Healthy Living

This list may be updated from time to time but will be a good explanation of the products we use and where they can be purchased. We do not get any compensation for any of the products or recommendations.We are providing links and places to purchase but you may find other sources for the same products or be able to buy them locally to you.

** Please note we are not recommending Grain Free kibble dog foods anymore as the high pea and legume content of all grain free foods is causing an alarming high rate of taurine deficiency which causes Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM) in certain breeds. Goldens are especially susceptible to this deadly disease. Do not feed a grain free kibble at this time. ** 

If you feel you must feed a kibble, here are a few of the ones we recommend:
**Note: we have not fed all these different foods but have read the labels and researched the products and they appear to be healthy, super premium products**

** If a  dog food is listed for "All Life Stages" then it is great for feeding puppies and adult dogs**

Farmina Natural Chicken and Ancient Grains  -  purchase HERE or  HERE  (This is probably one of the best quality foods available right now, however is a little more expensive, especially if you are feeding multiple dogs) This food is non-GMO as well

Natures Logic Dog Food -  search for a local dealer HERE or order online HERE

Victor Dog Food -  search for a local dealer HERE or order HERE  (Chicken and Brown Rice or Professional formula are foods we have fed for years and the dogs do really well on them)

Daves Naturally Healthy Dog Food - Search for a local dealer HERE or order HERE

Holistic Select Adult Chicken and Brown Rice  -  Search for a local dealer HERE or order HERE

Holistic Blend Chicken, Rice and Vegetables   -  Search for a local dealer HERE  or order HERE

American Natural Premium   -  Search for a local dealer HERE  or order HERE

Primal Dog Food  is a really good dog food, however it comes in frozen patties so you have to have freezer space to store it. Find a dealer close to you HERE

There are many other really good dog foods available. We highly advise if you feed something that is not on the above list that you look for foods that are ONLY 4 or 5 star foods on Dog Food Advisor. (Do not choose anything lower than a 4 star food)  They have done all the leg work and have rated all the foods based on quality of ingredients as well as the many other resources on their site, click HERE

There are a few higher quality canned meats that you can mix in with your dogs regular meal. Not only do they love the meat, it's useful if mixing in pills or supplements that they may not eat without some meat to hide the flavor of it.  

Here are a few we have used and where to buy

Organix canned meat - buy it HERE

Newmans Own Organix canned meat -  buy it HERE

Nulo feestyle canned meat - buy it Here

Again, Dog Food Advisor is a great resource if you are unsure about the quality other brands.

Bones
You can read about healthy bones to give your dog HERE, HERE and HERE.

This is also another brand that we have found that the dogs really like HERE. These Red Barn bones will tend to crumble as they are chewed down and will generally not break off in large pieces. Strong chewers always need to be monitored and any pieces that break off and could be swallowed should be tossed. If you suspect your dog is chewing off large pieces, throw the bones out and find something else that they can't swallow or possibly choke on.

Supplements
If you have an Honor puppy/dog then you have no doubt gotten our "puppy packet" with several recommendations and the articles of why these supplements are important. There are several blog posts on here too with great articles for the need for extra supplementation.

Vitamin C - A great antioxidant and also help with collagen production for healthy hips, elbows and all joints of the growing dog until the bone plates are closed.  Vitamin C should be given for the entire lifespan of the dog.  Puppies start out on 500 mg. daily in food and we slowly progress them up to 4,000 mg. by 4 months of age. They should stay at that level until 2 years of age, when the bone plates are done closing, and at 2 years of age can be dropped down to 2,000 mg. daily for the rest of his/her life.   This brand or this one are great options.

A probiotic is essential for a healthy gut, which in turn helps them get the full benefit from their food, helps digestion and helps keep the immune system strong. Probiotic Max is a great product that we use and recommend. Use as directed on the label for the weight of your dog. This product contains digestive enzymes, but if you feed a probiotic that that does not include them, make sure you add digestive enzymes the diet as well. Can be ordered HERE as well as directly from Natures Farmacy.


 A good multi Vitamin/Mineral supplement will ensure your dog is getting a well balanced diet and all the nutrition they need. We feed and recommend Dogzyme Ultimate from Natures Farmacy.  Natures Farmacy is great to order from directly but you can also order on Chewy.com HERE if more convenient for you as well. We do not get any kick backs or deals with Natures Farmacy from promoting their products! They make a high quality product that we've used on our own dogs for many, many years.


We currently recommend Krill Oil for supplementation over the standard Fish Oil or even Salmon Oil. The thought being that krill are very small but have very high levels of  Omega 3, DHA  and all the other benefits provided.  Here is a great article by Dr. Becker of why Krill oil is superior to Salmon and other fish oils.  Krill Oil can be purchased at any GNC, health food store or Costco for a quantity discount, but here are a few good ones here, here, or here.

Apple Cider Vinegar has too many health benefits to even begin to list here but you can read more about why we recommend it so highly in this post. You want to make sure to get organic with "the mother" which looks like some stuff floating at the bottom of the bottle. Braggs is the most commonly available brand and can get it at most grocery stores and health food stores but here is a link  if you prefer to get it on Amazon.

While canned pumpkin is not a supplement, it is one of the things you should always have on hand for your dog. It is a super quick way to firm up any loose stools or diarrhea but can also help with constipation. You want to make sure you are buying just plain pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling that has sugar and spices in it.  We suggest organic, which can be found in most grocery stores that carry organic canned vegetables or you can order online here. If you want to check out the some of the benefits of canned pumpkin, click here

We get FAQ everyday and we wanted to put these questions and answers into a form where they can be utilized before and after you get you puppy. This post can pass along to anyone you know that may be getting a new puppy or even adult dog. These ideas are timeless and will work for anyone. 

1. Never let your puppy out of your sight for the first couple of weeks. Have a space that the puppy can be when you can't watch him every minute. We recommend a small bathroom, a laundry room or an x-pen set up that is big enough to have a blanket/bed and an area that can have a large pee pee pad or some newspapers as well as a small bowl of water.  The pup needs a place he can have a quiet place and sleep if needed but also the pee pee pads or newspapers offer a place he can "go" if you are not available to run him outside. So if you get on a phone call or just busy doing something else where you can't watch him for every second, put him in his own area that is safe if he does have an accident. If he has an accident in the house, it may start a habit of thinking that he can go there again and you want to avoid that.

2. Always take him out at just one door at first so there is no confusion of which door to go to, to tell you he's got to go outside. Take him out of this door often, sometimes even several times an hour. A baby puppy's bladder is small and can't hold much. They also will usually need to go after he eats a meal and ALWAYS as soon as he wakes up from sleep. (When he wakes up from sleep, ALWAYS carry him out, he will not be able to hold it to follow you all the way out when he wakes up).  In a couple of weeks he should be able to hold it longer periods and possibly all night.  Take him outside the last thing before you go to bed at night and the first thing when you wake up in the morning.
If there are multiple doors that he will be able to go out of eventually, just make sure he is really steady on telling you he has to go out (which is usually by going to the door) before introducing other doors to the outside.

3. Do not let the puppy have access to the entire house, until you feel he is completely house trained and can hold it for long periods of time. This is kind of a no-brainer. He will be out of sight more easily if he has access to many rooms and harder to catch him if he looks like he has to "go". You definitely don't want him to have accidents, not only for the clean up but also so he doesn't think that it's OK to do his business in the house. You can close doors, use baby gates or x-pens to keep him contained to a certain area of the house at first. The puppy can have more space and more access to the house as he grows and is consistently going to the door to do his business outside.

4. Where should the puppy sleep at night? This one is really up to you. If you value your sleep at night and don't want to get up to take him out, put him in the space or room that you have prepared for him (see #1) with a blanket/bed, newspapers or pee pee pads and a small bowl of water available. If the puppy has to go at night, and they pretty much always do when they first come home because their bladders are small, then he has a place to go that will be OK. Newspapers and pee pee pads are good because they are not the normal household surface like wood floors, tile, carpet, etc. and it won't set up a bad habit of thinking it's OK to go on those surfaces.
Some people opt to put the puppy in a crate next to the bed and then get up with the pup to take him out when he starts to cry in the night. He should only cry if he has to go out. You definitely don't want to let him have an accident in the crate, as that should be considered a bed for him and definitely not some place it's OK to "go". As stated previously, make sure you take him out last thing  before going to bed and first thing as soon as you get up, and don't forget to carry him out as he won't be able to hold it all the way to the outside.

5. What if he has an accident? You never want to punish a puppy after the fact, if you find they have had an accident. They won't remember what they did and it's too late to punish them. Just clean up the area well and try not to let him out of your sight again. (see #1) IF you do catch him in the act, or if he's just starting to "go"  say very loud and in an angry voice "no!no!no!" as you are picking him up and running him out the door. As soon as you put him down outside, praise him with a very up, happy, voice and excitedly tell him what a good boy he is.  Puppies are very intuitive to the fluctuation in your voice and the angry "no, no no" will convey to him that going in the house is inappropriate behavior and the excited, happy voice praising him will convey that going out side is the right, proper behavior.

One final tip: 
Many people find it effective to either hang a bell from the door knob of the door that they are taking the puppy out of and encourage the puppy to tap it on the way out as a way of telling you he has to "go".  This is a great tool for when the dog is older and can just ring the bell to tell you he has to go out. It is a tool and will take a while to train this behavior. The other bell that some people use is like this one here. Just put it on the floor next to the door and tap the puppy's foot on it as he goes outside.  They will eventually learn that this means they need to go out and will be able to tell you by ringing the bell