vet's for almost a week

"And?" The vet asked.

He couldn't believe it when Larry told him that that was the extent of Jock's diet, meat, which Larry minced himself, and cooked slightly.

What's In Your Homemade Dog Food?

The major benefit of feeding a dog commercial dog food is that the food is nutritionally balanced for dogs. Dogs need a variety of vitamins and minerals in addition to their need for protein (meat) and fat. Dog food companies spend millions on research, and as a result most of today's pets live into very ripe old age.

Jock stayed at the vet's for almost a week, while Larry visited him daily. Larry was horrified that he'd almost killed his dog. Jock's protein-only diet had leeched the calcium out of Jock's bones, making them weak and brittle.

When he took Jock home, he had a nutritionally sound diet printed out for him, with lots of extra supplements. A year later, Jock is back to his bouncing, happy self.

In conclusion, if you're thinking of cooking homemade dog food, be careful. Ask your vet for a diet for your particular dog. All dogs vary in their requirements, according to their breed, their age, and their exercise or lack of it.

A Bouncing Energetic Labrador One Moment, The Next An Old Dog

Beware of homemade dog food - it can kill, as my friend Larry discovered. No, I'm not trying to scare you, just make you aware of the potential dangers.

After all, if you love your dog, you may be considering cooking him homemade dog food, because you control the ingredients, and it's healthier. However, unless you're careful, your homemade treats could be dangerous for the health of your dog.

A Bouncing Energetic Labrador One Moment, The Next An Old Dog

A few weeks ago my friend Larry's three-year-old Labrador Jock was showing all the symptoms of old age. He couldn't get up, and when he did, he tottered. Larry rushed him to the vet, who initially suspected that Jock had been poisoned.

The vet questioned Larry about Jock's diet.

Larry proudly explained that he'd never fed Jock any commercial dog food, he was determined that his canine pal would have the very best. "I buy all his meat from the supermarket myself - he eats better than the rest of our family do," he told the vet.

that he can follow.

Even though the halter is easy to use and doesn’t need much instruction, you still need to be very careful using it. You can cause serious neck injuries to your dog if you pull too hard on the leash. Giving that jerk of the leash can whip your dog’s head around toward you very quickly, causing damage. With the halter on you shouldn’t need to pull on the leash at all. Your dog will quickly learn from trial and error that his pulling results his head being turned away from the actual source of excitement. You should also not use the halter as your sole training device. You won’t teach your dog any responsibility for his own actions unless you continue teach him commands that he can follow. Use the head halter as a transitional tool only, not as a permanent walking device.

to pull on her face.

How the halter can help:
A dog with a head halter on is a dog easier to control. It’s a great equalizer for dog owners with very large dogs since the dog will not pull as much on a leash when in use. The halter can also be healthier for you dog if he’s a puller since collars can damage his windpipes with constant pulling and use. Even though the halter is not designed as a muzzle, in some dogs it can act as a deterrent for barking and aggression. With my dog, we’ve definitely noticed a difference. She’s much less vocal, and she walks much nicer because she doesn’t want to pull on her face.

d accept that it’s there.

What to expect:
Many dog owners are trying out head halters as opposed to choke or pinch collars to control their large breed dogs. It’s similar in part to what is used to lead horses, and was adapted from such a device. The halter fits around the muzzle of your dog and snaps behind his head so that it doesn’t come off. The assumption when using a halter is that where your dog’s head goes, his body will follow. It could potentially make training easier then.

Your dog’s reaction:

Before actually using the halter as a training tool, simply put it on and allow your dog to get used to the idea for a while. When we first used one on my dog, she allowed it to be put on alright, but as soon as she had her freedom her paws were all over her face trying to get the strange device off. Let your dog adjust to the collar, but don’t let him take it off if he can manage that. Correct him if he tries too hardily to use his paws to claw the thing off his face. Eventually he calm down and accept that it’s there.

the marketing technique employed.

The trick is to provide the six basic nutrients in a balanced diet, factoring in the calories that will suffice for your dog's growth, activity, and restoration. In addition, your dog's daily diet must contain vitamin and mineral supplements in balanced concentrations. Too much of one mineral may interfere with absorption of another; too little of a mineral may interfere with vitamin use or other mineral use.

If you plan to feed your pet fresh food, you want to make sure that you provide him with all the nutritional building blocks he needs to maintain a healthy body. Animal protein should be combined with vegetables, pasta, rice, cereals and other foods to provide all the protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals needed.

If you still opt for the convenience of commercial foods, it is wise to become versed in the art of decoding dog food ingredient labels so that you can be assured that the nutritional value matches (or, ideally, surpasses) the marketing technique employed.

The dog food manufacturers spend a great deal of time, energy and advertising revenue to persuade us that their products are natural and nutritionally complete. That would indicate,

1) That is what consumers would like the product to be, and
2) That is what the product should be.

Doesn't it make sense, then, that you select food for your dog that you know to be healthful and nutritionally sound? If you're still buying commercial dog food, you aren't feeding your dog what it needs and deserves.

increasing their frequencies.

If there’s enough money in the PR budget, be sure to use professional survey firms in the perception monitoring phases of your program. If not, you’re still fortunate because your PR people are also in the perception and behavior business and can pursue the same objective: identify untruths, false assumptions, unfounded rumors, inaccuracies, misconceptions and any other negative perception that might translate into hurtful behaviors.

It’s quite clear that setting just the right public relations goal allows you to deal effectively with the most serious problems you turned up during your key audience perception monitoring. Your new goal could call for straightening out that dangerous misconception, or correcting that inaccuracy, or neutralizing that fateful rumor.

At this point, take special care because you must now identify the right strategy, one that tells you how to move forward. Remember that there are just three strategic options available to you when it comes to handling a perception and opinion challenge. Change existing perception, create perception where there may be none, or reinforce it. Since the wrong strategy pick will taste like crumbled Gorganzola cheese on your bread pudding, be certain the new strategy fits comfortably with your new public relations goal. You don’t want to select “change” when the facts dictate a “reinforce” strategy.

Like it or not, a strong message is needed here, one aimed at members of your target audience. There is no doubt that crafting action-forcing language to persuade an audience to your way of thinking is very hard work. Which is why you need your strongest writer. S/he must create some very special, corrective language. Words that are not only compelling, persuasive and believable, but clear and factual if they are to correct something and shift perception/opinion towards your point of view leading to the behaviors you are targeting.

How are you going to carry your message to the attention of your target audience? With the communications tactics most likely to reach that group of people, of course. After you run the draft message by your PR people for impact and persuasiveness, you can choose from among dozens that are available to you. From speeches, facility tours, emails and brochures to consumer briefings, media interviews, newsletters, personal meetings and many others. But be sure that the tactics you pick are known to reach folks just like your audience members.

Because we know that message credibility can depend on the credibility of the means used to deliver it, you may want to try it out before smaller meetings and presentations rather than using higher-profile news releases.

About now, talk of progress reports may be heard, and they are a signal that it’s time for you and your PR team to begin a second perception monitoring session with members of your external audience. Many of the same questions used used in thebenchmark session can be asked again. Now however, you will be watching carefully for signs that the problem perception is being altered in your direction.

Don’t forget that you can always speed up program momentum by adding more communications tactics and increasing their frequencies.

This template can be effective for most public relations challenges you face. When you successfully alter the perceptions of your key external stakeholders, in most cases moving their behaviors in your direction, you should soon enjoy the satisfaction of achieving your managerial objectives.