4 simple rules to follow when feeding your dog

1. The same person should consistently feed your dog every time. This rule does not need to be applied when different members of your family are feeding your house dog. This is more importantly applied to dogs that are in a strange environment, such as a boarding kennels, veterinary hospitals, or dog shows. Dogs which are use to a one person feeding may experience all sorts of bizarre eating habits if that person is changed.

2. Your dog should have his own food and water dish. This not only promotes sound psychological behavior, but it is also effective practice for good personal hygiene. It is very wise to allot food bowls individually when your feeding dishes are different. Other than improved feeding techniques, from following this method certain improved benefits will be achieved. In racing stables, where there is importance of maintaining body weight, feeding instructions should be labelled on the side or bottom of each dog's feeding dish, next to its name.

3. Your dog should consistently be fed at the same time and the same location when it is fed. Regardless if it is in a corner in the kitchen, at the back door, or along the front area of its cage, the location where the food dish is placed should stay the same each day. However, at each feeding you should continue to keep the food dish the same. If you use a certain bucket, or tub to carry the food to your dogs, continue to use the same bucket or tub each time. If you fill food buckets in the kitchen and then carry them out, continue to repeat this procedure the same way every time. It may not seem to matter to you, but it is important to your dog and it has become a way of life. To change in these methods will cause insecurity and disrupt your dog's way of life.

4. Never change your dog's food, unless otherwise recommended by your vetenarian. Regardless of popular beliefs, dogs do not have to have their food changed to keep him from getting tired of eating the same food. Most dogs live normal, and healthy lives from eating the same dog food throughout their lifetimes. In most instances when a dog owner might think a dog has gotten sick of eating a certain food, the dog may have perhaps just gotten sick from the food. Not so sick that it showed, but sick enough to quit eating. However, nutritional deficiencies are not the only thing that will cause a dog to lose its desire to eat.