With dogs, one of the hardest things to get right is finding and feeding the best dog food.
It takes time to learn about dog food nutrition and adapt it for your dog.
There's no single diet that will suit every dog, or every lifestyle.
Just like your own best diet, it's good to start out with fresh food for dogs.
Dogs do well by eating raw animal protein like beef, chicken or whatever meat is easy to get where you live.
Remember that dogs are scavengers as well as hunters, so food does not have to be as fresh as it does for you.
They have stomach acid that deals with bacteria.
Meat that's a little too old for you to eat is usually fine for the dog.
Dogs won't complain about tough meat either.
You can buy cheap cuts, sale price, or pet grade meat, so long as it has no preservatives.
In the wild, dogs eat whole animals, fur, feathers and all, so occasionally, odd things like chicken feet can be added to a basic meat meal.
And give your dog a large raw bone every few days.
As well as keeping their teeth clean, chewing on a bone and hiding it are fun things to do when you're not around.
If you're new to dogs, understand they get very possessive with a bone.
Don't try to take the bone away while they're near it.
Keep your face well clear of their face, and keep children away from a dog-with-bone.
Dogs warn off other dogs by biting at their face.
This is OK for dogs since they have tough skin and fur, but a human face can't take that.
Be easy on yourself and the dog with changing over to fresh food.
If your dog is addicted to processed food it could take some time to change their taste.
Every second meal, mix some meat in with the other food.
Maybe you live where it's hard to get fresh food, or your budget can't stretch too far just now, so be happy to add a little fresh meat when you can.
Preservatives and additives in dry food or canned food are not healthy for every meal, and the food may be lacking in vitamins, minerals and fiber.
As well, labeling laws for pet foods are often less strict than for human processed food.
For those times when you need to use a processed food, look for real meat (like chicken) listed as the main ingredient, and not an un-named byproduct.
Dogs don't have the enzymes to digest grain.
We've covered just the basics here, without getting into intricate topics, such as feeding vegetarian dog food or choosing a dog vitamin supplement.
Your task this week is to locate some fresh food near you, then convince your dog to eat it.
Love your dog!