How Different Diets Affect a Dog's Behavior

Dog's like humans, are affected by the foods they eat. If a person eats a lot of junk food you can expect changes in mood, appearance and energy levels. Improper nutrition can lead to changes in activity levels, attitude toward humans and how your dog feels on a daily basis.

  1. Bad Dogs

    • Sometimes a poor diet can lead to poor health, which in turn leads to bad behavior. Foods that are high in sugar or the processed starches that are quickly converted to sugar inside the body, can lead to aggressive and sometimes angry behavior in dogs. Similarly, if a pet food contains chemicals that cause a reaction in your animal, the effects can manifest themselves as bad behavior or general unhappiness and frustration. To eliminate your dog's diet as the cause, change his food for a week or so to see if things change.

    Junk Food

    • Many of today's store-bought dog foods are high in carbohydrates. Unlike humans, dogs do not need any carbs to live healthy lives and so the constant bombardment with junk carbohydrates are unnecessary. According to animal behaviorist Bill Cambell, they may be responsible for the overactive and abnormal reactions to everyday events and stimuli that some dogs exhibit. Instead of carb-heavy dog foods, read labels and look for meat or grains as the first ingredient.

    Raw Meat

    • Many experts and owners alike support raw meat and bone diets aimed at recreating the foods eaten by dogs in the wild. If your dog is on a raw meat and bone diet and exhibits abnormal behavior, it may be the result of nutritional gaps caused by a lack of vegetables and/or complex carbohydrates. Besides a lack of balance, such a diet also can cause internal problems that can alter behavior and general well-being. Some possible dangers include parasites, cracked teeth and a host of gastrointestinal issues.

    Feeding Time

    • The times that you feed your dog can be as influential on his behavior as what you feed him. Try to feed your pet three times each day so that his blood sugar levels never peak too high or drop too low. For example, say you feed at 8 a.m., again at 2 p.m., and again at 8 p.m. Since the hours are spread evenly and there are no long gaps between feedings (aside from sleeping through the night), your dog will enjoy a more stable dietary routine and the constant nutrition necessary to get through the day will prevent peaks and valleys in his behavior patterns.