Dog Food: if your Feeding your Dog Dry Food, Then Go for “premium Kibble”

Dog Food: If Your Feeding Your Dog Dry Food, Then Go For “Premium Kibble”

As to choosing between dry, canned or semi-moist, you'll probably do just fine whatever you decide on those. Dry foods offer economy and convenience, but some dogs don't like them. Canned and semi-moist foods are very pleasing to the canine palate, but they are more expensive - and some have sugars and dyes that aren't the least bit necessary for your dog's nutrition. Even though pets prefer canned food, if you start your puppy on dry food, you shouldn't have a problem with finicky eating, which is a behavior that's mostly taught by humans.

Dry foods help keep your dog's teeth cleaner, but if you're brushing them and having them cleaned regularly, your pet's teeth should be fine on other diets.

If you're house-training a puppy or dog, you may want to feed kibble only, at least until the task is accomplished. The water content of canned foods can make a dog need to urinate more frequently. This consideration is especially important if your dog is left home alone for several hours at a time, like while you're at work.

If you prefer canned food, you can always change after the puppy's a little older and able to "hold it" longer, or your adult dog understands completely what the house rules are.

My own preference is to feed an appropriate, premium kibble from a reputable manufacturer, and nothing else. By "appropriate," I mean puppy food for puppies, food with lower fat and protein for older or overweight dogs, and performance food for highly active dogs.

Why a premium kibble? It's a little more expensive than some other dry foods, but still competitive when compared to canned or semi-moist. Premium kibble also results in a lower volume of stools than is produced by many other foods. Both of these concerns are not major if you've got a Chihuahua, but they may be if you've got a Great Dane.

Ask your veterinarian or other animal-care professional - groomer, trainer, or reputable breeder - for a recommendation, and stick to it after you're satisfied it's working well for your dog and that he likes it. Dogs don't need variety, and they don't get bored with the same ration day after day. When a healthy dog is a picky eater, it's usually because the owners taught him to be that way, by adding tempting tidbits at the least sign of reluctance to eat.