May 8th, 2013
By Eric Letendre
I was doing a TV show last week with my friend and fellow dog trainer, Jim Helems, and we were discussing dog nutrition.
This is NOT my expertise but I have studied the subject quite a bit and have learned some valuable lessons along the way.
One thing I’ve learned scares the hell out of me.
There is one ingredient that can be put into your dog’s food and it does not even have to be listed on the label, this ingredient has been linked to stillborn puppies, liver failure, infertility and cancer.
If that’s not bad enough, this ingredient is no longer used in human food but is still used for making dog food.
The ingredient?
Ethoxyquin.
Here’s why ethoxyquin is so scarey. Ethoxyquin is used as a preservative AND a pesticide.
When it comes to dog food, you have to be aware of what is used to preserve the food. There are natural ways to do this. Dog food can be preserved with healthier ingredients such as vitamin E, vitamin C, citric acid and rosemary.
So, one of the first steps in choosing a healthy food for your dog is to look at the ingredients and read the dog food label. Find out how the food is preserved. If it is preserved with ethoxyquin, BHA, BHT, dyes, etc, make a better choice.
What you feed your dog has a direct result on his or her health AND behavior so don’t mess around with this.
BTW – this is one of the reasons why I wrote and include the Dog Nutrition Guide with membership to The Dog Training Inner Circle. All the training in the world won’t overcome a physical problem and if your dog is feeling crappy because of his diet, it will effect training and behavior.
Get the Dog Nutrition Guide here:
Dog Training Inner Circle
Best,
Eric
September 13th, 2012
By Eric Letendre
I’ve gotten strange looks when I’ve talked about this.
Some people look at me and think I am a little weird when I talk to them about what I feed my dog.
One guy even told me outright that he was disturbed after I told him what my dog eats on a regular basis.
I guess to most people, what I feed my dog is a little disturbing, especially if you have never read up on the subject.
You see, my dog eats most of her meat raw. She also gets fermented cod liver oil and fermented dairy products like kefir on a regular basis.
The problem with a lot of dogs is that they are not getting enough nutrients from the food that they eat and this can lead to physical and behavioral problems.
I have seen a lot of dogs that have had behavior problems change once they were put on a different diet.
And you don’t have to make major changes for your dog’s health to improve.
The first step is to start reading dog food labels.
The label will tell you what your dog is eating and you may be surprised to learn that it may not be the best for your dog.
The first ingredient should always be some type of chicken, beef, fish or turkey MEAL – Meal being the important word.
What you’ll find when you look at the label is either a MEAL or a BY-PRODUCT. Stay away from the by-products. A chicken, beef, fish or turkey by-product means that any part of the animal could be used.
Meal is just the meat of the animal being used in the food.
That is just the first step when it comes to looking at labels.
I’ll share a few more tidbits in future emails.
Anyway, if you want to fast track your dog’s health and learn more about this, check out the Canine Nutrition Guide which comes with membership to The Dog Training Inner Circle.
Simple.
Informative.
Easy to follow.
Go here to subscribe:
Best,
Eric
June 15th, 2012
By Eric Letendre
I try to be a peaceful guy.
I really do.
But…
…there are three words that push me towards the edge.
Would you like to know what they are?
Okay, here they are:
Can’t, No and Don’t.
When I think back to the days when I first started training dogs (back in the 80’s), everything was “can’t”, “don’t” and “no.”
“You can’t ever play tug games with your dog.”
“Don’t ever let the dog eat people food.”
“Tell your dog “No” if she tries to get on the bed.”
Back in the day, training was pretty negative and it came with a long list of “Don’ts.”
Don’t let your dog out of the house until six months old.
Don’t let your dog walk in front of you.
Don’t let your dog go through the door before you do.
As I went on to learn more about training, I came up with a theory that I still apply today and so should you. My theory can be summed up in two words:
“Question everything.”
Whenever anyone tells you anything about dog training, behavior or health (or anything else) you should question them – except me:)
Just kidding, but seriously you should question the “experts.”
It reminds me of the time my little sheltie, Sam, developed a serious skin problem. Hot spots all over, waking me up in the middle of the night because she was chewing her skin.
I went to three or four different vets. Shampoos, cold tar baths, steroids, nothing worked.
When I questioned the vets they laughed at me. I didn’t give up and decided it was time to do some digging on my own. I found out all Sam needed was a drastic diet change. Once I did that her health immediately improved and she went on to live to the ripe old age of 18.
When I developed The Dog Training Inner Circle I included a forum for members to ask and challenge anything. I also developed the Inner Circle with dog training methods that I had questioned and proven to be the most effective over a 20 year span.
That’s why I’ll take the Pepsi Challenge with my training system any day of the week.
I know, it’s a bold statement.
Come on over and see for yourself:
Best,
Eric
June 1st, 2012
By Eric Letendre
“Why You Should Never Give Your Dog A Bone,” by Ben Settle
I came across this book yesterday on Amazon.com
When I saw the title I had to check it out.
Then I read the “secrets” it contained and had to order it.
Secrets like:
* Why yelling at your dog when she misbehaves actually makes her more likely to misbehave in the future. (Page 142)
* How turning off your cell phone in the summer time can help prevent your dog from getting heat exhaustion. (Page 117)
* Why one of the best times to check your dog’s hearing is when you (or someone in your house) comes down with a cold. Page 57)
And my favorite:
* How to almost completely eliminate your dog’s farting. (Page 35)
Sounds like good stuff and I’ll give you a full review after I read it.
Anyway, I agree that you should NEVER give your dog a certain type of bone.
Would you like to know what kind of bone your dog should never get?
Excellent, the type of bone your dog should never get is…
…COOKED!
I never give my dogs cooked bones because they become brittle and can easily splinter as your dog is chomping on it.
I have given my dogs raw bones for years and believe that they are very healthy for dogs.
The best advice about dog nutrition I ever got came from an Australian vet. The vet said we need to look at the diet of the dog’s wild cousins.
Look at what they eat in the wild and it will give us the best advice on how to feed our dogs and keep them healthy.
Dog nutrition became a HUGE concern of mine years ago when I could not help my little sheltie.
Everything we tried either had no effect or backfired and she became worse.
I finally looked into her diet, changed the way I fed her and watched her health dramatically improve.
Improve to the point that she lived to 18 years old and passed away peacefully in Rachael’s arms one summer morning.
A lot of dog owners have questions about canine nutrition and it’s the reason we have a whole section on the topic and a forum devoted to canine nutrition questions on The Dog Training Inner Circle.
Check it out here:
All the best,
Eric
December 28th, 2011
By Eric Letendre
Years ago I attended a seminar in New Hampshire.
The seminar lasted all weekend and much of it has sifted out of my brain, but I still remember this seminar because of one piece of advice I got.
You see, a British dog trainer by the name of John Rogerson was doing the seminar and at one point he stated: Keep Reading…
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Eric Letendre is a professional dog trainer from the United States. For more than 20 years, he has been developing dog training techniques that have worked for dog owners all over the world. Eric operates from a home office or a laptop while traveling and draws on his experience and passion for dog training to show others how to develop a dog that is truly “Man’s Best Friend”.
Eric is the author of numerous reports, the E-Book “101 Ways to Hack Your Dog’s Behavior,” “The Amazing Dog Training Man Book,” and produced and stars in his DVD “Secrets of a Professional Dog Trainer.”
