Dogs – Peanut Butter Bacon Ice Cream Cookie Naps Infographic

Dogs – Peanut Butter Bacon Ice Cream Cookie Naps

Most Dog Owners say their dogs are overweight
We all love our dogs and want them to feel special so we give them yummy treats and special cookies we even make out own Blueberry Peanut Butter Dog Treats. The truth is they shared a total of one muffin from my baking fest they still have 4 in a bag for another day and shared the rest with 2 big dogs. So while my dogs do get special treats it is certainly in moderation. Which leads me to the main point and something I think is so important. We need to make sure that our dogs are getting the proper nutrition to ensure that their little or big bodies are healthy fit and functioning. It’s important – genetics play a huge role in dogs health but ensuring they are getting the proper nutrition and exercise is huge. We all want our dogs to live long happy healthy lives and that starts with proper nutrition. I am certainly not saying that you need to jump on every new food trend or listen to well meaning friends who tell you that you MUST feed your dog a certain way. Every dog has their own nutritional needs. Some foods will work perfectly for your dog and some will not. Trust me I know. Davinia and Indiana have tried dozens of foods over the years with some very surprising results. Maybe one day I will even share it with you.



Most dogs are fed tables scraps
At home the dogs are back to two meals a day. I say at home because when we go to visit my parents they only get dinner because from first thing in the morning they get snacks from grandpa so they don’t really need a meal. And when I say first thing in the morning I mean by like 7am a time that my dogs prefer not to know about (usually). The Two Little Cavaliers do get treats from me but more often then not it is in the form of a vegetable (or fruit) like when I make myself Avocado Tomato Salad they will get a bite or two or when I make salmon they will get a little bite. So yes the dogs at this house do eat table scraps but I limit how much they get at a time and what it is they are getting.







Dogs all have guilty pleasures
Dogs all have guilty pleasures – you know that thing that they will jump on the counter to get at or steal from the table or come running from a dead sleep if they smell you open it in the house. For Davinia that is Egg rolls or Spring Rolls. Davinia had never been tried to get any food that was put on the table even when I was putting out multiple dishes for company and was in and out of the kitchen. One day I left an egg roll on the table and completely forgot about it. Several hours later I see bits of waxy paper all over the floor and Davinia fast asleep. She had jumped up on the chair and onto a glass table to get it. She doesn’t get the fried wrapping but I will occasionally order a spring roll and share the vegetable insides with both girls. Indiana’s guilty pleasure following anyone around the house that will open the fridge or cabinet and give her anything it doesn’t matter what she LOVES food.

Dog Owners fed their dog the exact serving size
For most foods we have ever tried the dogs get on the lower end or slightly less then the serving size split up over two meals. We don’t do prepackaged dog treats everyday and some months we don’t do any but I rarely give them the 6 pieces or 14 pieces that the package recommends. And when I say rarely there has to be a reason that I am substituting a meal with treats like we are driving somewhere and a full meal before they get in the car makes Davinia car sick or I was a bad mommy and we ran out of food and I didn’t realize we were so low so for breakfast before I run out to the store they get cookies. What I am saying is that serving size is general and you have to figure out what the right amount for your dog is. Maybe your dogs are on the higher end of the recommendation maybe they are on the lower end. Activity level and your dogs metabolism plays a big role in how much they need each day adjust accordingly.

Dogs eat when their owners eat
Davinia and Indiana eat dinner before I do and generally they eat breakfast before I do because I will give it to them and then go back to work and forget I need to eat until lunchtime. When I go to have dinner is when the girls will generally get a vegetable or two from my dinner or a bit of salmon. I think if I gave the dogs their food exactly when I sat down to eat my own food Davinia would probably abandon her dinner and come wait for some of mine which means Indiana would eat Davinia’s food too. That is why they eat first because I don’t want to do anything that will distract Davinia while she is eating. I can be cooking my dinner while she eats hers but I can’t do anything fun, interesting, or in her mind yummy while she is eating. I know most people say that a dog will eat before it will starve and that is generally true. Except when it comes to Davinia she will starve herself for several days before eating a food she doesn’t want so I always have to stay on top of things.