As a dog trainer I often see an association between food and behaviour and sometimes all you have to do to sort out a behaviour problem like hyper activity, excessive nipping and jumping is to change the dogs diet to something cleaner, without additives, colorants and preservatives. Much like children who's ADHD get worse by the bad food they eat.

My top tip for good wholesome food is Naturediet (wet food) or Burns (dry). I've had my dog on Naturediet since he was a puppy and most of my day dogs and boarding dogs are fed Naturediet and it is astonishing how healthy they are. Neither Naturediet nor Burns test their food on animals, something that Eukanuba, Iams, Hills and many more brands do. You can find out more on www.uncaged.co.uk/petfood.htm.

Please also read what my Swedish dog training colleagues have experienced with Eukanuba and Iams.

Dog Food Experiences:
Could I please ask that those of you who have changed your dogs diet, email me with details on any changes you saw in your dog after the change over to the new food.

I would like to hear stories about all foods, regardless of quality. Did they stop humping everything in sight? Did the flatulence problem in your home stop after the change in diet? Did their fur come up nice and shiny? Did their eyes stop weeping? Did the scratching seem to go away? Did the dandruff disappear? Did they get a better attention span and seem less hyper after the change in diet?

Fill in the form below to have your story added to the Noticeboard below. This will help other dog owners in their choice of food.

Be aware that if you are about to change your dogs diet, you need to do it gradually. You should be planning for between 1-2 weeks of slowly increasing the new food and decreasing the old food.

Please Note! This is just a noticeboard for you to communicate with other dog owners, I will not give advice on your dogs diet and diet related issues. For this you need to contact your vet.

Terrier X, 1 year, male
When i collected Taz from the animal care trust i kept him on the same diet as he was on which was Hills Science Plan. After meeting Caroline i swapped him to the Burns diet. People have commented on how shiny his coat is now and how well he looks. I swapped him to the Burns diet about 6 weeks after i had adopted him and it was 6 weeks after I had changed his diet that his coat changed. He had always been a touch scurfy, now he gleams with health. Ii was also shocked to discover how much sugar there was in some of the tinned food that i had given him so now he gets a bit of the NatureDiet mixed in with his Burns which he loves.

Labrador, 1 year, male
When we first attended puppy classes Jake was being fed on 'Beta'. To say he was excitable would be an understatement. Caroline recommended we change his food to Burns, within two weeks we had noticed the difference. He is obviously still excitable but it is a manageable and enjoyable excitement now.

Siberian Husky/GSD X puppy, male
We originally had our pup on James Wellbeloved dry kibble purely because that was the food the breeder had been feeding him. We intended to put him on the BARF diet (Bones and Raw Food) but found it difficult to get recipes and detailed information. We then found the NatureDiet! This food is fantastic, he now enjoys his meal times whereas he just used to pick at the kibble. His coat is now clean and shiny, it used to be dull and he had quite dry skin in his back. For treats he has raw chicken wings or leg which we subsidise his NatureDiet for, and tomatoes, carrots, cucumber and nature food chicken chunks. He seems much happier in himself and seems to be able to concentrate for that little bit longer! NatureDiet is highly recommended!

German Wirehaired Pointer puppy, male
Our puppy was originally on Eukanuba puppy food up until 13 weeks - from the age of 8 weeks there was definately an issue/problem with him humping everything in sight! Which was highlighted at the first puppy training class - He was then switched to Burns Minibites on Caroline's recommendation and his amorous antics stopped within a week!
Our 3 year old Dachshund has been on Bakers complete since 12 weeks old, following Silas changing to the Burns diet, I swapped to Burns as well mixed occasionally with NatureDiet. He's currently on the lamb flavour (which he doesn't like at all - and tends to go on hunger strike - and then nick Silas's puppy food!) but was previously on the venison flavour - he's been on it about 2 months - he now molts less, his coat is much silkier, and previously was quite scurfy with lumps under the skin on ears etc - these have all gone. He also seems much calmer in himself on the Burns diet. Our pointer puppy does still have a problem with flatulence but I think its just him irrespective of what food he's on!

Black Labrador, female
The only food story we have was when she was a pup and came to us fed on Pedigree. She had constant runs and vomiting for months and ended up on a drip overnight at the vet. I contacted Oscars pet food who advised us that they thought perhaps she had a gluten allergy. We changed her onto Oscars and then Burns or Nutro and she has been fine ever since. Wish we had not had to spend that much time and money on blood tests when it was all in the food.

Cavalier King Charles puppy, female
My puppy became very sick on Eukanuba and Iams - even though the 'breeder' said she had been fed this previously. Which I doubt, of course!! I took her to the vet who said that no puppy her age should be on this food, it was far too strong for her. Now, of course I wouldn't give it to her anyway!! Since she started on the Burns food she hasn't looked back!! Her coat is glossy, her eyes don't run and she is far more placid than she was.

Utonagan puppy, male
We were advised by the breeder to feed our puppy on Beta Puppy and then BARF (Bones and Raw Food) from age 3-4 months. We did feed Beta Puppy solely for the first week he was with us (aged 7 - 8 weeks) then started to introduce home cooked food. Eventually, up to the age of three months) he was having two Beta Puppy meals and two home cooked (typically brown rice (occasionally mashed potato), meat - chicken, turkey, beef, lamb, rabbit, offal, fish (sardines, salmon, white fish) or egg, assorted veggies (spinach, carrot, broccoli, peppers etc.), fruit (he loves apple and banana), a tiny amount of cod liver oil and bone meal) and finally just one Beta Puppy and three home cooked meals, sometimes substituted for a NatureDiet. We decided not to feed BARF as we were worried about raw bones and ensuring his diet was nutritionally sound, although I have managed to get hold of the odd marrow bone, which he loved. We have also given him filled bones and smoked bones, although I am now concerned about smoked bones splintering so have stopped these.

Our puppy can be a bit manic. He seems to have boundless energy and used to mouth/bite a lot, and my hands were permanently scabby. He still mouths a little but has developed good bite inhibition with training and age and doesn't draw blood anymore. He also used to hump his toys, me, husband, etc. With Beta Puppy he did seem to need the toilet a lot - sometimes 5 times a day and he did suffer from flatulence. We changed his one kibble meal to Burns MiniBites and the toilets lessened but he still has his manic moments. The humping lessened, I think. Probably the flatulence too. Recently we ran out of Mini Bites so gave him James Wellbeloved as it was more easily accessible, and I think the humping has increased, as has his bowel movements and I have recently found myself blaming my husband for nasty niffs ;-) - it's really the puppy! I don't know if I could scientifically put this down to diet though. At 6 months we will be giving him Burns Adult food in the morning and a home cooked meal or NatureDiet in the evening.

For treats we give him home cooked liver cake, Nature's Menu treats, carrot, tomato, Burns Kelties, pigs ears, jerky and, sparingly, the odd crumb of Harvest grain toast (only because he looks so desperate for it when I am eating it). Rarely I give him cheese as I am worried about him coping with lactose. He has developed quite a taste for soya milk though but this is lactose free. I never give him chocolate, grapes, raisins or onions but I have occasionally added garlic to his food. Our puppy eats better than we do and my mum thinks I'm bonkers :-D What makes it worse is that as soon as he is off the lead he heads for the nearest pile of horse dung or cow pat and makes me think that I needn't bother cooking at all, ha ha ha.

I have noticed that our puppy calms down throughout the day. He is extremely lively and exuberant in the morning and early afternoon but a good long walk usually sorts him out and he sleeps ... and then wakes up refreshed and ready to play. He really does seem to have limitless energy and races around the house for ages if he can't go out. I'm not 100% sure if his diet has affected him that much. We did speak to the breeder and she assured us that he is typical of his breed - stubborn (and how!), lively, mischievous and she said he would calm down as he got older, as hers did.

Briards, 1 male, 1 female
Saw your comments about "food stories" and thought I would let you know that we have changed both our dogs to Arden Grange (Large Breed) as well as the NatureDiet. We were feeding them both on Burns Pet Food but decided to try a change as the female dog's skin wasn't great and rather than have 2 lots of food switched the male as well. Have to say it seems to have worked (so far). Initially Arden Grange's biscuits looked quite big and being fussy dogs we thought they wouldn't eat them. But they do and in fact they don't seem as fussy as with the Burns. The female's skin is definitely a lot better and they're both a lot better about eating their food. Of course they do have days where they don't eat everything or don't eat the morning meal, but eat the evening meal. But then again, they're not labradors! I think they're another company that doesn't do animal testing (or endorse it) www.ardengrange.com

Staffordshire Bull Terrier, 16 weeks, male
Had problems with pedigree and hill science diet he now eats trophy premiem puppy. Cant believe the difference in his coat. Motions are excellent. Even vet has commented on his condition.

Scottie dog, 2 years and 3 months, female
Hi my dog Mollie has just been diagonised as asthmatic shes been unwell for a while and been on meds for ner on 6 months I decided to alter her diet to Naturediet fish and lamd and the improvement is astonishing comments from my family about have bright and alert she is also how determined she is to be feed in the am and pm slot. A real find I must say and i have now ditched my usual brand and included the diet for my other two dogs one yorkshire terrier 9 years and one cocker spanial 6 months and they too seem very alert and enthused.

Collie, 4 years and 9 months, female
I have a rescue Collie who at 4 1/2 years old had two seizures and was diagnosed as having ideopathic epilepsy. A known trigger in some epileptic dogs and people is Rosemary oil (this is well documented) Burns say that their dog food is good for dogs with epilepsy. this is not true. My dog had seizures whilst on Burns and Kelties. Others have had the same. James Wellbeloved use Rosemary as a preservative in their fish variety and also their snacks. Their nutritionalists agreed that the oil was a trigger but they use a different part of the plant and it is less concentrated. They still advised that it be avoided with epileptic dogs.

GSD, 4 years, female & Toy Poodle, 6 years, female & Minature Poodle, 9 weeks, male
My GSD is greatly improved in condition; she is leaner, fitter and less nervous since I changed from Burns to a BARF diet. The toy poodle is also fitter and enjoys it much more. She would never eat dried food but eats every thing now even the veg. My pup has just had his first chicken wings today and devoured them with gusto. It's hard work but it is worth it.

Border Collie, 2 years, male
The best dog food I have found is Oscar's chicken and rice. The dogs coat came up nice and shiny, his eyes are now nice and bright and he has no more wind. This food also has a low feed rate and works out much cheaper than many well known brands. The best food I have found and the dog loves it.

Flat Coated Retriever, 14 weeks, male
We are having trouble with our puppy especially once he has eaten. I changed him to Naturediet after Pedigree Chum did not agree with him and he is much better. However when I mix it with Burns he turns quite aggressive. I was combining the Naturediet with Farm Foods HE from Holland which seemed to be the best combination. However I ran out because the supplier had run out of stock and I had to return to Burns with the Naturediet. He is now aggressive again. I know they say that Burns is brilliant but my experience is that it is not. The Farm Foods HE is guaranteed not to have any additives at all. including EC permitted antioxidants. I am now awaiting my next delivery of Farm Foods HE. It also does not contain any poultry which my puppy hates. I would not recommend Burns but that is only my experience. He is also always hungrier when fed on Burns.

Cavaljer King Charles Spaniel, 10 years, female
my dog has been fed on Arden Grange all her life until January this year when she was diagnosed to have mammary cancer. She is now on a diet of fresh organic raw chicken and liver, red peppers ,carrots, lettuce or cabbage, and raw egg yolk. Her coat is now beautiful .Her eyes are bright and she runs around like a puppy!

Toller (I assume this owner means a Duck Tolling Retriever), 2 years, female
When I collected her as a puppy I was given an Arden Grange puppy pack. Not knocking AG but I'd done some research previously and was convinced that too much protein early on can lead to joint problems as the dog grows (AG is a bit high in protein) - and I've seen this in another Toller who was overfed as a pup. Tollers are notoriously manic as pups, and I did find that there was a noticable improvement in behaviour when I changed to Burns - http://www.burns-pet-nutrition.co.uk/puppy.htm

Weimaraners, 2 years and 4 months, male and female
My weims, prone to sensitive tum are now on mixture of Naturediet with wholemeal mixer and raw meat and bones. I give them raw vegetables (whizzed in blender) and fruit daily. They get raw eggs and eat just about anything. I experienced a lot of problems with Burns, James Wellbeloved although I would say nutrionally they are the best. Most others are full of chemicals, meat derivatives which means anything and everything off the slaughterhouse floor - including the sawdust!!! Both pooches do well on this and I would feed raw 100% of the time but when I am not there my husband and son just phone to ask what they have to get - that\'s where Naturediet is great. Nearest to homemade and no rubbish in it.

Scottish Terrier, 18 months, female
Poppy, my Scottie used to be very hyper, yes she did have flatulence, and scratched quite alot but since she has been on Oscar maintenance food for the past four months no problems and her coat is beautiful black and shiny, I changed gradually over a period of three weeks from Pro-Plan which was very high in protein.

Border Collie X , 18 months, male
Dusty was a rescue dog and a "typical" collie full of energy. He was very thin and malnourished when we got him 6 mths ago and we have been feeding him up. Last week he was in kennels and when he came back he seemed ever so hyper.more than usual. Normally fed on a mix of wet food - chappie/pal/store brands etc. This week we bought some Wellbeloved dry food, for puppies ie no additives etc (to be honest we bought it because of 20% extra offer) Overnight it was like having a different dog - instead of bouncing around at 6am saying
"i'm ready to go" he slept in until 8 am and seemed totally more relaxed. It can't purely be co-incidence surely?.

West Highland Terrier, 14 weeks, male
my puppy started on Burns dry food and had horrendous sloppy poo - totally liquid was sleepy and quite grumpy - my vet advised we changed to Hills which we did gradually within 3 days his poo had firmed and he was a much happier dog - remember this dog had not had a solid poo for 5 WEEKS before hills.

Alsatian (German Shepherd Dog), 5 months, female
Just over a week ago i changed my dogs food from Winalot to Iams junior,on instructions from my vet. It must be the worst thing i could have done. Her behaviour has deteriated rapidly, soon as shes eaten she goes absoluty bonkers, jumping, snapping, biting, totaly out of control. Also she seems to think that my front room is a toilet. Also she is now drinkin between 6/7 bowls of water a day.

Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, 6 months, male
My dog had been on Bakers puppy food since I had him at 12 weeks as this was what he was fed I kept it up. I found it very hard to house train him as he was going to poo about 7 or 8 times a day and his stools were very runny. Also his eyes were runny and he was hyper active. Every time I would leave him he would have an accident in my kitchen and would poo about 3 times overnight. Since I have changed to Burns mini bites, he is like a different dog. He now goes to toilet about 3 times in a day and has been clean overnight, his eyes are not so runny and seems a much happier puppy. If only I had changed sooner.

Siberian Husky , 3 months, male
I first had my puppy on Bakers as it was what the breeder fed him, but after research i realised this was the worse food to give. So i put him on a BARF DIET and saw differences straight away. He wasnt hyperactive after food and he is more alert. his body and coat seem thicker and alot better quality. I would recomend putting dogs on a BARF diet. recipes are hard to come by, buts its common sense really, just give them a balanced diet. however yesterday i went to the vets and i fell for the age old story of how vets know best and i ended up buying Hills science plan. well i will continue giving a barf diet wid one meal per day of the Hills food. I would like to say that each dog is different as i have learned and you must go by your own dogs needs.

Labrador , 3 years, male
I had a dog with chronic ear problems which vets were unable to solve, I changed to Burns dog food and Wafcol salmon and potato, and my dog has touch wood not had any reacurrent ear problems upset stomach, or been hyper or bad coat since.

Springer Spaniel , 11 weeks, male
After reading what people had wrote here, and the fact that I felt my dog (11 week old puppy) was piling on the weight a little too quickly as well as bad flatulence and a hyper activity (I think that is more to do with being a springer spaniel) I decided to change from Eukanuba to Burns, I have found that he is now not a porker!! The flatulence has decreased, his poo was always pretty solid but he is definately not doing it as often during the day. When he is old enough I will move him onto the Adult Burns.

Cocker Spaniel , 6 months, male
I have two cocker spaniel pups, 13 days apart and have the same dad. I was feeding them on JWB Puppy and Naturediet Puppy, up to four weeks ago. Everytime we went to training my youngest spaniel had a loose tummy in the class. I was advised to change their food, by the trainer, to JWB Senior/light and to use Chappie Wet Food. Seems to have done the job on both pups.
Reply from Caroline, Dog Trainer at DogBasics: It sounds to me like your puppy gets nervous when he arrives at the training class. That can result in a dodgy tummy. If that is the main time you notice he has a loose tummy, then that is a likely explanation. I would address this by building up his confidence in class, around class. Make sure you protect him well and don't let other dogs up to him, when he's restrained on lead. Don't be soppy with him, but even more importantly don't be sharp or dominant with him. Make it light and fun! I would also bet you that it isn't the JWB Senior/Light that has done the trick for him, but the Chappie. Chappie might not be the best dog food on the planet, but it does seem to glue the stomach content together in dogs with sensitive tummies. Works especially well with Spaniels. We used it all the time at Battersea Dogs Home, when the dogs got really bad tummies. If I were you, I'd only give them Chappie.

French Bulldog , 7 years, female
My French Bulldog has had terrible skin allergies since I got her. She would itch her sides and stomach so much that her nipples would bleed. The vet put her on Eukanuba Fish and Potato and a antihistamine/steroriod on and off for 2 years. I tried bathing her in sulfer based shampoos and other allergy type shampoos / sprays and conditioners. Finally, I changed her to Welness Core Ocean dry food. It took 3 months and she has overcome about 90% of her allergy problems.

Yorkshire Terrier , 12 weeks, female
We've had our new puppy for 4 weeks now, and have fed her on Bakers Complete Puppy food, that was recomended by the owner. We noticed that for the first couple of days she was a very lively normal friendly puppy. We then noticed something rather strange, as she began to get extreemly hyper shortly after each meal. As shes been growing, so has her food intake, so the hyper spells were getting way out of hand, we actually thought that perhaps she was mentally impaired in some way. However, these bursts of hyper, are ONLY after food, and for about an hour or so after. She then reverts to the most docile, loving and friendly dog. We decided to do some research on the food, and saw that many forums are strongly discouraging owners from using this product. Needless to say, first thing in the morning, I'll be binning the Bakers, and replacing it with something without all the colourings and additives. I shall keep you informed of any changes to her behaviour on the new food.

Alaskan Malamute , 4 years & 4 weeks, male & female
My adults have always had BARF diet (bones and raw food) with mashed raw or cooked veg. Never had a problem with diarrhoea, my bitch with 8 pups is in tip top condition and the pups have been weaned on the same since 3 weeks old. I wouldn'd dream of giving them canned food, too many nasty additives and much waste in their poo. Lovely solid poo's from my adults and the pups. Hopefully their new owners will continue with this diet especilly if they want to keep their bowels healthy.

Beagle X, 2 years, female
I have always fed my dogs Nutro Chicken Meal, Rice, and Oatmeal Formula, but recently switched to Benefuls Dog Food. Both of my dogs have suddenly developed horrible skin allergies, and Lilly has become quite aggressive over the past few weeks. I have just now realized it's the food causing both problems, so I'm switching back to the more expensive, but better for them Nutro.

Lab, 5 months, male
We was advised by my dog trainer that we would have great results swapping our pup to Burns, after a debate about how he was doing great on Beta and the cost difference my husband and i did some sums and it actually worked out cheaper to feed him the Burns. Based on my trainers advice and that we could afford a better plan we decided to wean dylan on to Burns. he loved it and is doing great. everyone keeos commenting on how chocolate Labs are mad etc etc but Dylan is a well behaved, non 'hyper' puppy who loves to please us.He does have mad five minutes but this is expected. Dont get me wrong, we spend such a lot of time with him training but we are aware that the hard work pays off in the long run for ourselves and the dog!! He has a great coat, really shiny and i dont think we had one episode of diarrhoea. One thing i did notice and i do prefer, is that as Burns food is more compact he did not need such a high quantity, there fore he did not look bloated after some meals. At the end of the day i am a firm believer that we should give our dogs the best we can afford, but i think the budget should stop at a half decent level and not the supermarket specials etc . .our dogs are just like babies needing the best start possible!!

Border Collie, 8 months, male
When I got Buddy from the breeder she had him on Bakers Puppy sent him absolutely loopy, went mad bouncing off the walls. Took him to the vet who said that the additives were to blame and advised we fed him Wagg puppy he loves it his coats fabulous but hes always hungry always looking for more food. Im moving him onto Naturediet next week as thats what I feed my 14 year old wolfhound cross and hes thrived on it.

Labrador and Boxer , mixed ages, male and female
Distressed because all my dogs now eat poo (not their own but anybody elses). They are all on Burns with a little Naturediet to give them interest (not that they need to be coaxed to eat!). Trainer suggested change food to Techni Cal as she had experience of Labs changing to Burns had started eating poo suggesting that they are not getting enough vital ingredients to stop them being hungry. Reluctant to change as Labs coats are really shiny and they look extremely healthy. Also Boxers prone to rumbling tummies/suspect digestion. Any thoughts.
Reply from Caroline, Dog Trainer at DogBasics: Boxers are well known for tummy trouble, so if they have good solid poohs on the Burns and they seem healthy with good coats, I wouldn't risk changing their diet. I know a lot of dogs (many of them Labs) on Burns and I've never heard of an issue with eating pooh. Usually eating their own pooh is a sign that they can't take up all the nutrients in the diet, which I find difficult to believe would be the case with Burns, as it is such a good quality food. It can also become a learned behaviour, especially if you make a big fuss when you see them eating pooh. It then becomes a game, where they try to get to the poohs first, since you obvioulsy find the poohs very valuable yourself! Try to distract them with a titbit or toy when they have gone to the toilet, and only go out and clear up after them, once you've put them away, so they can't see what you are doing. I will admit that it is weird that all your dogs have started eating their own poohs though...
Thanks for response. However, think wires crossed somehow. My dogs DO NOT EAT THEIR OWN POO - they just eat other dogs poo that obviously appeals to them. It would be so much easier if they ate their own as you could get to them iin time to pick it up etc. I always pick up my dogs poo for obvious legal reasons but also because it is helpful to assess health from this. The elder Labrador is obsessed with eating anything, particularly on beach i.e. those sponge-like things. However, if he is in my sight I can control him by yelling DROP IT and he obliges. It just makes me look like a screaming fish-wife!!!! I agree with you that it would be a shame to change from Burns as it they look very healthy on it. Elder lab wears a spray collar but I never use it other than to bleep him. I guess it is a hard thing to break in dogs who constantly like to have food in their mouths. Any other thoughts from yourself or others most gratefully received. As you can imagine you need eyes in the back front and sides to keep an eye on three devious poo eating dogs!!!!

Choc Lab, 9 weeks, male
feeding me puppy on beta puppy which the breeder recommended he is suffering terrible with loose stools even crying during the night to go out please as anyone any advice
Reply from Caroline, Dog Trainer at DogBasics: Please bring your puppy to the vet for a check up. If she has constant loose stools she is likely to be dehydrated, so it is important you have a vet look at her! They will most likely suggest you change her diet, although they are likely to put her on Hills Sience Plan food, as most vets sell that. I'm not a fan of Hills Sience Plan, but it is better than Beta Puppy. Personally I would gently wean her onto Naturediet (wet food and my first choice) or Burns (dry food) instead. Until you've had a chance to see your vet (you should go tomorrow), stop giving her the puppy food and instead give her some well boiled rice (you should use twice the amount of water to what it says on the instructions and boil it for at least as long, until it looks more like a porridge than rice). Obviously make sure the rice has cooled down a bit before you give it to your puppy. I hope your puppy will be better soon. Get him to the vet ASAP though.

Working Cocker Spaniel, 7 months, male
When we got our puppy at 8 weeks old he was on burns mini bites. He stopped eating these so we tried Royal Canin skin and digest which he loved for a while. He has now gone off this, so after numerous phone calls to vet, pet shop and trawling internet we have decide to try him on Naturediet mixed with dry food. We will be starting this today so hopefully this will work. Fingers crossed.

Parson Jack Russell Terrier, 2 years, male
My terrier Joker has always had a sensitive stomach and problems with skin conditions etc. I've tried every brand available to see if there was one that was suitable, and have found some surprising results.  As far as I'm aware, I'm the only person who has experienced a worsening of aggression/hyper-energy in a dog since trying him on Burns foods.  I have no idea why this would be, but the difference is quite remarkable.  James Wellbeloved is the only commercial brand I've found so far that doesn't upset his stomach, cause skin irritations etc., and doesn't turn him into a hyperactive maniac.  Unfortunately he doesn't seem to like it much.  Lately I've started making my own dog food, using rice and small amounts of boiled chicken, and add a bit of James Wellbeloved to bump it up a bit.  This seems to be working fine.  The condition of his coat has improved 100% and runny "toilets" are decreasing too.  I'm just so surprised of the effect Burns had on him - I tried it a couple of times to make sure, and every time the same thing. Hope this info is of use.

Weimeraner/Vizla X , 14 months, males
Since we had the boys we have had them on James Wellbeloved (JWB) from puppy to junior, on the packs advice we have now put them on adult and the result has been startling.  We now have two aggresive dogs, with each other and with dogs that they have previously played with happily. One of the dogs is now humping everything in site and has even tried with myself and my grandmother.  They are constantly growling and grumbling and appear constantly hungry.  On the puppy and junior they have been lovely, docile and attentive and looking very helathy although one has always suffered with a delicate tummy.  After reading this site we will be looking to move them over to Burns and see how we go. I spoke to my vets office and they did not think that food would be responsible for behaviour problems!!!  very odd. I shall let you know how we get on.

German Shepherds, various ages, male and female
My first GSD had a skin problem due to an allergy. Recommended to change his diet to Quantum and he was great after that. Have a second GSD and a 3rd on the way and will stick to Quantum. Better food resulted in better poos to clear up - they were solid!!!

Siberian Husky's, 8 & 16 weeks, male and female
When we first got our female Sapphire she was on Purnia Puppy Chow and I asked the Vet and he recommended the same thing. But when she got around 11wks old she stopped eating it regularily and only picked at it. About this same time we got our second Sibe puupy Spirit and he's all boy. Well, this little guy was sick from the very beginning, he had a very bad case of worms unknown to us and wouldn't eat anything. I thought it might be due to the fact that he was just over 5 wks old, so I started feeding him a weaning formula, he started to improve but the worms got worse and we finially figured out that was what it was and got him to the vet at a little over 6wks old. By that time, both weren't eating any commerical dog kibble and I found myself making homemade chicken & rice for them. I did a lot of research on the net and found what the Siberian Husky nutritional requirements are. So, I'm now feeding them both Blue Buffalo Puppy Lamb & Rice along with homemade Chicken & Rice, this way they get multiple meat sources and all their nutritional requirements. They are doing great and overall health has vastly improved. I keep trying to wean them off homemade and on to just BB, but I guess their are spoiled brats now and won't eat anything unless its spiked with homemade.

Alaskan Malamute, 18 months, male
Our dog Phoenix is a big softy, but is rather dog aggressive. I'm aware it's a breed trate, that wasn't helped by him getting attacked by 3 seperate alsations in about 1 week when he was only 6 months old. However his behaviour in general, and particular the aggression towards other dogs was far worse before we became strict with his diet. We changed to BURNS and things seemed to improve, but there were still times when he would be hyper, and particularly dog aggressive. We cut out all the dog treats and any of the human scraps that he was getting and the behaviour became much better. There was still the odd day tho when he would still act daft. Eventually we linked this to the neighbour throwing a treat to our dog over the fence when he was doing the same with his dogs. It was amazing how quickly he could be affected by eating even treats meant for dogs. I'd seen the neighbour throw a treat over the fence and within 5 or 10 minutes, he'd be running around like a lunatic, growling at anything and everything, even tho we'd just got back from a nice long walk that had tired him out, and that he'd been well behaved on. Since we told the neighbour about the problem, Phoenix, our malamute has been great. Until today that is.... I got back from possibly the worst walk with him I've ever had,as he was growling at things and dogs, and pulling alot, and jumping up at everything. I couldn't work out what had caused this at all. Then after about an hour of trying to work it out, my wife happened to mention that he had been upstairs about 30 mins before I walked him. (He doesn't usually go upstairs), I imediately went upstairs and checked the two cat's dish's. Both were spotless despite the fact that the cats had left their dishes nearly full and then gone out and been out for the last few hours. It didn't take a detective to work out what had happened. All the above has proved to me the effect that food can have on dogs. It isn't a suprise really when there is so much evidence to suggest that the same applies with children, especially with ADHD. I just thought I'd tell you our story as it is such compelling evidence in our opinion.

Labrador, 14 years (RIP), male
We trained our dog Oliver for Guide dogs for the blind when i was younger, but when he turned 1 and was about to go to his Blind owner after passing he had an epileptic fit and couldnt work. Vets tryed every type of medication they could and he continued to have fits up to 10 a day, vets told us his Epilepsy was so bad he probably wouldnt live to be old due to the fits weakening his heart. My mum tried changing about with his diet and cut out all additives, colourings, preseratives and wet food. She put him on Gilpa Value Mix which had no added bits in it just simply dry and plain. Oliver wasnt keen at first but still ate it just didnt woolf it down like he did with the meats (which is good in its self). After 2 weeks on it he had not had a fit so the vet agreed to lower his medication and after a few months he came off the medication altogether. He was brighter and calmer all round. He went from up to 10 a day to 1 a year if that. we knew it was the food because every time he ate meat or colourings he would have a fit (normaly when i had sneeked him a sasuage off my plate you know what kids are like). He went on to live till he was 14 proving vets wrong

Boxers, 5 and 2 years, female
My Boxer dog went to live with my son at age 4. My son has a boxer dog age 2. The two of them got along very well. They were being fed Pedigree dry dog food. They were changed to Loyal dog food. A short time after that they began exhibiting extremely aggressive behavior towards each other. At this point they fight all of the time as bad as drawing blood cotinually. I am really confused as they were both very loving dogs. Not so any more. Anyone had this kind of experience?

Keeshond, 4 years, female
My wife and I adpoted a 3 year old Keeshond and from the start she was trouble. After a year and a half of trying to calm her down we didn't know what to do, she was just so hyper all the time she was three times as much work as our other dog. As a last resort we took her off kibble and started feeding her home made food. Within a week she started to calm down and now, a month later, she is a whole new dog. Calm, focused, even stopped pulling the leash on walks. I wish I had filmed her before and after so other pet owners could see just how big of a difference a change in diet made.

Terrier x Beagle, 1.5 years, female
Diasy has been very itchy lately and the vet suggested trying a different type of protein to see if that helped. We had been feeding her Science diet small breed. We gradually changed her over to an Iams lamb and rice. Ever since she has been fully on the Iams, she has been VERY naughty. Prior to the switch, she had been weaned off her kennel and was very well behaved when we were out of the house. Lately, she has been chewing things up and destroying things every day. We will definitely be switching back!

Mastiff, 4 years, female
Our Mastiff was having a lot of problems with her bottom smelling terribly. We took her to the vet, tried numerous meds, nothing worked. Her smell was so bad we had to put her in the basement, which was very upsetting for her. We tried Blue dog food on her and it totally went away. Also, we have a new puppy, Lhasa Apso, 8 weeks, who was on Purina Puppy Chow, we switched her to Eukenuba puppy. She became so aggressive and mean, litterally attacking us and biting us. I switched her back and within days her behavior started to go back to the sweet puppy we had just gotten.

Mongrel, 12 years, female
Hi this is my experience with Hills Science Prescription, since my dog got an ear infection, which cause her lost of hearing, the vet advise me to start with a trial of elimination of foods to see if she was allergic, he recommended me to start with Hill's prescription diet D/D for 2 months, her ear infection stopped but she start to developed hyperactivity condition, she became very playful, her behaviour towards others dogs improve a lot. Last week i run out of food, for 5 days she became sick, she was vomiting, shivering, stop being playful, she got fever, she didn't want to go for a walk and i soon that i got again the food she started to behave as before. Does anyone have similar experience? Could it be that the food has an addictive ingredient?