Wondering if my dogs diet is affecting her behaviour...

[Macette]

I would like to change my dogs diet to homemade I think I would like to try cooking for her..I'm not sure how much actual meat she would need with veg. Per meal, i have to make it as economical as possible. She is now 15 months and weighs around 10kg. She seems to be bouncing off the walls still chews everything she can get hold off still racing round like a maniac is forever in trouble for something, she is really wearing me down . Any receips for new diet would be much appreciated .

[Jane57]

What food is she on now? its a hard job to home cook all her meals why not look at some healthy dog food, www.whichdogfood.co.uk  is a really good site to start.

[john51]

There are few studies that provide good evidence for the effect of food on dog behaviour. There is, as usual, a lot of misinformation out there. Jane is right to say that it will be very difficult to provide a home-cooked diet that is not only balanced, but also manipulates the ratios of nutrients that might affect your dog's behaviour. It can possibly be done but you would have to do a lot of work to understand the variables. Tryptophan and tyrosine appear to be the usual compounds that are considered to have some effect on behaviour as they have an impact on the levels of certain neurotransmitters, but the studies are usually looking at the effect of these things on aggression. Supplementation with tryptophan is a possibility but over-provision is also a problem and I would not consider that without expert advice.

The likeliest thing is that your dog is just displaying her character or maybe has some mild behavioural issues. I would go with Jane's suggestion of feeding a good quality balanced food and possibly look at stretching her mentally with things like clicker training, as well as physically through exercise.

[Emilyoliver]

I'd agree with John51.  It's probably just her character.  I have a show type who has always been 'bonkers'.  Even at 9, he is incredibly noisy and demanding.  But I manage his behaviour by ensuring he is stimulated - lots of games and brain stuff (he is currently training himself as a gundog alongside my worker puppy  ).  He relaxes after walks and training and always has access to things to chew - bones and hooves mostly.  Does your dog do anything like agility?  Ollie loved that (until he had to stop due to disc disease).  Ollie's been very hard work but so worth it. 

[BeeBoo]

Hello Macette! Hope you and Lexi are very well

How much are you looking to spend on Lexi's food? You can buy ''pre-made'' dishes (Naturediet) from Pets at Home for 99p a tray, I guess as she's 10kg she'd be on one tray a day (but check it out first). They do multi-packs on Amazon, and an 18-tray box is coming up around £15.

Perhaps another way to manage the costs is to feed one meal kibble, the other meal cooked or raw every day. Just a thought, and hopefully of some help to you.

[Archie bean]

I don't have any scientific proof but I am absolutely convinced that diet can have a dramatic effect on behaviour. When Archie was younger I noticed his behaviour was much worse on the turkey variety of his food. I stopped giving it to him and things improved. I then experimented by giving it to him again and he was a hyperactive nightmare!
I can't help you with preparing home cooked food but you might want to consider a good quality, complete, wet food. Archie has Wainwrights trays but Naturediet and Forthglade are others of similar quality. The Wainwrights is great. Archie loves it, it is good quality and it's reasonably priced. Plus, I know it is balanced so he is getting everything he needs.

[Mudmagnets]

Hello Macette! Hope you and Lexi are very well

How much are you looking to spend on Lexi's food? You can buy ''pre-made'' dishes of Raw (Naturediet) from Pets at Home for 99p a tray, I guess as she's 10kg she'd be on one tray a day (but check it out first). They do multi-packs on Amazon, and an 18-tray box is coming up around £15.

Perhaps another way to manage the costs is to feed one meal kibble, the other meal raw every day. Just a thought, and hopefully of some help to you.

Just think I should mention that Nature Diet is not raw food - it is cooked, wet food. The confusion comes because there are Raw foods with similar name, could be Nature's Menu or Natural Instinct (not quite sure)

[BeeBoo]

Just think I should mention that Nature Diet is not raw food - it is cooked, wet food. The confusion comes because there are Raw foods with similar name, could be Nature's Menu or Natural Instinct (not quite sure)

Sorry everyone...previous post edited and many thanks Mudmagnets

^ Archie bean's post is very helpful, Wainwrights wet is lovely as well, another recommendation....but I have a feeling Macette has fed Lexi it from thinking back to old ''food'' posts....

[john51]

When Archie was younger I noticed his behaviour was much worse on the turkey variety of his food. I stopped giving it to him and things improved. I then experimented by giving it to him again and he was a hyperactive nightmare!

Interesting isn't it! I think I'm right in saying that turkey is high in tryptophan which is a precursor for serotonin, and that's why people feel sleepy after Christmas dinner. (Nothing to to do with the bottle and a half of red wine!) Cockers however do things differently. The thing is that I've not seen any claims for a meal that will guarantee to calm a cocker down. That's why I think everyone is recommending a good quality commercial diet. As usual a bit of experimentation to find something that suits is called for.

[Macette]

Thank you all so much for all the info and advice. I have never tried a wet food cooked or raw before, the wainwrights I tried was dry. But I will read more before we dive in. I might start with one meal kibble and one wet and see if it makes any difference. She is on Skinners dry duck and rice at the moment. I will report back any difference . Thanks again COL.