No, raw dog food does not cause aggression. In fact the opposite is true…
People often hear that a taste of fresh meat or blood creates blood-lust aggression in dogs, when the complete opposite is the case. Eating fresh meat is proven to calm dogs (Mugford 1987), actually making them more suitable to be around young children, than dry fed dogs.
5 reasons Why Raw Dog Food Does Not Cause Aggression in Dogs:
1. A fresh meat diet has none of the ingredients that are known to influence poor behaviour – if it can’t be pronounced, then don’t feed it! In fact raw dog food has no added chemicals!
2. Dry food, usually containing cheap cereal filler, is generally 50% carbohydrates. Carbohydrates spike blood sugar levels (glucose), causing insulin to be produced – to control the blood sugar levels. Unfortunately, even when insulin has controlled the sugar levels, there is still sugar in the system and this is known to cause disruptive behaviour (like children on a sugar-high after a birthday party). Raw dog food has no carbohydrates in it, and if carbohydrates are being added to the diet, the quantity and type can be controlled.
3. Grain-free also means gluten-free. For gluten intolerants and coeliacs, the morphine-like gluten particles (gliadins) enter the blood stream and cause all sorts of behavioural issues for the sufferer.
4. Unlike dry food, fresh food is packed full of water-soluble vitamins, most importantly the mind-soothing B vitamins. It is for this reason that a diet of fresh food is recommended for children with ADHD.
5. Finally, chewing meat and fresh bones is proven to release dopamine in the dog – that’s right, the happy chemical!
Will raw dog food make my working dog eat the animals he is minding / retrieving?!
Some people with working dogs worry that their dogs may become aggressive, maybe even choosing to eat the livestock or game they’re supposed to be tending to. Luckily, this isn’t likely. A large number of working collies, working Shepherds and numerous types of game dogs are eating the same type of animals that they are working with and they are not subsequently attacking their charges.
There has not been one reported incident where a good dog has gone bad, or a pup being harder to train as a result of the raw feeding. In fact, we can say first hand that raw fed dogs are easier to train, with greater focus and vitality.
Maybe the animals they are being fed smell differently on the outside? Parental teaching is very important in teaching hunting technique, maybe they are taught what is what? Most, if not all, damage done to livestock is by domestic dogs of unknown background gone feral and there is absolutely zero science to support the theory that a fresh diet has a role.
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