Liz Palughi

Best Practices for Feeding My Dog

A Brittany, among many breeds, is an extremely high-energy dog and cannot be expected to calm down unless they receive proper vigorous activity and mental stimulation. Thankfully, I am a runner and my pooch joins me, which takes care of the physical part. When he was a puppy, I met with a dog trainer so I could figure out ways to tire him out mentally. According to the American Kennel Club, a mentally stimulated dog is a happy dog. One of her techniques was to use routine activities, such as feeding your dog, as a game to expend his energy. I would put his dry kibble in a ball that he would push around for almost an hour and then at night, I would take frozen, raw meat and put it in a toy for him to gnaw through. I fed him this way (“clean” kibble for breakfast and frozen raw meat for dinner) because I found that was a little more economical than a totally raw diet. I realized a little later on that just like with my own health, there is long-term benefit to investing in good, quality foods and products, even if they are more expensive.