Jamie will use her decades of expertise to guide you through five key areas of your dog’s life:

Home — how to guide your dog to healthy home habits

Exercise — why all dogs need to burn off some energy and how to exercise pups properly

Socialization — how to help your dogs play with fellow canines and humans

Love — how to care for your dog without developing issues connected with over-attachment

Welcome to Front Of The Pack’s course on how to nurture a happier, healthier dog — taught by Dr. Jamie Peyton one of the world’s leading integrative veterinarians and Chief Veterinarian at UC Davis’ Veterinary Medical Training Hospital.

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This course, led by Dr. Jamie Peyton, takes you through the 5 key steps to nurture a happier, healther dog: nutrition, exercise, socialization, home life and love.

How To Make A Dog Happier And Healthier

Learn the 5 key areas of nutrition, exercise, socialization, home life and love.

How To Nurture A Happier, Healthier Dog

The first thing to think about when feeding your dog is: is this food actually nutritious for canines? One of the trusted sources for you to look at is AAFCO — the establish the regulations and standards around balanced pet foods. 

The second thing you'll need to check is: is this food right for my dog? Each dog has its own needs depending on allergies, injuries and illness. A certified veterinary nutritionist could be a great person to consult with to find the right food plan for your dog — visiting at least once per year is what we'd recommend. 

And finally: how much should you feed them? Again, this is often tailored to a dog's needs depending on how active they are. But the general guidance is anywhere between 1.5-3% of their bodyweight on a daily basis. For new dogs in your home, it's a great idea to weight them regularly to understand how their weight fluctuates — this will help you understand your dog's needs more clearly.

When assessing your dog's nutritional needs, the most important things to look out for are: is this food actually nutritious and approved by an industry body like AAFCO? Is this food suitable for my dog? And finally, how much should I feed my dog?

The most important things to know about dog nutrition

Where to find the best nutrition guidance 

Getting food quantities right for your dog

Just like humans, dogs get allergies too. And also like humans, some aren't always obvious, and they develop over time.

Chicken, dairy, beef, lamb, wheat and grains are some common canine allergies. Roughly 20% of dogs have a chicken allergy, 15% wheat, 7% beef and 5% lamb. The good news is most dogs don’t have allergies, but it’s still important to pay attention to what your dog’s eating.

And the symptoms can show in a few different ways:

Vomiting or diarrhea soon after consuming a particular ingredient

To mitigate these issues, it's a great idea to consult your veterinarian about a food trial, where a proteins are gradually eliminated to find out the exact cause. Alternatively, you could explore an addition diet, where you feed your dog just one thing, and introduce one extra ingredient with each meal — this way you’ll get a clearer understanding of a potential allergic reaction. To save time, it’s helpful to think about what the most likely cause is, and start with that ingredient.

In many cases, finding an uncommon replacement protein is the best long-term solution — like venison or rabbit. Your immediate reaction might be that these niche proteins could become very expensive. But actually, they’re priced similarly to other more common protein like chicken and turkey.

This way, your dog can likely live a normal life, although it’s important to note than even dogs without allergies sometimes go off their food — in this instance you could look at changing the protein or food type, switching from dry to wet. In any case, we’d always recommend consulting your veterinarian for the best advice.

And as a final tip — it’s a good idea to let people know if your dog has allergies. Just in case (despite being well intentioned) they decide to offer a treat containing something your dog is allergic to!

Many dogs have allergies, so it's important to remain vigilant about what your dog's eating. In this lesson we cover some tips on what to look out for. The most common dog allergies include chicken, beef and wheat.

What to look out for in your dog's diet

How to spot signs of allergies in your dog and identify the cause

What to do if your dog's is affected by an allergy 

What to look out for in your dog’s diet

There are many foods humans can eat that are poisonous for dogs. So it’s important to stay vigilant and always recall what these foods are — many may already be familiar to you. But Dr. Jamie can explain in more detail:

Sadly, chocolate can be deadly for dogs. It contains caffeine and theobromine — ingredients that can cause vomiting, diarrhea, hyperactivity and seizures. Importantly, the more cocoa the chocolate has — or the darker the chocolate is — the more toxic it is for dogs. We recommend taking your dog to the vet if they consume any amount of chocolate.

Caffeine should also not be consumed by dogs. That means no tea, coffee, energy drinks or any other beverage with caffeine. It can cause severe neurological damage, raised blood pressure and cardiac arrythmias — and if left untreated it can be fatal.

Alcohol can cause vomiting, diarrhea, decreased coordination, depression of the nervous system and panting in dogs. The poison comes from both ethanol and hops. It’s recommended you keep all alcoholic drinks out of reach of dogs.

While the cause of toxicity is somewhat unknown, for some dogs, even just one grape or raisin can cause severe kidney failure — requiring immediate hospitalization. If you’re dog has eaten a grape or raisin, sudden vomiting or diarrhea may occur.

Xylitol is a sweetener that is often found in candy, gum, baked goods, peanut butter and even toothpaste.  Dogs that ingest ingest xylitol can develop life threatening low blood sugar and liver failure. This is caused by xylitol triggering a fast release of insulin from the pancreas — something that happens in dogs but not in humans.

When dogs eat pits from fruits such as peaches, nectarines, and avocados, they can become stuck in the gastrointestinal tract and could require surgery.  In addition to this, some pits and seeds such as apple seeds can contain small amounts of the poison cyanide.

Don’t panic! Some treats are absolutely suitable for your dog and can be not only nutritious (like green beans and some bones), but also a great training tool. However, as a responsible dog parent you need to be careful.

It is also important to get appropriately sized treats and always a good idea to keep an eye on your dog while they’re consuming them — especially bones, as dogs can easily choke. Speaking of bones, be careful of rawhide — they can cause gastrointestinal upset, obstructions, and some products have even been found to have toxic contaminants. As a rough guide, we recommend no more than 10% of your dog’s daily caloric intake in comprised of treats.

You should be able to easily indent a treat or bone with a fingernail.  If not, it is too hard for dogs and could result in tooth damage.

Chocholate, caffeine, alcohol, grapes and raisins are just a few foods to never feed your dog. In this lesson Dr. Jamie lists some others on the no-go list.

Foods you should never feed your dog

Examples of the most common poisonous foods to dogs

Signs to look for if your dog has an allergic reaction

It’s tempting to give your dog all the freedom it wants, but this is likely to lead to bad behaviours which not only affect the dog’s life, but you as the parent. In this post, we’ll address the best ways of setting boundaries for your dog — it’s worth noting that like most dog parents, you’ll get the most out of these tips by implementing them as soon as possible — preferably whilst your dog is still a puppy.

First, let’s discuss why dogs need boundaries and why you do too!

Dogs are pack animals, so they will seek guidance on what to do and what not to do, and when to do it. Setting good boundaries of appropriate behavior will help your dog feel confident, enhance your relationship with them, and prevent behavioral issues in the future.

This is one of the most common fears new dog parents encounter — you shouldn’t feel bad about being assertive! In fact, dogs prefer it that way. They are looking for someone to lead them, and showing your authority is really an act of love, not just being bossy.

Below is a basic list of boundaries that are important to set with your dog. These will lay the foundations for good behaviour in the home and its interactions with your family and friends.

Not begging or barking for food — as a basic rule, you should always look to incentivize the behavior you want from your dog. So in this instance, if your dog repeatedly whines or barks for food — and you give it — you’re just encouraging your dog to repeat this behaviour next time. So instead, you should be teaching your dog to sit quietly (i.e. display good behaviour) before he or she can be fed.

Resting quietly during meals — if you’re feeding your dog scraps during or after meal times, the dog shouldn’t be interrupting or disturbing the occasion for you. So our recommendation is to make your dog sit quietly away from the table until you’ve signalled it’s permissible to be fed.

Showing which toys can / cannot be chewed — this is to keep your kids (and your wallet!) happy. Favorite toys can simply be tucked away in a space dogs can’t access. But equally, you can encourage dogs to chew certain toys by raising your levels of excitement and playing with the dog only once the toys you’ve permitted to be picked up, have been picked up.

Limiting space — especially in a puppy’s first few weeks and months, you don’t want to give them full reign over your home. This only encourages them to become more dominant and intruding as they grow. Keeping your dog in a few rooms at the start of its home life isn’t cruel. It encourages the right behaviour and allows them to recognise you as the house leader.

While setting these boundaries, the most important thing is to remain calm, clear, and consistent with your approach. Good training and dog behaviour takes time and like most things in life, repeated practice only makes you better at it.

To learn more about setting boundaries and dog behavior, I always recommend consulting your family veterinarian, a veterinary behaviorist, or an experienced dog trainer.

Tips on how to set boundaries for your dog. And why setting boundaries is important for both your well-being and your dog's long-term health and behavior.

How to set boundaries for your dog

Examples of healthy boundaries you can set 

Over the last few years, an increasing amount of evidence has been published about the importance of sleep for humans — but sleep is also essential to your dog’s health too.

Let’s run through a few key elements of your dog’s sleep:

While the average person needs about 7-8 hours of sleep each night, dogs need more. Research shows that dogs need between 8-14 hours of sleep each day and puppies need at least 11 hours of sleep. The specific amount is dependent on your dog’s age, activity level, and overall health.

Larger breeds like St. Bernards and Mastiffs tend to sleep for longer — sometimes up to 18 hours! Older dogs and more active dogs often require more sleep too.

Poor sleep can cause similar problems that we see in people including a decreased ability to deal with stress, irritability, memory trouble, and learning difficulty.

Sometimes, sleep can be disrupted due to lifestyle factors like a change in diet, arthritis and underlying health conditions — it’s important to pay attention to these issues potentially cropping up over your dog’s life.

There are several things our expert vets at Front Of The pack recommend to help improve your dog’s sleep quality:

Be sure to set a consistent schedule and routine at bedtime

Ensure that your dog has his own space for sleep, like a dog bed or a crate with comfy blankets. While many, like myself, enjoy having our dogs sleep in bed with us, it can cause sleep disruption for both you and your dog.

Lastly, make sure that you have an ideal sleep environment with minimal light and noise

If you notice that your dog has trouble sleeping despite these recommendations, it could be a sign of ongoing chronic discomfort or an underlying medical issue. It is important to discuss these concerns with your veterinarian.

And as a bonus tip — the first nights of a puppy’s life at home are its most important and influential. But no matter how much a puppy whines and cries in those nights, you should refrain from comforting it unless it’s absolutely essential. This way they learn to become confident enough by themselves, and avoid attachment issues as it gets older.

A few ways to help your dog sleep better, including the best room and location. Plus some advice on how much sleep you dog needs.

Tips to help your dog sleep

Nothing brings dog parents quite as much joy as watching our canine companions play. Play is not only heart-warming, but it’s also a critical aspect of a dog’s life.

Dogs need play to burn off energy, socialize with other dogs, and form a closer bond with you, the parent.

Below are a few pointers on how you can play better with your dog and how your dog can learn to play with others.

Playing with your dog should be fun for you and your dog. You can incorporate toys that can be used for a game of Hide ‘n Seek, Fetch, or Tug.

Other types of play can include treat balls and dog sports like agility or flyball. A question I often get is: when it comes to interacting with other dogs, what does healthy play look like?

As a puppy, playing with their siblings or other dogs helps teach them communication skills and self-control. Signals dogs show that they are ready to play include bowing, slapping their front feet, or playing chase. Their body language should be calm and happy.

As we all know, dog play can be rough, which leaves dog parents confused as to when we should we step in…

Any time a dog starts to display that they are not comfortable, or if they show warning signs of aggression, the dogs should be separated. Such signs include raising their hackles, stiffness with growling, or lunging. If you see this, it’s ready for a time out, and you should not allow those dogs to play any further.

Some dogs seem like they can never run out of energy, which makes it hard to decide on how much playtime should be allocated. When is playtime over?

Depending on the age of the dog, playtime should happen at least once or twice a day. The length of play is not as important as is the quality of time bonding with your dog, and making sure to give them time to relax with another furry friend.

Examples of what healthy play looks like for dogs, when to intervene if play gets too rough and also advice on how to set boundaries when playtime is over.

How to play with your dog

Advice on your dog’s playtime

In this lesson, Dr. Jamie shares her best tips on how to exercise your dog the right way. But first, let’s explore why exercise is so important for a dog’s mental and physical health.

Daily exercise is essential for dogs. Science has shown it improves not only physical well-being, but also mental health — by boosting the bond between you and your dog.

And as any long-time pet parent will know — dogs have a lot of energy they need to burn off! Exercising regularly allows you, as the dog parent, to better manage the dog’s behaviour. Chewing, biting and itching could be symptoms off a dog that just needs to relieve stress through exercise.

Exercise is also essential for senior dogs, in order to maintain muscle and bone health as they age. Exercises that provide less stress on their joints like swimming or underwater treadmill therapy can be extremely helpful.

The amount of recommended exercise depends on the individual characteristics of your dog such as their breed, age, and health. Dogs need exercise at all life stages, but the types of exercise and duration can change.

For example, a young puppy needs more short intervals of low impact exercise like walking and playing while they are growing. These play times can range from 5-15 minutes. This will keep them mentally and physically active, but ensure they get plenty of needed rest without putting too much stress on their growing bones.

On the other hand, dogs in their prime can endure intervals of exercise with more impact like running, jumping, and hiking to stay fit.

The following might be a useful guide to understanding your dog’s exercise needs:

Small/toys dogs: 30+ minutes/day e.g. Yorkshire terrier, maltese

Medium dogs/terriers: 1+ hours/day e.g. schnauzers, bull terriers, poodles

Large/active dogs: 2+ hours/day e.g. huskies, retrievers, collies

But please consult with your veterinarian for a more thorough guide to understanding your dog’s exercise needs.

While you’re having a blast exercising with your dog, remember that just like a human, too much exercise can result in injuries to muscles, joints, and bones.

If any signs of lameness or fatigue are noticed, it is important that you reassess the exercise routine for your dog and have them evaluated by your veterinarian.

Too little exercise can result in increased weight gain, loss of muscle, and decreased activity.  In higher energy breeds, a lack of exercise can also cause destructive or unwanted behaviors.

Dr. Jamie’s personal favorite physical and mental exercise is leash walking. Walking with your dog is a great way to practice active meditation with your dog — it’s safe for all life stages and should be a part of your daily routine.

If your dog is recovering from an injury or has a chronic condition, it is important to see a veterinarian experienced in animal rehabilitation to help you build an exercise program tailored to your dog.

An explanation of why exercise is important for dogs and how it contributes to their physical and mental health. Plus advice on how much exercise your dog might need, and the best ways to achieve this to fit around your routine.

Tips on exercise for dogs

How to exercise your dog the right way

In this lesson, Dr. Jamie provides some recommendations about getting your dog into good routines.

By nature, dogs are very adaptable, but establishing routines can help provide a strong foundation for learning and building confidence. Like most animals, your dog feels secure knowing what to expect from his or her environment. Therefore, having reliable routines is crucial when settling in a new puppy or a recently adopted dog.

These routines will also allow your dog to better understand and learn desired household behaviors and boundaries early on.

Firstly, it’s important to note that you don’t need to become rigid and devoted to a set routine for your dog — having some slack and flexibility is often helpful (and less stressful)! But as a general guideline: dogs are similar to humans, and they like patterns. So it’s up to you to figure out which patterns in your dog’s day can also fit around your schedule. But below are a few recommendations:

A morning walk outside — this is great for you to get some vitamin D on your skin, but also allows your dog to ‘relieve’ itself and burn off any excess energy. Making their behavior better for the rest of the day

Set feeding times — try to feed your dog at roughly the same times every day. It can be stressful for dogs if they’re always unsure when they’ll get their next meal

A longer walk at some point during the day — this is the dog’s main exercise and leads to a host of physical and mental benefits

A wake-up and sleeping times — these will also help you plan your day better

To help your dog adjust, occasionally make small incremental changes to the routines, such as coming home 5-10 minutes later than normal. These small changes will help your dog learn to be more flexible with daily life changes.

And this increased flexibility will help to prevent stress that can lead to separation anxiety or destructive behaviors in the future.

Recommendations from Dr. Jamie Peyton on how providing your dog a healthy routine leads to better behaviour and a more lovable dog.

How to give your dog routines and structure

Recommendations of good routines for your dog

A very important part of nurturing your dog is socialization. It’s one of the most important skills that you, as a dog parent, can help your dog learn. Socializing helps build your dog’s confidence in the world and makes it easier for you and your canine friend.

Below are some tips and advice on how to better socialize your dog.

Before we delve into other dogs, let’s talk about humans...

It’s crucial to diversify your dog’s interactions with people. Expose your dog to all different types of people, from men and women to children, from the elderly to the young. Interact with people wearing unfamiliar outfits like sunglasses, hoods, and hats.

When doing this, pay close attention to the stress level and help provide distracting positive reinforcement before your dog becomes too engaged or worried.

Allow your dog to get used to touch by routinely holding or petting them. Practice getting them comfortable with paw and nail examination.

We’ve discussed how daily leashed walks are necessary for exercise. They are also extremely important in your dog’s social development. Walking in a variety of public places helps dogs grow more comfortable with their people and the world around them.

It’s also critical that your dog learn to socialize with other dogs, and this should start as early as possible— this is more likely to lead to a happier life and a prevents bad behaviors developing in future.

And this socialization literally starts at day one by learning appropriate manners and interactions from the dog’s mom and its siblings. There’s not much intervention required from you here, but it’s useful to be aware of.

Once a puppy is strong and healthy enough to start going outside (usually after a few months), a great way for it to learn appropriate socialization is to sign up for a puppy or an obedience class with a knowledgeable dog trainer. This space provides a controlled environment to ensure positive interactions between the dogs — where they learn to play fairly and recognize when to stand down, preventing overly-aggressive behavior.

Once they’ve displayed positive interactions, you can schedule play dates with other dogs to help them with socialization, and just for relaxation and play time.

Remember your dog is always learning, so socialization doesn’t stop as a puppy. It should continue for a lifetime. And whilst changes in adulthood are harder, they are very much possible.

Tips on how to help your dog socialize with both other dogs and humans. What are the best ways to socialize your dog and some of the long-term benefits.

How to help your dog socialize

To make a seemingly obvious statement: dogs want our love, and vice versa. But what kind of love do they specifically NEED from us as dog parents?

If you really love your dog, you’ll want to make sure they’re in good health and that they STAY in good health.

In the first of this two-part lesson, Dr. Jamie takes us through real, practical examples of what it means to show your dog love.

First and foremost, implementing preventative medical care, following the instruction of your family veterinarian, and by providing a good complete and balanced diet and readily accessible fresh clean water is critical. This also means paying attention to potential allergies and ensuring poisonous foods are kept out of reach — like chocolate, caffeine, grapes and raisins.

Secondly, you’ll need to provide daily exercise for both mind and body — this not only keeps your dog healthy, but improves your human-canine bond over time, as they look up to you for leadership. Exercise also helps relieve stress dogs have, greatly improving their manners and behavior. Scheduled walks — usually first thing in the morning — are a great way to achieve this, not to mention you as the dog parent getting activity too!

Dogs that know and understand the rules and structure of a household feel more secure and confident. In short, they feel loved. Having boundaries and setting routines (as we’ve discussed in previous lessons) is one of the best ways of doing this. And it’s important to remember — well-behaved dogs are always much easier to love!

Dogs also need to stay mentally engaged through enrichment experiences like playing games, chewing toys, and new adventures with their family. Healthy play can also be used to help dogs understand their boundaries, like when to relinquish control and controlling aggression. This provides the mental and physical stimulation they need to become healthier and happier.

Finally, dogs are naturally pack animals and we need to ensure they learn how to socialize with other humans and dogs. They are also problem-solving and team-oriented — so often need more than just treats and affection to thrive.

Dr. Jamie explains the best ways you can show love for your dog in practical and helpful ways.

Ways of showing love to your dog

Showing your your dog love - part 1

Episode 11 — Showing your dog love pt. 2

In this lesson, Dr. Jamie explains some problems that arise from showing your dog too much love. As supportive pet parents, we always want to provide the best care and love for our dogs. But excessive love and doting can contribute to problems and behavioral issues.

One of my mantras is “more food does not equal more love”. Providing good nutrition helps the mind and body of your dog — but too much food, or a caloric surplus, can lead to long-term weight gain and obesity. Overweight and obese dogs have greatly increased risk of joint stress, inflammation, and cardiac arrest due to an accumulation of fatty deposits that can block arteries around the heat. So as hard as it is to deny those pleading puppy dog eyes, it’s our job to ensure that we don’t give them too many treats and empty calories that can negatively affect their health.

We also need to discourage behaviors that are cute when they’re little, but can quickly turn into bad habits as they get older. This can occur when we don’t establish boundaries, like allowing them to jump up on people, letting them bark for food, and not correcting them when they guard toys or food.

It’s important to remember that imposing a level of discipline and authority is what your dog needs. And it actually allows you and others to love your dog even more. Badly behaved dogs can become incredibly frustrating over time, which means they’re harder to love. But bad behavior is rarely because of something wrong with the dog — it’s unintentionally acquired behaviors you don’t want over time.

Finally, we all love being with our dogs, but never giving your dog alone time or a chance to figure out challenges on their own can create separation anxiety and fear in your dog.

This problem only exacerbates as a dog ages, leading to behavioral problems stemming from dependence on your presence.

Starting from a young age, dogs can be left alone for increasing amounts of time. This could be for 10 minutes as you step outside for a walk around the block, graduating to a few hours if you’re out for dinner.

Overburdening your dog with excessive, albeit well-intentioned love can lead to canine behavioral and attachment issues. Dr. Jamie explains how you can become more aware of the development and show love to your dog in a healthier way.

Loving your dog, without it becoming damaging

Signs of overburndening, damaging love to your dog

Maintaining healthy attachment bonds to your dog

Showing your dog love - part 2

I hope you enjoyed Front Of The Pack’s course on how you can nurture a happier, healthier dog. Below is a quick summary of everything we learned. 

Pay attention to whether the food is actually nutritious and certified by industry bodies like AAFCO

Get a better understanding of how much food your dog should be eating

Be aware of the most toxic foods to dogs — chocolate, caffeine, grapes, raisins and seeds are all poisonous!

Assess your dog’s individual exercise needs based on its age, breed and other health limitations

As a general guideline, almost all dogs need at least 30 minutes of exercise per day

Exercise is a great way for dogs to release stress, as well as strengthening muscles and joints

Setting boundaries around what your dog can and cannot do is important for allowing to be better-behaved and more loveable dogs

Restricting their space and their feeding times isn’t cruel! Dogs look to you to be their leader

Scheduling playtime provides mental stimulation for dogs, but it can also be a great training tool — it allows them to better understand what’s acceptable to chew

Socializing with humans and other dogs is important to do as soon as possible in a dog’s life. This allows them to understand what good etiquette looks like and reduces the chance of them developing behavioral issues later in life

Paying attention to your dog’s diet, providing structure and routines (whilst of course providing lots of hugs) is all part of showing love to your dog

Keeping a dog by your side 24/7 is likely to lead to unhealthy attachment bonding — such that a dog may become highly distressed when you leave them if only for a short while

If you have any questions or feedback, please drop us a note at hello@fotp.com any time. We’d be more than happy to help.

If you’re watching this on Youtube, please subscribe to our channel so you can stay up-to-date with all the latest dog tips and advice - there’s a new video released every week and there will be more courses like this one coming very soon!

How To Nurture A Happier, Healthier Dog

What you’ll get from this course

EP 1 - The most important things to know about dog nutrition

Not ready to watch all of this course now?

How To Nurture A Happier, Healthier Dog Course list

Episode 1The most important things to know about dog nutrition

Episode 2What to look out for in your dog’s diet

Episode 3Foods you should never feed your dog

Episode 4How to set boundaries for your dog

Episode 5Tips to help your dog sleep

Episode 6Advice on your dog’s playtime

Episode 7How to exercise your dog the right way

Episode 8How to give your dog routines and structure

Episode 9How to help your dog socialize

Episode 10Showing your your dog love - part 1

Episode 11Showing your dog love - part 2

Episode 12A happier, healthier dog - summary & next steps

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