If your dog is anxious about food , it may be because there is something that you are not doing in the most appropriate way for his needs and nature.
Here we offer you 10 tips to discover what the problem may be, or better yet, to prevent it and thus save a good dose of stress, both for your pet and for yourself.
Identifying anxiety
First of all, you must know how to detect signs of anxiety in your pet, which will begin with observation. If you notice him nervous, barking excessively, repeating various behavioral patterns, panting, trembling or destroying anything in his path, these could be signs of anxiety.
It is also important to be aware of other possible symptoms such as hair loss. It will be very useful for you to keep a record of the context in which these periods of anxiety occur, to corroborate or rule out their relationship with food.
Define your food place
If you notice signs that the anxiety is due to food, or you are looking to prevent your pet from developing this type of problem, the first thing you should do is define its own space to eat .
And we are not talking about his plate or bowl, but rather the place in your house where he will be eating his food. Look for it to be a quiet place, that is not a passage area like a hallway and that it can be calm enough to enjoy your portion of food without disturbances.
Control the quantity
Remember that due to dogs' wild genetic heritage, they have the ability to eat more food than they actually need at the moment, to maintain fat reserves for lean times. For this reason, your dog could easily eat enormous amounts of food, although this does not mean that he is hungry.
For this reason, it is important to take care - with the advice of a veterinarian - of the appropriate food ration for their breed, sex and age.
Quality is essential
If you feed your dog poor quality food, it is likely that your pet may try to overeat, seeking to satisfy the energy needs that the food is not providing. This complicates things, as it also increases the proportion of cereals and other fillers, which can cause a wide variety of ailments.
In this sense, a quality certified feed such as those from Lobo Azul will allow you to offer a more precise contribution, which can cover all the nutritional needs of your pet, based on the main component for its development: meat; and also, in this case with the advantage of generating a valuable contribution of minerals and vitamins essential for its development.
Take care of the times
Not only the place and the quality count, to avoid anxiety it is also essential to define specific times for food, because this way your pet will not suffer from the intrigue of not being clear when the food will arrive.
You also don't have to be too cruel and offer only one large feeding a day; Depending on their breed, it is best to define 2 or 3 meals, although it is important to set limits so that these times are respected. For this reason, it will be of great help to reduce the chances of anxiety by removing his plate at the end of the feeding period, since it is not recommended to leave food available on demand, except in some cases of illness.
Move him away from the table
If when you sit down to eat, you also throw him a bone or sandwich, you will begin to encourage the bad habit of approaching your table to see what food he can get by putting his best face forward. It is also very important to know what foods, apart from specific feed, dogs can ingest, given that there are some that under no circumstances should they eat because they are toxic to the species.
It may seem a little cruel to you, although if you are interested in avoiding anxiety in your pet, as well as the multiple harmful effects that this causes on its health, it is best to define limits and thus avoid these types of problems.
In this sense, it is also important to remember that dogs are animals with a highly developed sense of smell, and of course fans of meat, so it will also be useful for you to try to avoid this type of “ attractions” remain present around them, which can encourage anxiety.
Not on the street
If your dog goes outside, it is best to teach him not to eat anything he finds on the way, nor to go sniffing around in the trash. If he does, you will not only be generating anxiety due to the worry of what he will be able to eat this time, but you will also cause multiple digestive risks.
You may be interested in reading more about dog digestion in this article.
More than one dog at home
If you have several pets at home, you should also take considerations in their diet to avoid anxiety problems. By nature, dogs are capable of learning and respecting hierarchies , where the one with the highest level eats first and so on according to the hierarchical order.
You can try this at home, although it's actually harder to define than in wild conditions; For this reason, it may be enough for you to give each dog its time and space , so that they can dedicate themselves to their food without further haste or worry.
Deworm
Various types of parasites also become a factor in destabilizing the diet because they can consume a significant proportion of nutrients, which you will hardly notice with the naked eye.
In this sense, it will be useful to carry out periodic deworming , although these should not only be internal but also external.
Revision
Finally, don't forget to also have a regular check-up at the vet, at least once a year . This way you can have better control that allows you to ensure good development for your pet.
The definition and discipline of eating habits are essential to avoid anxiety in dogs, although the use of quality feed such as those from Lobo Azul, premium alternatives scientifically designed to optimally cover their needs, also has a major influence. food, from fresh, quality foods, which are even suitable for consumption by humans. Although of course, as a whole, they are specially designed for the specific needs of dogs. If you have any suspicions or concerns, do not hesitate to consult with your veterinarian and together chart a route that allows you to maintain your pet's physical and mental health in good condition.
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