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Remember: Your Dog or Cat Is a Carnivore

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When Deciding What to Feed Your Pet, Remember: Your Dog or Cat Is a Carnivore

First and foremost, it is important to remember when picking out your pet’s dog or cat food that your pet is a carnivore. His genetic make up and internal workings remain essentially the same as his wild carnivorous ancestors. All carnivores, including dogs and cats, have sharp, interlocking teeth designed for biting and swallowing, not chewing.

All carnivores, including dogs and cats, have very short digestive tracts compared to vegetarian animals. This is because nature designed carnivores to be able to eat foods that are heavily contaminated with pathogens. Wild dogs and cats don’t remove the colon or other bacteria-laden body parts from prey animals before they eat them. Their digestive tracts are designed to get food in and out quickly to limit exposure to pathogens.

Processed Pet Foods Have Created Generations of Nutritionally Deficient Dogs and Cats

Commercial pet food companies have mostly produced products using a base of corn, wheat, or rice. However, they are now recognizing the abundance of grains causes cancer and creates fat, diabetic animals. Companies have turned to grain-free dry foods, but the carb content is not species-appropriate, and creates nutritionally compromised animals. Processed Diets also contain synthetic vitamins and minerals to meet basic nutritional requirements. The food is heated to very high temperatures, which denatures proteins and decreases nutrient value, introducing carcinogens into your pets body on a daily basis.

Best-to-Worst Types of Pet Food

Click here to see Dr. Becker’s full list of best-to-worst types of pet food.

Brookside Barkery

The Baths of Brookside are Remodeled and Ready!

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When it comes to giving your favorite four-legged friend a bath, we know it can be a real challenge – especially the cleaning up part! Brookside Barkery understands the struggle – and that’s why we’ve recently upgraded our self-serve bathing station with brand new, state of the art bathing equipment, new floor tile and even a fresh coat of paint!

Barkery groomingGone are the days of lifting a heavy, wet dog in and out of the tub. Yep, we’ve got brand new step ladders for your furry friend to climb right on in and then right on out – fresh as a daisy in spring! Bathe your best pal at the Barkery and you can forget about a house filled with the eye-watering aroma known to all as the dreaded, “wet dog” smell.

The Barkery also has brand new drying equipment with powerful warm (not hot) air dryers so there’s no chance of burning your pet’s skin! Our self-serve baths also include access to clean towels, silicone-free shampoos, and sanitized grooming tools.

With winter weather around the corner, also be sure to try our own Barkery paw balm to soothe paws that may become cracked from the cold, dry weather.

Click here to see Bath pricing, or better yet – stop by our Brookside location and check out our sparkling new bathing station for yourself! Your pet will leave looking and feeling like a Westminster Best in Show champ!

Brookside Barkery and Bath

5 Tips for Better Leash Manners

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Do you feel like you are water skiing every single time you try to take your dog on a walk?! We’ve all been there, and it is exhausting. Even if you have a small dog, it is embarrassing to be tied around a tree, tangled up with another dog, or heaven forbid, the leash comes lose and you are chasing your dog down the block! Be ready to impress your friends next time you are out and about with your dog after trying these 5 tips for better leash behavior.

  • Adjust Your Attitude– First, ask yourself: “What would I like him or her to do differently?” Instead of teaching a dog to stop pulling, think of it as teaching your dog how to walk nicely beside you.Brookside Barkery
  • Train Your Dog to Go When You Say So– One thing that can help is to train your dog to “go potty” on command. If your dog has already gone before the walk begins, he won’t feel the need to frantically pull and sniff on the walk.
  • Walk Your Dog the Way You Drive your Car– As the driver, you are the one in control. As pack animals, dogs love to play follow the leader. If your dog pulls, keep the leash loose, calmly pivot, and start going the opposite direction. In a happy voice say “heel” or “let’s go” to teach your dog to follow you.
  • It’s All About Rewards– One of the easiest ways to get your dog’s attention and teach him to walk properly on a leash is to reward him. The trick is to use very special treats at first. When your dog walks calmly beside you, or looks up at you, encourage this behavior with rewards.

Your dog will love our special treats from Brookside Barkery and Bath. We proudly offer a wide variety of healthy and natural treats that are sure to make this learning process a fun and rewarding one for your dog.

  • Use the Right Tools– If your dog has developed an engrained habit of pulling on walks, switch things up by trying a different type of leash or collar. Consider trying a front clip harness or a slip collar. At Brookside Barkery and Bath we offer a huge selection of collars and leashes sure to fit your pet’s own unique taste and style.

Just remember, it takes time, patience and practice to teach your dog good leash manners. So celebrate each step in the right direction -and walk over to visit us at Brookside Barkery and Bath today!

*special thanks to Pet360 and ModernDog for these expert tips.