Glucosamine in a Dog's Diet

As you stand in the store pondering the plethora of varieties of dog food for your dog's diet, your mind can truly become overwhelmed.  The numerous ingredients in dog food simply complicate things even further.  Who really knows what all of those ingredients really mean?  You see glucosamine on some of the dog food labels.  That sounds a bit familiar.  Haven't you heard of glucosamine in the news?  What exactly is glucosamine and why should it be in your dog's diet?

You have probably heard of glucosamine in the news.  Glucosamine has been beneficial to joint health in humans.  Research has also shown that glucosamine in a dog's diet can be beneficial to your pet's
Health.  



Glucosamine is a dietary supplement.  Glucosamine has been shown to encourage good joint health.  This supplement helps to maintain good joint cartilage.  Glucosamine is one of the key building blocks to produce joint lubricants.  The joint lubricant helps to keep the joints moving and functioning with ease.  Glucosamine in your dog's diet will ensure your pet's joints work at their peak performance levels for years to come.

How does glucosamine work to help your dog's joints?  Glucosamine hydrates and lubricates your pet's joints.  The added hydration and lubrication will help to prevent arthritis in your dog.  For this reason, glucosamine is a good supplement in your dog's diet.  Pet owners of large breed
Dogs that are predisposed to having joint and hip problems should especially consider adding glucosamine to their dog's diet.

Shellfish is a good source of glucosamine.  Another way to get glucosamine involves a unique process of fermenting corn.  This method to produce glucosamine creates a vegetable based glucosamine.  



Glucosamine is typically safe as part of a healthy and balanced diet.  Your dog's diet should include glucosamine to encourage joint health.  Your pet will not suffer from side effects or interactions with medications when glucosamine is part of your  dog's diet.  

Today, many high-quality dog foods, manufactured by reputable companies, have already added glucosamine to their food products.  Animal nutrition reports have discovered the benefits of glucosamine in your dog's diet and dog food producers have quickly responded.  If you find that your dog's diet does not contain glucosamine, or you feel your pet could benefit from additional supplementation in the diet, you should have no problem locating glucosamine supplements for your pet.  

Glucosamine supplements come in numerous forms.  You can even give your dog a treat specially designed to supplement your dog's diet with glucosamine.  The tasty treat eliminates the trouble of dosing your dog with pills.

Of course, it is always best to talk to your veterinarian about any changes to your dog's diet.  He or she can give you advice about what supplements should be added to your dog's diet and in what quantity.  Ask your vet about the advantages of glucosamine.

As you consider your dog's diet and the ingredients, consider your dog's health.  Glucosamine is often added to high-quality dog food.  Talk to your vet to determine if additional glucosamine supplements would be beneficial in your dog's diet.  Protect your dog's joints by monitoring the amount of glucosamine in your dog's diet.  

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BUY

Here’s a list of ways to keep your dog busy indoors.

#stayhome #quarentine

Looking for some easy ways to keep your dog busy and entertained?

Keeping your dog entertained can be a challenge. And trying to come up with new ways to keep your dog entertained can be more exhausting than actually getting up and doing it.


The Benefits of Keeping Your Dog Busy

Bored dogs get into trouble. We’re their main source of entertainment, so if we don’t give them stuff to do they’ll come up with activities of their own — and that’s when we end up with chewed up shoes and curtains.

By playing with your dog a few times a day you can decrease the likelihood of them developing destructive habits such as excessive barking or chewing.


With help from my dog Laika we’ve come up with a big list of fun indoor activities for dogs. So if you’re looking for some indoor games to play with your dog you’ve come to the right place.

Play a Game of Find The Treats

Nose work games are one of the easiest ways to tire out your dog. When you teach your dog some basic nose work games such as ‘find the treats’ you’re mentally tiring them out and helping them hone in on some of their natural skills. (chopped up carrots are my favorite treat to use for this game)
Grab some treats and have your dog watch as you place them around the room. Give your dog the cue to “find the treats” and encourage your dog to pick them up, remembering to praise them every time they find one. After your confident that your dog understands what “find the treats” means you can making it a bit more challenging. Have them stay in another room as you hide the treats, and start hiding them in spots they have to sniff out such as under a rug.

Play the the Shell Game

The shell game is a simple problem solving game for dogs. To play the shell game with your dog let your dog watch as you place a treat under one of three cups. You then shuffle the cups around and encourage them to ‘find the treat.’ The shell game gives your dog plenty of mental stimulation, and helps them work on their problem solving skills.

Teach Your Dog to Clean Up His Toys

If your dog’s toys are kept in a container you can teach them to put their toys away. I know it sounds weird to teach your dog to clean up after themselves, but it’s actually a lot of fun. Teaching your dog new skills boosts their confidence, and it’s a great way to give them more mental stimulation.
If your dog already knows “drop it” have them pick up a toy and give them their drop it command once they’re standing over the container. Praise them like crazy, then rinse and repeat. Eventually with consistency you’ll have a dog that will be able to clean up after himself.

Play a Game of Tug of War

Playing a game of tug of war is one of the best ways to engage in meaningful play with our dogs. It’s a great way to mentally and physically exercise your dog. And since it doesn’t require a ton of room you can play it indoors.

And contrary to what some people say playing tug will not make your dog aggressive, and letting them win will not make them dominant. Letting your dog win just makes the game more fun for your dog, and it will encourage them to play more. Dogs that play tug with their owners have been found to be more obedient and have higher confidence.

Tug is a great way to exercise your dog as long as you have your dog follow a few basic rules such as “the game stops if your teeth touch my hand.”

Teach Your Dog to Help With Chores

Dogs love having a job to do, even if it’s something as simple as fetching you your slippers. You can make them feel even more useful by teaching them the names of some items you wouldn’t mind  having retrieved.

If you want to impress all of your friends teach your dog to fetch you something from the fridge. When teaching your dog to open the fridge tie a towel around the handle so it’s easy for them to pull open the door. And if you’re feeling like a superstar you can teach your dog to help out with daily chores.

Play Interactive Games

To keep my dog busy on rainy days I love using interactive games such as tug, find the treats, puzzle games and fetch. Interactive games are an easy way to give your dog plenty of mental stimulation, and they can help cut down on problem behaviors such as excessive chewing or barking.

But take it from me; if you’re going to play fetch indoors use a lightweight ball to avoid breaking all of the things. (lesson learned) A game of tug is a lot of fun for dogs, and it’s a great way to increase your dogs manners and impulse control. It’s also a pretty good workout. Minute for minute it’s one of the more physically demanding games we play.

Make Your Dog Work for His Food

We give our dogs a nice comfy life — they get a warm bed, lots of attention, and all their meals for free. But our dogs were bred to work alongside us, and a lot of our dogs are missing out on some mentally stimulating activities. They’re natural scavengers, so having to work for food isn’t mean or unusual — it’s normal and mentally stimulating for them.
One of the easiest ways to challenge your dog’s mind is by making them work for their meals. You can make your dog perform some tricks before he gets his dinner, or you can have them eat from a food dispensing toy.