Dogs are used as guards in military as well as in civilian occupations. Guard dogs may serve as a sentry, on patrol, shore watch, riot control or in security jobs such as at a mall. Regardless of where a dog is working as a guard dog they all have one common trait, their high degree of training.

Guard dogs are trained to keep their senses while they are on duty, maintaining their performance at a peak level while they are working. This is often sustained for long periods of time. While they are working they are burning large amounts of energy. They also need energy to deal with the stresses that they deal with while they are working.

To give the guard dog the energy that it needs often it is necessary to look beyond the normal “dry foods” that do not contain an adequate amount of calories to sustain a guard dog on duty. It needs a more concentrated diet that gives the dog a larger amount of energy without increasing the quantity of food.

Something that could become a problem is the dog’s fecal waste, especially if it is working in a civilian environment where the mess and small would be a problem. This could be, for example, if the dog were working inside a mall, or an office building. This would need to be taken into consideration as well.

In order to reduce the amount of stool it would be necessary to give the dog a diet containing the largest amount of energy combined with a smaller amount of dry matter. You could do this be increasing the digestibility of the diet or by reducing the indigestible dry matter. This way the food can be used more for energy and the waste is reduced, resulting in fewer stools. As an added benefit the digestibility of the proteins and carbs is greatly improved causing the odor of the stool to be less offensive.

Finding the optimal feeding routine for your dog is about more than timing. It also includes what you will feed your dog. Here is a brief guideline of what would be acceptable to feed your dog.

Animal Fats: Many animal fats contain just as many calories as vegetable oils but only two contain the fatty acids that are essential, and in the amounts necessary to give your dog what it needs. These are the pig (or lard) and the fat of a horse. Beef and mutton should not be used as the only source of energy for your dog, simply because they contain less than the necessary fatty acids that your dog needs. Animal fats contain over 120 calories in every tablespoon.

Cereal Grains: The main source of carbs, both for man and for dogs is the cereal grain. Found mostly in the starch, the starch can also be purchased in pure form, it containing about 30 calories per tablespoon or 470 calories per cup. Other grain resources include dry as well as cooked breakfast cereals, rice (boiled), hominy, and corn meal. You should never give your dog a diet that contains more than 50% dry matter.

Potatoes: Although potatoes have more water in them the volume of carbohydrates is basically the same as in the grains found in cereals. You can use potatoes in the diet as well, just make sure that they don’t constitute over 50% of the diet, the same as with the cereal grains.

Breads: Bread is among the better carbohydrates to feed our dog. For one reason, it is usually fortified with vitamins and minerals that is needed for your dog. Another reason is that dogs tend to like the taste of bread more than cereal grains in their raw forms. Although some say that the bread should be toasted before giving it to your dog it really does not enhance the nutritional value because the grains have already been subjected to cooking. Toasting the bread does, however, make the bread easier to crumble into the rest of the food.

Specialty Flour Products: Something that you may not want to overlook is specialty flour produces such as noodles, spaghetti and noodles. These products have similar energy content to the cereal and grain products and like the other dry products, rice for example, they can be added to dry food and then cooked after the water has been added. This allows you to mix large amounts of dry food at one time and add water to smaller amounts as needed.

If you are having a difficult time administering liquid medicine to your dog (as many people do) then these two methods may help you.

The first method is known as making a pouch and basically consists of pulling the dog’s lower lip down in order to make a little pouch where you will put the liquid. The dog’s head should be tilted back slightly while you pour the medicine into the pouch using the other hand.

Sometimes the medicine does not go down right away, usually when the dog’s teeth are clenched tightly, not allowing the medicine to pass through. In this circumstance you should pry the dog’s teeth gently apart using your fingers. If the dog should try to move away, simply back your dog’s rump into a wall so that they can not back away from you.

An additional way of using this same method is to sit on the floor with the dog resting between your legs. The dog’s rear should be toward you and his head should be facing away from you. This will allow you to keep him positioned easily. When you have the medicine in the dog’s mouth you should make him swallow by holding his mouth almost closed and lightly rubbing and massaging his throat. The medicine is down when the dog’s tongue comes out of his mouth briefly. You can also make him swallow by briefly placing your thumb over his nostrils.

The second way that we will discuss is called prying his mouth open. You should do this by gently grasping the dog’s upper jaw with one hand and putting your thumb and fingers between the fangs in the front of your dog’s mouth. Most dogs will allow their mouths to relax at this point and make it easy to pour the liquid into the dog’s mouth. You should use a spoon or a dropper to accomplish this. Make sure that you keep the dog’s head tilted at an angle.

If you are trying to give your dog a pill you can do this by opening his mouth just like you would do when administering liquid medicine. When you have his teeth pried apart with your thumb an fingers you should push the pill as far back as you can into the dog’s throat. You would then induce the swallowing either by massaging the dog’s neck or by gently holding your thumb over his nostrils.

I hope that this short article has helped you in some way to make it easier and less stressful for both you and your dog when giving them medicine.

Since the 18^th century there have been references to the Dalmatian. In the breeds’ first home where they were established is in the western Yugoslavian area (once a part of Austria) that is located near the Adriatic. The Dalmatian, however, were known throughout many parts of the world before they became known as a breed at that time. Examples of this can be found in many art depictions of this breed including paintings and engravings along with references to similar sized and shaped spotted dogs in literature. It would seem that there were several roaming bands of gypsies that were accompanied by these dogs in their travels.

The Dalmatian breed really took off and became established in Great Britain where they were brought by members of the British upper class who often made tours of Europe and no doubt came across these dogs in their travels. Soon afterwards they were taken in by the English aristocracy where they were used to accompany their horse drawn carriages. The Dalmatians were taught to station themselves beneath the rear axel, sometimes even trotting underneath the pole that separated the horses. At times they were found leading the procession, running out in front of the lead horse.

It was also in Great Britain where the Dalmatian was used as a firehouse dog. According to tradition this started with the Dalmatians being ratters in various barns and stables throughout Britain, but their love of leading the carriages soon caused them to run ahead of the fire engines whenever they were out on a call. This tradition still continues today in both Great Britain and the United States as well, with the Dalmatian accompanying the fire trucks as they go out on a call.

Along with their well earned reputation as a fire dog they also have been used in war time, served as a shepherding dog as well as a draft dog, in circus shows (usually assisting the clown). They are an intelligent breed and it shows in the adaptable way in which this remarkable breed can be used.

Dogs have been used as companions for centuries, they also have been used for other purposes throughout history such as hunting, working and herding. This has led to a difference in the nutritional needs from dog to dog. For example, when I first started working at a desk job instead of out in the field I gained weight. It was necessary for me to change my dietary habits to maintain the same weight as before. It is much the same with a dog. Their jobs, as well as the physical output differ from dog to dog.

Dogs today still help man with working in the field. They also serve as companion dogs, often found relaxing on the couch at home while their masters are out working their jobs. The dog gets it’s energy from the food it eats, and if the nutritional input of the food does not equal the output of a working dog then one of two things will happen. Either the dog will slow down, or if forced to work harder it will maintain an unhealthy weight.

You should always watch your dog’s weight to make sure that it is getting it’s necessary nutrition and energy. At the same time overfeeding and inactive dog will put it’s health in jeopardy as well by making it fat. It’s a delicate balance, but once the optimum feeding requirements are found then maintenance should be a snap.