How to Choose the Best Dog Food for Border Terrier Puppies
The Border Terrier puppy is an adorable, little pooch with its scruffy, dark, wiry hair and penchant for mischief making. A breed that goes back as far as the 1700s, the Border Terrier was developed along the border of two neighboring countries: England and Scotland. This delightful little breed’s primary role was hunting foxes, a job at which it truly excelled.
To fulfil its role on a hunt, the Border Terrier required a body that was flexible and a chest that was easily compressible, allowing it to fit within a foxhole. In addition to this, long legs were highly prized in the breed to assist the dog with keeping pace with horses while on a hunt. To round out its hunting profile, the ideal Border Terrier was in possession of a ready stamina, a weatherproof double coat, and a thick pelt that protected the dog from attacks by foxes set on defending themselves from capture.
The Border Terrier puppy is curious and sweet-natured, possessing a deep loyalty and affection for its family members. A happy little breed, the Border Terrier pup is equally tenacious and mischievous, traits aficionados of this dog type have come to deeply love. Though small in size, the Border Terrier has a larger than life personality.
A true terrier, the Border Terrier has energy to spare. This pup will not be content with a couch potato lifestyle and needs regular daily exercise to remain in good condition. If underexercised and overfed, the Border Terrier puppy can develop nuisance behaviors and may also become overweight. To prevent this, this pup should never be free fed.
A puppy with a high prey drive, the Border Terrier should be kept safely contained in a properly fenced yard. This pup is prone to digging, barking, and chasing anything it considers to be game. A dog breed with immense courage, the Border Terrier puppy fears nothing, a trait that can lead to the dog’s ruin if not supervised by a cautious owner.
The Border Terrier puppy, sadly, can be predisposed to a number of health problems. These may include hip dysplasia, heart defects, malocclusions, seizures, patellar luxation, hypothyroidism, and cryptorchidism. Though diet alone cannot prevent genetic disease, it can lay an excellent foundation for wellness in dogs. The ideal diet for the Border Terrier puppy should include supplements to boost joint, heart, and immune system health.
The best dog foods for Border Terrier puppies consist of a minimum of 22 percent protein and 8 percent fat. In addition to this, it is vitally important that this pup be fed a small breed puppy formulation that includes the proper ratio of calcium to phosphorus to support an appropriate rate of growth. These proportions are determined to be 1.2 parts of calcium for each part of phosphorus.
Choosing the Correct Calorie Count for Border Terrier Puppies
Border Terrier puppies are highly active, and thus, require a high performance puppy food based on a lean meat to fuel their daily energy reserves. Once this type of diet has been selected, it is then time to determine how much of the food to feed a pup. The best dog foods for Border Terrier puppies include suggested serving sizes based on age and weight on the side of their packaging. Owners can use these guidelines as a starting point, making adjustments as necessary to match their own dog’s activity level, appetite, and weight.
If overfed or underexercised, the Border Terrier puppy will become overweight. Since this breed can be prone to both hip dysplasia and patellar luxation, maintaining a healthy body weight is critical achieving optimal health and wellness. Free feeding is strong discouraged. All intake should be carefully measured and monitored to ensure a healthy body condition in the Border Terrier puppy.
Dietary Requirements for Border Terrier Puppy Foods
The Border Terrier puppy is a lively, active soul, requiring a high performance puppy formulation to support it through each phase of its development. The ideal foundation for a diet for this pup is a lean meat. The best dog foods for Border Terrier puppies utilize a whole meat or meat meal as their foundation. By-products are more economically viable for commercial dog food companies but lack the nutritional quality the Border Terrier puppy needs, and thus, should be avoided.
Plant proteins such as soy, corn, and wheat have been linked to skin and stomach sensitivities in dogs. Diets containing them are best left on the shelf. Likewise, foods containing chemicals, additives, fillers, artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives are of lesser quality and are not the preferred option for this athletic pup.
Carbohydrates provide Border Terrier puppies with the antioxidants and dietary fiber required to attain fluid digestion and a healthy immune system. These carbohydrates can come from fruits, vegetables, whole grains, or a combination of the three. Pups with sensitivities to grains may do best on a grain-free diet.
Healthy fats are the building blocks of the Border Terrier puppy’s ideal diet. It is from these essential fatty acids pups gain the fuel required for coat and skin health, brain and eye development, and strong reserves of energy. The ideal sources for these foods are animal-based and include such ingredients as chicken fat and oily fish.
Supplements help a diet to be more well-rounded. The best supplements to look for in a food for the Border Terrier puppy are prebiotics, probiotics, glucosamine, and chondroitin.
Things to Look for in the Best Dog Food for Border Terrier Puppies
Here is a basic list of the most important things to look for in the best dog food for a Border Terrier puppy:
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Lean, meat-based proteins listed at the beginning of the ingredients list
The Border Terrier puppy is a highly active chap, requiring an exceptional puppy formulation based on a lean meat to fuel its energy reserves. The ideal foundation for a diet for this busy pup is a whole meat or meat meal.
Diets basing their recipe on by-products or plant proteins are not of sufficient quality to support the nutritional needs of the Border Terrier puppy.
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Prepared without the addition of chemicals, flavorings, fillers, or mystery ingredients
Chemicals, flavorings, fillers, and mystery ingredients add no nutritional value to a food. Any puppy food that contains any of these elements should be avoided.
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Enriched with probiotics and helpful supplements
It is always a good idea to consider a food that contains helpful supplements. The most beneficial supplements for the Border Terrier puppy include prebiotics, probiotics, glucosamine, and chondroitin.
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Meets AAFCO nutritional requirements for a complete and balanced food
All puppy foods considered for the Border Terrier pup should bear the AAFCO seal of approval, indicating it is a complete and balanced diet.