Here’s a myth that’s still alive and well, and that some of you are worried about. We understand you: nobody wants to see their adorable fur ball turn into a bloodthirsty animal! Surprisingly, this is not a fear we have towards humans, after eating a steak tartare 

So let’s talk about it!

First of all, at Babarf, we usually reply that there is no need to worry, because the rations also contain carrots… and it is well known, eating carrots makes you lovable!  But enough joking: let us reassure you and, give you more explanations.

First of all, rest assured that a raw, complete and balanced diet will NOT cause aggression in dogs.

Factors that may influence this are health, education, and specific behavioral problems.

Health

In the case of aggressive behavior, especially if it occurs in a dog with no previous behavioral concerns, the first thing to do is to rule out any medical concerns.

Several medical conditions can cause such changes (as in humans), such as thyroid problems, neurological disorders… but also pain, acute or chronic, making the dog fear contact with others, which can aggravate its pain.trad

Making sure that any health problems are eliminated is an important step.

Environment – Education

Resource protection is a natural reflex behavior in dogs. This can be seen, for example, when a dog growls when you (or another dog, human, cat…) approach his bowl, regardless of the food inside, including kibble.

It can express the stress of not being safe to eat its food, the fear of having it taken away.

Natural and logical yes, but not necessarily acceptable. If you don’t know how to deal with this type of behavior, we will be happy to help you. If necessary, we also invite you to get in touch with a dog trainer, who will be able to guide you so that you and your dog find a serene relationship, including in the presence of food.

As for the hunting instinct, it is never correlated to the given food. This primitive instinct will be provoked by the sight of another animal in rapid movement.

Power supply

Let’s end with this third point. It is true that food can play a role in behavior. And for good reason:

As is the case for us, the balance of our diet influences our health, including: the immune system, sleep and wake cycles, the nervous system… etc. Deficiencies can therefore lead to changes in mood/behavior (winter depression, sound familiar? ).

One of these is tryptophan. Doesn’t that name ring a bell? It is an amino acid that the dog’s body cannot synthesize by itself. It must therefore be supplied through the diet.

Tryptophan is so important because it allows the synthesis of serotonin (this name should already be more familiar to you, it is called the happiness hormone!), melatonin (allowing to regulate sleep cycles), as well as vitamin B3, playing an important role for the nervous function.

The BARF diet contains, in the right proportions, foods rich in tryptophan (for example, pork, beef liver, turkey…). The contribution of quality ingredients, unprocessed, fresh, and well proportioned, will provide your dog with everything he needs.

Switching to a BARF diet also means that your favorite quadruped’s meals will no longer contain insane levels of carbohydrates, as is the case with most kibbles. The body will not be permanently solicited to process unsuitable ingredients, and this can only be beneficial to have a dog that feels good in its paws.