Active Life Through Proper Nutrition

Almost every breed of dog needs some form of exercise.  There are some particular dog breeds that were bred for Apartment living that do not require as much exercise as others.  Even these dogs, however, need some form of exercise to stay healthy.  What can you do to ensure that your dog stays as active as necessary?  How much should you feed your dog according to its activity?  How does age affect the amount of calories that a dog needs?  Let's examine these three questions in the following article together. 

The first thing that we will consider is how we know that our dog is getting as much exercise as what it needs.  There are several factors that would indicate to us that our dog is lacking in exercise.  These could be things such as destructive chewing, a lack of muscle tone, obesity, or odd behavior.  Any one of the things could be a sign that your dog is not getting the amount of exercise or nutrition that it needs.  Try going for a brisk walk in with your dog in the evenings or mornings.  One word of caution, however, your dog does not wear shoes. Make sure that they do not have to walk on hot pavement in their bare feet.

Every dog has a different nutritional requirement.  Even dogs that are of the same breed will have caloric intakes that very from dog to dog.  One of the easiest ways to make sure that your dog is getting the proper nutrition is to watch its weight.  If you find that your dog is gaining or losing weight then the first thing that you should do is adjust the amount of calories that it eats per day.  You can also judge the amount of food that you are feeding your dog by the amount of waste that it produces.  If you feed your dog eats too much food then it will go to the bathroom a lot more that if you feed your dog the right amount.  One or two bowel movements every day is sufficient for a dog. 

Dogs have various nutritional requirements according to their age as well.  During a dog's younger years, and especially when they are very young, they will need additional nutrition.  This both provides them with the energy that they need just to be a puppy and helps them to grow at a healthy rate.  As a dog gets older the amount of calories that it needs will decline and as it enters into its senior years it will need to decline again.  Again, one of the best ways to judge if you are feeding your dog properly is to watch its weight. 

Throughout the dog's life it will count on you to make sure that it is getting the proper nutrition.  A dog really requires very little of its owner and it tends to give us so much more in return.  So make sure that you are giving your dog everything that it needs and provide for it where it is unable to provide for itself.