1. ID Tag …. 2. Transition …. 3. Housetraining …. 4. Feeding
5. Fleas & Ticks …. 6. Heartworms …. 7. Poison Control …. 8. First Aid Kit
9. Marker Training …. 10. Aggression …. 11. Resources & Recommended Reading
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High Quality Dog Foods
The brand of food that you feed your dog can make an enormous impact on his health, vitality, coat, digestive system, and immune system. Selecting the right food isn’t always easy, as there are so many brands, opinions, and misleading advertising claims. Start by educating yourself about what constitutes a good quality dog food so that you can make an informed choice. Here are some great websites to help you. In these reviews, avoid anything with a rating of only 1 or 2 stars, even if it is a brand that advertises a lot on television:
http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/
http://www.dogaware.com/diet/index.html
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No “Free Feeding”
Regardless of brand, New Rattitude strongly urges that you measure and offer specific daily meals and do NOT “free-feed” (leaving food available all day long) for several reasons:
• Free-feeding prevents you from monitoring your dog’s appetite, which is often the first indication of a medical problem.
• Dogs who free-feed tend to not have regular stools, which makes potty training more difficult.
• A dog who is free-fed is less responsive when you use treats for training. Free-feeding can make a dog apathetic about his food, whereas food should be a primary motivation and he should look forward to his next meal or to a proffered treat with anticipation and excitement.
• With some dogs, free-feeding can lead to stress and anxiety because they feel the continual need to guard the food, which can even promote aggression.
• With a regular schedule, you can ensure the quantity is right to strive toward and maintain a healthy weight. Free-feeding tends to lead to obesity.
• Free-feeding is not ideal for a dog’s digestive system. Dogs (and cats) in the wild have long breaks between meals—far longer than humans, who operate ideally on 3 meals per day. These breaks give their digestive systems a chance to rest and prepare for the next meal.
• Requiring the dog to rely on you for his food at regular mealtimes is a great, easy way to properly establish your leadership role in the household, which makes the dog feel more secure and less likely to develop behavioral problems, aggression, or other undesirable tendencies.
So feed just once or twice per day, on a regular schedule, and have the dog promptly eat the food as soon as you give it, taking up anything that isn’t eaten within 10 minutes. This routine will ensure your dog is easy to feed, comfortable, and is responsive to food when you use treats for training.
Keeping your dog at a good weight is especially important for Rat Terriers, a breed with a delicate structure and thin legs. RTs should be very lean dogs.
CLICK HERE for more information about assessing your dog and keeping him or her at a healthy weight.
1. ID Tag …. 2. Transition …. 3. Housetraining …. 4. Feeding
5. Fleas & Ticks …. 6. Heartworms …. 7. Poison Control …. 8. First Aid Kit
9. Marker Training …. 10. Aggression …. 11. Resources & Recommended Reading