DOGS CATS BIRDS HORSES REPTILES OTHER PLACE A FREE CLASSIFIED AD ANIMAL LINKS CONTACT HOME TRAINING TIPS	The importance of providing toys for your dog Toys will keep life from being boring for your pets. They're good to have on hand for playing with your pet and even more important for pet entertainment when you're not around. But keep two things in mind: Most pets don't need many toys, and the perfect plaything is largely a matter of personal -- um, pet -- preference. Some pets want the latest gadgets and plastic toys; some play only with the traditional standbys. Some turn up their noses at whatever you spend good money on, and some prefer nothing at all. View my page on ASPCA Online Community Feeding tips Feed your pooch dry food. In addition to providing the nutrition density a dog needs, it provides crunch and munch, which is critical for healthy teeth and gums.    Avoid canned foods. They average 65 to 75 percent water, and virtually all are messy and smelly to deal with. Dogs will quickly pick up the soft, mushy habit, too, because canned food is tastier than dry and easy to gulp down. If you can't resist giving your pet canned food, go for the "science formula" foods made by such upscale producers as Iams and Science Diet. These are the canned foods that come closest to meeting a dog's nutritional needs, but even they should be mixed with dry kibble for healthy teeth and gums. If your adult dog has always eaten strictly canned food, switch to kibble in increments, starting with one part kibble and three parts canned the first week and moving to an additional part kibble during successive weeks. If you introduce the switch too quickly, your dog's digestive system could react violently.
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