Growing Up Ike: The Food Part Two Nutro Ultra
Howdy, everyone! I hope that you are having a beautiful week? Today I wanted to do a little update posting about how Ike is doing on his new food, Nutro Ultra Puppy food. If you missed my first posting and the giveaway head on over and enter. Today I would like to discuss a couple of things that I have noticed since we have totally merged Ike over to the new food. If you are considering changing a dog food, it is so important that you do it slowly, so you don’t cause your little baby any digestive upset or tummy trouble.
What I have Noticed When It Comes To The Skin/Coat
Our little man Ike, since we rescued him from animal control has suffered from very itchy skin and dandruff. No matter if I gave him a bath or used a shampoo to help combat this it did nothing to help him in any way. It has now been ten days since we started to switch to Nutro Ultra and I have noticed a huge difference not only in his skin but itching as well. I am guessing that the Nutro really helped him with this matter since we have changed nothing else when it comes to his diet or daily activities. It was such a pleasure to see Ike not scratching, and the dandruff is almost totally gone.
Starving Dog Syndrome GONE
Another thing that I have noticed is that he does not seem to be starving. I like to think, for some reason, all of my dogs have “starving dog syndrome” LOL. They always seem to be hungry even though I feed them the proper amount of foods each day. Over the past couple of days, Ike attacks his food with all his might eating it down to the bottom of the bowl and afterward he no longer begs during the day or tries to eat things like rocks and mulch. When I first got Ike he would eat everything in sight (I know that this is just a little puppy characteristic) yet now he seems to be content. This is a HUGE plus for me because I would have to watch him while he is playing outside so that he did not choke.
Energy Like No Other
One thing about Ike and again this is a puppy characteristic is that he has SO much energy. He runs my older dog to the point he just comes in and lays on the couch. Being the breed that he is a bullboxer, means that he has tons of energy. Shoot, he even runs me to the point I want to lay on the couch. Since a puppy has so much, you need to feed him or her a food that can keep up with that energy.
What I love about Nutro Ultra Puppy Food is that it has three lean animal proteins from farm-raised chicken, pasture-fed lamb and salmon provide unique and complementary Amino Acids that work together to promote strong, lean muscles. This is formulated with targeted levels of protein and fat to support the high energy levels of large breed puppies. Whole grains are nutrient-dense foods that nourish a healthy digestive system for proper nutrient absorption.
Much Softer Stool
So far I am extremely happy with the results of the Nutro Ultra Puppy food because I could actually see the difference in Ike. Not only is he not itching, not bugging about food all day but he also seems to have much softer stool now. Poor little Ike suffered from extremely hard stool before switching over to Nutro, and I believe that this food has contributed to this. Which is a great point for me.
Before switching Ike over to Nutro, he would go to or try to go to the bathroom for about an hour outside. Pushing and pushing. In fact, I had a vet appointment to see why this was happening. Now he seems to have no trouble going even if he is a three part pooper.
A Little Training Tip
In my last posting, I gave you a little training tip for you to try on your puppy. Which was, whenever you go to feed your pup make him or her sit. This can help you streamline the training process. Adding a bit of their training to daily tasks will really help. I am by no means an expert but this has worked for me and being a bullboxer puppy Ike is extremely smart yet stubborn, to say the least. Even when we are playing ball, I make him sit before I take it out of his mouth. This relaxes him and makes him willing to give me the ball.
Another training tip that I have for you today considers housetraining. Ike has to be the worst dog and most stubborn when it comes to housetraining. He has gotten much better now, but it was a long journey so far. To the point where he actually peed on my head. I will forever be stained!! Trust me. Recently, I have started to use training treats. I never did this with my other dogs because I did not feel that they needed it but Ike does. He needs the inspiration to go use the potty outside.
A Training Tip For The Owner
This has to be the most important training tip I have ever implemented myself. YOU NEED A SCHEDULE!! Having a schedule will make life so much easier. If you live with your kids or a husband they need to know the schedule as well. Make sure that everyone in the home plays a part in taking care of the new puppy and this can help teach your children the responsibility that comes with owning a dog.
I would suggest taking your puppy out every 45 minutes (maybe more depending on the dog). Puppies have extremely small blatters which means that they can’t hold much in there or for a very long time. You will want to make sure that you take him out after his meals (which should be scheduled) as well as after a nap or chewing a bone.
I suggest not leaving their food out all day. I feed Ike twice a day like I do my older dog. Once at 7:00 and the other at 5:30. I take the water bowl away at 8:30 to help him sleep through the night without having to go to the bathroom. Now, this might change since it is getting warmer because we will be outside more. I can’t stress enough how much having a schedule is important.
If your puppy does go on the floor, don’t scold them. This has to be the hardest for me. I simply clean it up. If I see Ike going on the floor, then I say “NO” in a stern voice and put him outside. If you don’t see your pup going on the floor, it could have been awhile ago that he did so. If you scold him when you find it, most likely he has already forgotten, and he will just think you are crazy. He will not understand why you are yelling thus not helping the matter in any way.
THIS JUST IN: Actually right about now as I am typing my posting Ike did his business on the floor. It was not his fault but mine because I was not paying attention.
I do hope that these little training tips for you and your puppy help you along in your journey. I also hope that you check out Nutro Ultra Puppy food or the Nutro family of products. Please do check out my first posting as I explained more of the benefits of this food. You can check out Nutro products online at Chewy.com.
