# can food effect behaviour



## Jammster (Jan 11, 2014)

I have a 17 month mini poodle bitch. She has been on acana regionals which is 60/40. I then changed her on to an 80/20 food and although I have read really good things about orijen and Eden dog food (uk made equivalent) I have found she has been a lot more alert, barking at anything outside and generally more of a handful since on the new food. Is this just a coincidence and an age thing or could it be the new food? We changed foods as she stopped eating the acana so I thought would choose a higher meat content food.


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## poolann (Jan 31, 2013)

I have personally found that yes food can affect behavior. When my dogs are working in a sport like agility which requires a good amount of energy I will feed a higher protein than I do for my nonworking dogs. You will even find that sporting or working specific foods have a higher protein content. So if you up the protein but don't provide an outlet for the extra energy they gain weight & behavior gets erratic. This is just my experience so I'm curious what others think.


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## Newmum (Jan 2, 2014)

I did a lot of research on food to try and feed Ember the best. All the science research seem to say its a myth that higher protein foods (as long as its from a good protein source) cause hyperactivity etc. However I read a lot from actual owners that disagree. I've read supporters of the high-end, high protein, grain free foods say that people have noticed a difference in their dogs because their dogs are having to work harder to digest the lower quality food and so have less energy. I guess like someone who eats rubbish fast food all the time feels lethargic? I'm not sure what to believe! I have Ember on Simpsons 80/20. Sorry that's not much help to your actual question.

I'll be interested to hear what others say and also interested to hear if you change back to something with less protein and if it has any behaviour effect.

This website is great for rating UK foods and treats if you haven't checked it out already
All About Dog Food.co.uk


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## Scully (Sep 30, 2014)

Have you looked into Millies Wolfheart at all/ quite a high rated food in the uk and a lot of peoples dogs do really well on it. They have a few different mixes and have very good ingredients. It might just be finding a good food for her, just because it is rated highly does not automatically mean its going to be good for your dog, they are all individuals digestion wise. 

Of course it could just be a coincidence and something that has happened with age, or something that has spooked her. You can always trial her on a new food to rule out that possibility if you are worried tho


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## Jammster (Jan 11, 2014)

Newmum said:


> I did a lot of research on food to try and feed Ember the best. All the science research seem to say its a myth that higher protein foods (as long as its from a good protein source) cause hyperactivity etc. However I read a lot from actual owners that disagree. I've read supporters of the high-end, high protein, grain free foods say that people have noticed a difference in their dogs because their dogs are having to work harder to digest the lower quality food and so have less energy. I guess like someone who eats rubbish fast food all the time feels lethargic? I'm not sure what to believe! I have Ember on Simpsons 80/20. Sorry that's not much help to your actual question.
> 
> I'll be interested to hear what others say and also interested to hear if you change back to something with less protein and if it has any behaviour effect.
> 
> ...


I will keep you updated. I live by the allaboutdogdood and that's where I saw Eden as was top. I have brought a lower protein grain free food by wainwrights which seems still to use high grade produce but is only 26% protein vs the 38% in orijen and 42% protein from the Eden. 
she used to be on grain free wainwrights and her groomer commented on how lovely her coat was but pepper didn't like the large kibble but I noticed today in pets at home they do the same grain free in a small breed. It gets 4.4/5 on food site so see how we go. Am mixing to start so not changing cold turkey


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## Ciscley (Jul 16, 2013)

At 17 months she's passed the last big fear stage, so while her personality will always be developing, I'd definitely assume such a distinct and abrupt change was caused by an environmental factor vs. just aging.

Food can both positively and negatively impact behavior with allergies and poor quality food causing restlessness and in my experience even fear based behavior - when Danno's GI issues flare up, so does his fear response, it's like not feeling well makes him feel more at risk and less confident. In some dogs fear can display as increased alertness and hyper-reactivity including constant street watching and barking, but it didn't sound like that's the kind of barking you are experiencing.

What you are describing sounds like a positive food impact - increased energy and drive. I'd definitely address the negative outlets for the energy as soon as possible so they don't become habitual, but otherwise the food change seems positive.


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## Jammster (Jan 11, 2014)

Ciscley said:


> At 17 months she's passed the last big fear stage, so while her personality will always be developing, I'd definitely assume such a distinct and abrupt change was caused by an environmental factor vs. just aging.
> 
> Food can both positively and negatively impact behavior with allergies and poor quality food causing restlessness and in my experience even fear based behavior - when Danno's GI issues flare up, so does his fear response, it's like not feeling well makes him feel more at risk and less confident. In some dogs fear can display as increased alertness and hyper-reactivity including constant street watching and barking, but it didn't sound like that's the kind of barking you are experiencing.
> 
> What you are describing sounds like a positive food impact - increased energy and drive. I'd definitely address the negative outlets for the energy as soon as possible so they don't become habitual, but otherwise the food change seems positive.


I am not sure,I'm not convinced its her food either and also thought it could be fear based. Around the same time i changed her food we also had a creepy moment over our local field. I was walking anti clockwise as usual and although nearly dusk thought one more time round as we were having such a nice time, when a man was walking clockwise without a dog. 
Pepper who is so friendly, started growling and ran the length of the field and growled and barked at him. I shouted an apology at man and he didn't even look up. Pep ran back to me, i turned round headed back to car quickest route away from man as totally trust her instincts and she stayed to heal off lead entire time till we got to car which is unlike her too lol. Since then i feel she has been more protective and reactive but as both food change and that happened wasn't to sure which one asked i can rule out food but not sure how to reassure her if other?


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## Newmum (Jan 2, 2014)

Jammster said:


> I will keep you updated. I live by the allaboutdogdood and that's where I saw Eden as was top. I have brought a lower protein grain free food by wainwrights which seems still to use high grade produce but is only 26% protein vs the 38% in orijen and 42% protein from the Eden.
> she used to be on grain free wainwrights and her groomer commented on how lovely her coat was but pepper didn't like the large kibble but I noticed today in pets at home they do the same grain free in a small breed. It gets 4.4/5 on food site so see how we go. Am mixing to start so not changing cold turkey


Please do keep us updated, it'll be interesting to see  I've been reading more tonight and it seems there is some science behind higher protein diets and negative change in behaviour for SOME dogs. Mostly dogs who naturally produce less serotonin. Less serotonin in dogs can make them more edgy/ anxious etc and could be the reason you're seeing a change in behaviour.

Bear in mind this is through internet research so I cant validate its truthfulness! Saying that one MIT study did seem to come to the same conclusion in a human study. You can google carbs and serotonin and get a good amount of info but here's a summary of what I've read.

All amino acids 'compete' to get into the brain including tryptophan which is converted to serotonin. Protein causes more amino acids in the blood and so less tryptophan reaches the brain due to more competition. Carbs (of which there will usually be more of in a lower protein dog food) are digested into glucose, insulin is released and causes amino acids into the cells of the heart, liver and other organs. Tryptophan however stays in the bloodstream. So then there is more tryptophan in the blood than the competing amino acids, and so more tryptophan reaches the brain and so more serotonin is produce and so a greater calming effect on dogs/ people that don't produce enough serotonin.

I AM NOT STATING THIS AS FACT!

I am merely sharing what I've read as a possibility as to why some dogs don't do better on a higher protein diet. As I say I'm not stating it as fact or even my opinion, just as something that maybe you could look into more.

Hope that's at least interesting if not helpful


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## Ciscley (Jul 16, 2013)

Jammster said:


> I am not sure,I'm not convinced its her food either and also thought it could be fear based. Around the same time i changed her food we also had a creepy moment over our local field. [...] Since then i feel she has been more protective and reactive but as both food change and that happened wasn't to sure which one asked i can rule out food but not sure how to reassure her if other?


Ah, I took the OP to mean the food was the only change. Also didn't catch that the barking was anxious, just alert. An incident like that can definitely have lingering effects on the dog. Still, I wouldn't worry about what's causing it as much as starting to address it.

Increased exercise is the first step to handle the new energy level. I'd walk mainly on leash though, especially if you're walking back in the field where the incident happened. I also wouldn't walk in that field again if you personally feel uncomfortable as the dog can pick up on that. But if you do feel comfortable, revisiting the location and having positive experiences there will certainly help her. Help her resume a follower role instead of feeling the need to continue protecting.

I'd also interrupt the barking when it happens. Sue Ailsby actually posted to a levels forum I'm on recently about addressing window barking. Her dog had a great recall and down stay so she'd call the dog to her when he'd bark, request a down stay for a couple of minutes and then release the dog. She'd keep doing that every time the barking started and after only a handful of times the pup got the message.

For a dog without a recall or a stay, I'd put the dog in the crate for "time out" or on leash and tethered by you. Releasing after a couple of minutes (2 - 5 mins) and continuing to repeat as soon as barking started again.


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## BorderKelpie (Dec 3, 2011)

I have noticed a difference in food quality and dogs' energy/activity level. 
I have a rather reactive dog and no matter how hard we trained and worked, he was still a basket case, until I switched foods. He is still reactive, but he isn't frantic anymore. (meaning, he doesn't redirect anymore - thank goodness, because he managed to bite me by accident). He is so much more level headed - still very active (Border Collie/ACD cross, so yeah - somewhat active lol), I will take over the top energy over redirected aggression any day! 

He will calm down someday, right? I know he's only 10, but I'm exhausted.


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## Charmed (Aug 4, 2014)

Jammster, while it would be nice to have scientific evidence back up what you have noted, it doesn't really matter. If a particular food causes unwanted changes in your dog's behavior then for YOUR dog the food does not work. I always try to eliminate other factors before deciding a food isn't for my dog, and it sounds like you are doing just that. Kind of reminds me of all the studies that have been done that say sugar does not hype kids up... oh yeah, check out the kids the day after Halloween and Easter, ha-ha! Anyhow, there are so many factors that come into play with individual dogs, of course foods are going to affect them differently. Best of luck in finding what works best for you and your dog.


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## Jammster (Jan 11, 2014)

*Food Update*

Well Pepper has been on her new food for nearly 3 weeks now. She is having lilys Kitchen grain free food which is all natural and is 26% protein and Wainwright grain free small breed to. She seems calmer and less jumpy in the house but still full of energy and her normal fun self when greeting visitors or out on our walks and when we play. She seems a bit more in control of her "off" switch. Still early so am still interested in nutrition and keep an update after a month &#55357;&#56842;


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## Newmum (Jan 2, 2014)

Thanks for the update! I think its just one of those things that you just have to find what works for your individual dog. Ember loves the Lilys Kitchen bedtime biscuits :smile:


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