{"id":344,"date":"2021-09-16T11:10:18","date_gmt":"2021-09-16T11:10:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kiezebrink.co.uk\/news\/?p=344"},"modified":"2021-09-16T11:10:18","modified_gmt":"2021-09-16T11:10:18","slug":"can-diet-affect-a-dogs-behaviour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kbanimalfoods.co.uk\/news\/archives\/2021\/09\/can-diet-affect-a-dogs-behaviour\/","title":{"rendered":"Can Diet Affect a Dog\u2019s Behaviour?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In the same way that a poorly balanced diet lacking in\nadequate nutrition can make humans feel sluggish and tired, food that doesn\u2019t properly\nnourish dogs can cause them to deviate from natural dog behaviour. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although there is a lack of significant research around this\ntopic, leading vets, breeders, behaviourists, and groomers have observed a\ndirect correlation between poor quality dog food and behaviour problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read on to learn more about the connection between dog diet\nand behaviour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Does Nutrition and Diet Impact Dog Behaviour?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Every metabolic process and cell in the body, brain and\nnervous system depends on the right nutrition to function correctly – if the\ncentral nervous system and brain aren\u2019t performing as they should, it\u2019s no\nwonder that a dog\u2019s behaviour will be affected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are a few common behavioural problems your dog might\nexperience as a result of a poor diet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rancid Fats and Dog Behaviour<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Processed bags of kibble go stale after a week or two and\nthe fats within the food become rancid and toxic. This is why you may have\nnoticed your dog loses its appetite for kibble halfway through the bag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rancid fats\u2019 toxicity reaches every cell in the body,\nimpacting energy production and contributing to premature cell-ageing,\nincluding in brain cells.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

High Hydrolysed Protein Diet and Dog Behaviour<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The protein in processed dog food is hydrolysed, a process\nwhich causes chains of amino acids to be broken down into single amino acids.\nOn the surface this can seem like a good thing as it means the amino acids can\nbe absorbed more easily by the digestive system, however, this does mean more\nof the amino acid glutamate is absorbed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Glutamate<\/a>\nis an excitatory neurotransmitter, an abundance of which can cause excitable behaviour,\npoor focus and volatility in dogs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

High Carbohydrate Diet and Dog Behaviour<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Processed foods typically contain large quantities of\ncarbohydrates like wheat, corn or corn meals which cause dogs\u2019 blood sugar\nlevels to spike. This leads to extreme hyperactivity for some time, followed by\na period of lethargy as the body attempts to compensate for the imbalance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Processed dog foods that contain a lower ratio of protein to\ncarbohydrates also result in lower levels of tryptophan<\/a>\nwhich means less serotonin and melatonin are produced to calm dogs down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Raw Feeding and Dog Behaviour<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As we\u2019ve explored throughout this article, processed and\npoorly balanced dog food and behaviour problems go hand in hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A dog\u2019s natural diet would consist of raw meat in the wild which\nis what their bodies are geared towards digesting. Many dog owners are able to\nbypass common behavioural issues by switching to raw feeding, as it means their\ndogs are avoiding excess carbohydrates, hydrolysed protein and other unhealthy additives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some more benefits of feeding dogs balanced a raw diet\ninclude:<\/p>\n\n\n\n