Is your dog on the best diet for them? Find out this week with some dog diet tips you can really get your teeth into.
As a Frankfurt dog photographer, I love to see happy, healthy dogs in front of my lens. And in this week’s blog, you’ll learn some doggy diet tips to help keep your canine in tip top condition.
Welcome to the final part of our interview with dog trainer Sophie Dunne and her sweet Shih Tzu cross Archie.
Thousands have followed their dog training journey via their @bigboyarchie_ Instagram account.
And now Sophie has launched a website and YouTube channel dedicated to helping dog owners everywhere access dog training and natural dog diet tips.
She hopes that promoting correct training techniques will save dogs with behavioural issues from being abandoned or put to sleep.
She has dedicated the past 8 years to helping Archie overcome behavioural issues and researching the best possible diet for him.
Last week we learned about different dog training techniques, plus a few tricks you can try at home.
This week, Sophie sinks her teeth into the topic of why a more natural diet is the best for Archie.
*Please note images are not mine but are kindly shared by and copyright of @bigboyarchie_ 2020.
The raw truth about dog diets
Archie gets a raw deal when it comes to his diet – quite literally – but in a good way!
Q) Archie is on a completely natural, raw diet. Why did you choose that?
It’s the most species appropriate diet for him – it has many benefits over a processed food diet and is the most natural and healthy. It is important to me that he is on the best diet he could be, as what you put in is what you get out.
Q) What prompted you to swap his processed diet for a raw one?
I changed after learning about what’s really contained in processed dry and wet dog food, and why a raw diet is best for dogs in the ‘Truth About Pet Cancer’ series.
This led me to do a huge amount of research, take courses in dog nutrition, and switch Archie over to raw food.
I want Archie to have the most high quality foods he can. I have done a huge amount of research and studying surrounding canine nutrition, and wholeheartedly believe that raw is the best diet for a healthy and happy dog!
He had digestive issues since a puppy; he was prone to vomiting and diarrhoea, and would hunger puke if not fed very regularly. This has all cleared up since feeding him a natural, balanced, raw diet.
Choosing the right diet for your dog
If you choose to switch to a raw diet, there may be some trial and error involved in finding the right foods for your dog.
Q) Did you encounter any issues feeding Archie raw food at the start?
Allergies only really cropped up once feeding raw, because the food contained actual meat rather than cooked down derivatives!
Archie was horribly itchy and yeasty on his paws and belly because of a chicken intolerance. He is also allergic to duck – he vomits after eating it.
But the raw diet has not only improved his health, but now after putting him on the elimination diet I know exactly what proteins work best for him.
By feeding raw, I can control exactly what goes into his bowl.
Q) Is there any easy way to tell if your dog is allergic to something?
Allergy-wise, it’s very hard to tell what your dog is allergic to without an elimination diet. Hence the idea to release our elimination diet guide!
Sophie is offering her website subscribers a free elimination guide and tracker, to help dog owners identify what their canine companions can stomach safely.
But like everything in life, it’s all about balance; getting the right balance of nutrients. Archie’s bowl contents vary from day to day. Meats can include turkey, beef, pork, lamb and even kangaroo!
He also loves the occasional raw egg, fish, various superfoods, fruit like blackberries, natural flea/tick repellents, joint aids and even the odd frozen kefir cube (he really loves those!).
Q) How long has Archie been on a raw diet?
Archie has been on a raw diet for 4 years now and the benefits are unmatched.
He has more energy, his skin and coat are in better condition, his ears self-clean, his poops are smaller and more healthy (meaning he is ingesting less rubbish, so producing less waste), his sensitive digestive problems cleared up, he has improved dental health, less fussiness, his hunger pukes stopped, and it has made him an enthusiastic eater!
Archie’s skin often used to be dull and dry – there were no serious issues, but I often had to moisturise it for him! Since switching him over to raw, his skin is super healthy and in tip-top condition, with no dryness anymore.
An exciting future for Sophie’s dog training and dog diet tips
Q) What is the next step for you guys? What exciting things do you have lined up for your website?
We have a very exciting new course we’ll release later this month – it’s secret for now but more details will be revealed on our social media soon!
Aside from that we will be trying to get more content/video requests up on our YouTube channel, plus create blog posts and informative Instagram content, and continue providing people with lots of useful info. We will of course be working on more courses and guides too!
Our initial three guides/courses have had a great response and we are so happy that our followers were so excited.
We had a lot of people take part in our confidence building challenge. A ‘walkthrough’ week on our Instagram Stories encouraged lots of people to do it with us.
We can’t wait to help more and more people as time goes on.
So make sure you stick with Sophie and Archie for lots more dog training and dog diet tips – it sounds like a winning combination! Archie certainly thinks so – just look at his smile!
Thank you so much Sophie and Archie for taking the time to talk to me. I wish you both the very best of luck on your training journey – I’ll definitely be following!
If Sophie and Archie have inspired you, and you’d love to learn more, you can also follow Archie’s progress on their Instagram page.
If you enjoyed this post, don’t forget to check out last week’s blog, in which Sophie shares some simple home dog training techniques.
And find out more about Sophie and Archie’s training story in this blog post.
Autumn dog photo sessions
Now is the perfect time of year to book the paw-fect dog photoshoot. I’m offering autumn dog photo sessions for people in the Frankfurt area throughout October.
Take advantage of the fabulous foliage and autumn light in the beautiful surroundings of Bad Homburg’s Kurpark. A 45-minute session costs just €60.
I can’t wait to meet you and your dog!
Clare x