Q. Can my dog's diet affect his behaviour?

A. We strongly believe that in some cases altering a dog's diet can cause profound affects in his behaviour. There are several reasons why this can be so.

One of the major food related causes of behaviour problems in dogs, is being intolerant to one or several of the ingredients in the food. Sensitivity to diet can be seen in changes in behaviour often paired with a wide range of skin and digestive problems. These behavioural effects can be seen as increased levels of aggression, over-activity in the dog, eating of non-food items (especially fibrous objects such as wood, paper and other plant materials), and sudden changes in the dog's moods. The intolerance can be related to the type of protein in the diet, the presence of artificial colours and flavours and the use of chemical anti-oxidants and preservatives in the food.

Another food related factor in behaviour problems could be too much protein in the diet. Many dog foods, especially dry foods, are complete i.e. everything the dog needs nutritionally is included in the food. Adding lots of extras to the diet such as cooked meat can increase the protein levels beyond what the dog actually needs and this often results in a more excitable dog.

Q. What dog food do you recommend?

A. We strongly recommend FROMM Family Nutritionals. Admittedly we are agents for Fromm, but we could have picked any one of the vast ranges of dog foods to sell. We chose Fromm because it met ours, and our dogs' high standards. Fromm is manufactured from the highest quality ingredients with no artificial preservatives, colours or flavours.

Q. Do you feed Fromm to your own dogs?

A. Our own dogs have been fed on Fromm for many years. We first came to feed Fromm to one of our dogs that had a problem digesting his food. From then, having been impressed with the results, we have continued to feed Fromm to all of our dogs and they have gone on to live long and healthy lives.

Q. What is FROMM Family pet food?

A. FROMM is a range of complete dog and cat foods manufactured in America. Dr. Willard Roberts, Ph.D., a leading nutritionist, created the first generation of FROMM Family Nutritionals pet foods in 1948. Dr. Roberts is recognized as the father of modern pet foods, having pioneered the process of producing the type of dry, granular food that's so popular today.

Since then the Fromm Company has continued to improve upon each Fromm Nutritionals recipe. The result is a concentrated, balanced blend of foods that results in easier digestion, fewer allergic reactions, and increased energy for your dog or cat.

Q. What foods are available in the Fromm range?

A. The major range from Fromm is the Gold Nutritionals. This range is free from any artificial colours, flavours, anti-oxidants and preservatives.

Gold Nutritionals is a superior range of dry foods that are gluten free and contain pre- and probiotics to increase friendly gut bacteria and therefore improve digestion, including: -

Puppy Gold - for puppies from weaning up to approximately one year old (depending on breed). Puppy Gold also contains glucosamine hydrochloride and chrondroitin sulphate to help build healthy joints in the growing dog.

Adult Gold - a food for all adult dogs with average to high-energy requirements, designed to take over from Puppy Gold.

Senior Gold - a food for older or over-weight dogs with lower energy requirements, also contains glucosamine hydrochloride and chrondroitin sulphate to help protect aging joints and those under stress from excessive weight.

Other products available from Fromm Family Nutritionals include: -

Working Adult  - Available VAT free for breeders and working kennels.

Cat food - only available as a dry food, in Adult.

Please contact us for full ingredients listings and guaranteed analysis.

Q. How can I obtain Fromm foods?

A. All the Fromm products can be picked-up from our classes and home (with a little warning). We also deliver free to your home throughout Hampshire.