Oh Those Rutabagas, do They Really Make a Dog Laugh?
Probably not. In fact, I’d stake my reputation on a good, solid, “no.” The chances are that no rutabaga, however comical, will ever make your dog laugh. Squash, carrots, and cucumbers fare no better. Not that dogs are given to outright laughter, anyway, or for that matter, chortling, or even a quiet chuckle. And as for my own dogs, although I suspect occasional mirth, I have never caught them unawares mid guffaw.
As for the subject of food in general, that is a very serious subject indeed, one that my dogs give their full, complete, and rapt attention to. And although food is a subject my dogs relish and delight in at any hour, minute, second or moment of day or night, never that I know of have they taken a moment to engage in a brief, conspiratorial chuckle, as if to say, “Wow! That human can sure serve up a mean bowl of kibble!”
And that, I suppose, is their nature. Given the “ok,” they transform into crazed gourmands and in a few brief seconds of frenzied ecstasy, devour their repast. Come to think of it, that is not so different from feeding in my family. Hmmm…
Given how important food is, do you know the four characteristics you should use to evaluate your dog’s food?
- A food should provide your dog with an adequate calorie load for daily activity.
- A food should contain adequate nutrients, in proper relationship to each other.
- A food should contain ingredients able to be metabolized efficiently by your dog.
- A food should be acceptable in a sufficient quantity to completely provide both energy and nutrients.
And, do you know the four rules of thumb you must always obey when it comes to feeding your dog? Here they are:
Rule 1: A dog should be fed by the same person at every feeding. Rule 2: Every dog should have its own food and water container. Rule 3: A dog should be fed in the same place every time it is fed. Rule 4: No dog should ever have its food changed without a good reason.
And just a word about enhancing your puppy’s diet. Take a moment to read the ingredients on your dog’s food containers. Did you know that the amount of good-quality protein may also need to be increased in some commercial foods fed to puppies? You can do this by simply adding two ounces of any one of the following to each pound of canned food:
- cottage cheese
- hard-boiled egg
- processed American cheese
- ground chuck
- fried or baked fish or chipped roast beef
- four tablespoonfuls of dried, skimmed milk also add an adequate amount of extra protein to a dry food being used to feed a puppy.
Take care with your dog’s food. It is one of its greatest joys in life, and how and what you feed you dog influences almost every aspect of its health, longevity, and ability to live a full life.
And as for rutabagas, discover more about essential dog nutrition. Discover the amazing world of dog and puppy training techniques and dog behavior broken down into tasty, understandable “snacks” that both you and your dog will relish and learn from.
