09/02/2026
sometimes our dogs really need our attention. Busy work is not good enough.
2 Feeding Rules I Follow for Calmer Dogs
(From someone who learned them the hard way)
These are two mistakes I made with my own dogs years ago so you don’t have to.
1. Serve real meals - not meals jammed into puzzle toys.
Enrichment is great, but using puzzle toys to deliver a hungry dog's main meal often backfires.
Imagine being starving and someone handing you a sack of roasted chestnuts you have to peel one by one. By chestnut four, you’d be losing your mind. That’s roughly what we’re asking of a hungry, high-drive dog working a frozen Kong for breakfast. Working hard for food when you're genuinely hungry isn't enrichment - it's frustration. I used to do this thinking I was buying half an hour of peace. In reality, I was sending an already wound-up dog into a higher state of arousal before the day had even started.
Feed a proper, satisfying meal first. Save the puzzles for post-meal snacks when their belly is full and their brain is ready to settle into a calm activity.
(Exceptions: Dogs who need slow feeders for medical reasons/bloat risk, or dogs who engage in true contra-freeloading and naturally prefer working for their food).
2. Don't DIY your dog’s food unless you truly know the math.
We’ve all seen (or tried) the classic DIY batch: a big pot of chicken, broccoli, sweet potato, carrots, and sardines. It looks clean and healthy, but without precise balancing, it’s often miles off what a dog actually needs.
An undernourished dog is very often a "crazy" dog. When their body lacks critical nutrients, they struggle to rest, act perpetually hungry, and stay locked in an unsettled state. It’s not a behavioral issue - it’s physiological.
Whether you feed raw, cooked, or kibble, it must be nutritionally complete. Fresh toppers over a balanced base or recipes formulated by a canine nutritionist are fantastic. Just avoid the well-meaning "I threw healthy ingredients in a pot" trap.
A well-fed, properly satiated dog can rest. A frustrated or micro-deficient dog can't - no matter how much physical exercise or training you throw at them. If your dog has trouble switching off, look at the bowl first.
