthier and not have as many problems as before.

Ear care is particularly important for dogs, especially during the summer. A build up of moisture in the ear canals can cause problems as well as favorable conditions for ear infections. There are many products that can be used to care for your dogs ears including ear powders to keep ears dry, ear miticide to kill ear mites and other ear cleaning solutions that rinse away dirt and loosens waxy build up.

Keeping your dogs eyes clean is also important as this can prevent infections. The most common eye infection for dogs is conjunctivitis. To prevent infections you should use eye cleaning solutions or protective ointments that protect eyes from irritation as well as killing bacteria. You can trim hair from around your pet's eyes to prevent infection, make sure the corners of their eyes are mucous free, and try to keep your pets away form activities or surroundings where they may get eye trauma. When doing any cleaning or cutting around your dogs eyes, you want to use the utmost care so as to avoid poking your dog in the eye!

As your dog ages there is some additional dog care needs that you should be aware of. Your dog should still exercise but at a lower intensity and for shorter periods of time. Older dogs should use a foam bed to protect their joints when sleeping. You should also take advantage of senior dog food as it will contain important vitamins and nutrients that older dogs may need more of. As dogs age you need to keep a closer eye out for changes in behavior as these can be signs of problems. You should take your dog to the vet as soon as you notice any changes.

Proper dog care also constitutes regular veterinary visits. This way you can be assured that you are providing your pet with everything he needs to be happy, healthy and long lived.

Dogs can be very expensive. When you first get a dog, you typically have to pay for it, either through a breeder or a pet store. Then you have to take it to the vet to get its initial shots. Then you have to buy food, treats, toys, and even bedding, depending on how much you want to spoil your dog. Then, if the dog gets sick, you have to take it to the vet.

You still have to take it to the vet regularly to get vaccinated and then there's training costs, etc. Pets are so expensive, they're almost like having actual children. That's why it always pays, literally, to know of someplace you can take your dog that offers free dog care. Free? Is that a typo? No, you can actually find free dog care if you know where to look.

The first place to go for free dog care is your local SPCA. There are many instances where they will spay or neuter your dog and even vaccinate your dog for free. Sometimes, you have to qualify for the free dog care, which means you'll have to prove that you don't actually make enough money to afford regular dog care.

These places, like your local SPCA, know that taking care of a dog can be very expensive and that's why they want to help those families out by providing free dog care so that all dogs are taken care of. They actually care about your pet, as you do, and they want to see your dog as healthy as possible. That's why they'll often provide free dog health care for those families who can't afford it.

Ask Your Vet

You may be wondering why you would ask your vet for free dog care. The words free and vet never go together, after all. However, just as in the case of the SPCA, your local vet's office will usually know of places you can go to get free dog care if you can't afford the vet's fees. Vets also care about your dog and if you can't take it there, they would rather you take it somewhere rather than not taking it for care at all.

And that's just what some families do when they can't afford dog care, they just leave the dog be. That usually results in sick or dead dogs. Don't do that. Do everything you can to find free dog care if you can't afford it so that your dog remains as healthy as possible.

Find More Health Dog Care Articles

Dental care for your dog can get lost in the shuffle of daily life. Even if you really love your dog and give your dog great dog care, it's easy to slip up on dental care for your dog.

When was the last time you checked your dog's teeth?

I know—the inside of the mouth isn't the cutest part of your dog. But it can tell you a lot about your dog's health.

Contrary to what non-dog people may think, not all dogs have bad breath. Bad doggy breath, in fact, can be a sign of disease.

To look for signs of disease, check the color of your dog's teeth. White is really good. Brown is really bad. You're aiming for at least somewhere in between.

Check for broken teeth, pus or bleeding gums, and look for any unusual growths. If you see anything that looks unhealthy, please take your dog to the vet.

If you're in a metropolitan area, you may be able to find a vet who specializes in dental care. Check the American Veterinary Dental College's site to see a list of their graduates.

You can find dog dental care products at nearly any pet store. The easiest way to keep your dog's teeth healthy is with dental chews. The more your dog chews, on something meant for chewing (not on something like your furniture), the better dog dental health your dog will have.

There's been some debate about the safety of the well-known chews, Greenies. I've never given my dog Greenies, but some dog parents say they're great. Be aware, though, that according to a CNN investigation, since 2003, 40 dogs have had to have pieces of Greenies surgically removed, and 13 of those dogs died. Of course, that's a small number given that over 750 million Greenies have been sold since 1998.

Better than chews are rinses or pastes that you put on your dog's teeth and gums. Even better than that is brushing your dog's teeth. You can find tooth brushes especially for dog dental care at any pet supply store.

If you take just a little time to get the right supplies and just a bit of time to use them, you'll be doing your dog AND you a big favor. Your dog will be healthier (and have fewer expensive problems) when you get dental care for your dog.