Why Your Dog’s “Bad Behavior” Might Be a Nutrition Problem

Are you feeding your dog premium kibble and still seeing health issues?

In this episode of The Dog Who Asked for More, I share the story of how “high-end” dog food made my reactive dog Toby sick for months—and the simple nutrition shifts that finally turned things around. If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed by food choices, ingredients, or confusing labels, you’re not alone—and you’re not failing.

In this episode:

• Learn the hidden dangers of common dog food marketing terms like “meal,” “natural flavor,” and seed oils

• Discover why your dog’s gut health may be the key to solving behavior and inflammation issues

• Get a doable, non-overwhelming bowl boost you can try this week to improve your dog’s nutrition.

  
  

Press play to uncover the truth behind the label—and how one nutrition shift helped Toby finally heal from the inside out.

The Dog Who Asked for More Extras:

Get a free copy of the Mini Bowl Blueprinthttps://tinyurl.com/minibowltdwafm

Book a FREE 15-minute call with Em

https://tinyurl.com/tdwafmbooknow

Email [e-mail] to get in touch with Em

This episode is POWERED by PetMatRx

Looking to BOOST your pet’s daily meal? Try PetMatRx supplements, use code FITZ20, and save! https://petmatrx.com/?ref=tdwafm

This podcast explores real-life dog behavior and training through the lens of a canine nutritionist, dog coach, and retired vet tech—diving into reactivity, dog obedience, dog health, dog food, dog habits, dog lifestyle, canine enrichment, pet enrichment, dog myths, and what it actually takes to support reactive dogs safely and calmly. Whether you’re a dog mom navigating reactivity, building the human–dog bond, choosing dog products, or just trying to create a calmer dog life with your canine, you’ll find grounded strategies to build trust, improve dog behavior, and help your dog feel safe, understood, and supported.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
You thought you were feeding your dog the good stuff, but the
dog food label doesn't tell the whole story.
Welcome to the dog who asked formore, the podcast helping dog
parents who feel stuck and overwhelmed by their pup finally
let go of the guilt. Learn to communicate clearly and
build the bond you've always dreamed of through a partnership
based approach that combines training, nutrition and

(00:22):
enrichment instead of chasing the quick fixes that don't
actually work. I'm N And in this episode,
you'll learn what I'm I wish I'dknown when Toby kept getting
sick on premium dog food, how tospot the marketing tricks that
are hiding in plain sight on your kibble bag, and one simple
nutrition shift that you can make this week without going

(00:43):
full raw or breaking your budget.
Take you back a few years. Toby, my sweet, spunky potato
dog, was getting sick all of thetime.
He was having pancreatitis flareups which meant vomiting,
diarrhea and a gut that could not catch a break and I was
doing everything according to all of the knowledge I had

(01:06):
gained as a vet tech over the years.
He was on a well known brand of high end kibble marketed as
healthy, natural and even vet recommended.
But no matter what I tried, he was not getting better.
And I'll be honest with you, I had no idea how much junk was in
those premium bags of dog food. It wasn't until I really started

(01:29):
digging that I realized just howmisleading those ingredient
labels are. So let's talk about that.
When you see terms like meal, meat, poultry byproduct, or even
just natural flavor, you are notlooking at clean nutrition.
You're looking at rendered scraps, chemical preservatives,

(01:51):
and fillers that don't belong inyour dog's body.
And don't even get me started oncarbs.
Most dry dog foods are over 50% carbohydrates, even though dogs
don't have a biological requirement for carbs at all.
And those excess carbs? They fuel inflammation, weight
gain, and are now considered theleading contributor to canine

(02:13):
cancer. And that makes me mad, honestly,
because I trusted the marketing.I thought that I was doing right
by Toby. But the truth is, dog food
labels are written to confuse us.
They're written to sound good, not be good, and when I started
working towards my certified professional canine
nutritionist, I realized just how deep that problem goes.

(02:37):
Even the supplements being pushed to pet parents are full
of seed oils, fillers, and synthetic junk that our dogs
can't actually use. Let's talk about fish oil and
seed oils for a second. These are often marketed as
being great for skin and coat, but here's what they don't tell
you. These oils oxidize quickly,

(02:57):
especially once they are opened or added to food during
production. Once oxidized, they go rancid
and instead of reducing inflammation, they create it.
Your dog's body doesn't just notbenefit, it actively struggles
to process it. It's not your fault if you
didn't know that. I didn't either.

(03:17):
This week's Answering the Ask isa story about Toby.
Because sometimes your dog doesn't need training, they need
nutrition. Toby wasn't misbehaving.
He wasn't wasn't being dramatic.He was sick, inflamed and
uncomfortable in his own body. And I kept trying new bags, new

(03:38):
treats, even new feeding times when what he needed was a whole
new way of eating. The moment I stopped trusting
the bag and started trusting him, everything changed.
The 1st shift came from Pet Matrix Protect, a gut support
supplement designed to heal, notjust mask symptoms.

(03:59):
I started giving it to Toby before I switched anything else
in his diet and since then he hasn't had a single pancreatic
flare up in over 2 years. That is not just a win, it is a
transformation and we've partnered with Pet Matrix ever
since because I saw the impact it had first hand.

(04:22):
It helped me repair his gut lining, reduce inflammation, and
finally gave his body the support it was asking for all
along. If you're listening right now
and thinking I don't know what to feed my dog anymore, you are
not failing. You are learning.
This week's bowl boost is simple.
Pick one thing to remove or one thing to replace.

(04:45):
That might mean swapping out your current fish oil for freeze
dried organ Topper, or ditching that bag of peanut butter treats
with seed oils for a dehydrated meat chew.
Or maybe adding a spoonful of fresh whole food to the bowl
each day. If you're ready to support your
dog's gut more deeply, I highly recommend checking out Protect

(05:06):
from Pet Matrix because we don'talways need to add more.
We need to heal what's already hurting.
You don't need a perfect bowl, just a better one.
One that works for your dog's unique body.
And if you've been feeling overwhelmed by the dog food
world, I see you. There is no shame in starting

(05:27):
over. There's only progress in
deciding to listen to your dog, not the marketing.
Because that label isn't raisingyour dog, you are.
To recap. Remember, labels lie, but your
dog doesn't. Carbs and rancid oils are
quietly doing more damage behindthe scenes, and small shifts can
spark big changes in health, behavior and well-being.

(05:51):
So be kind, spread joy, and remember your dog's bowl is more
than just food, it's feedback. This episode is brought to you
by Pet Matrix, the science driven premium canine supplement
company on a mission to help dogs thrive at every stage of
life. Their advanced cell Matrix
delivery technology fuels Wellness right at the cellular

(06:13):
level, so your dog gets real results where it counts, just
like mine have. With Move, you're supporting
joints, bones, and recovery. With Think, you are helping calm
the nervous system and sharpen focus, and with Protect, you're
getting gut health and immunity.Don't sit on the sidelines when
it comes to your dog's health. Jump into the Pet Matrix today

(06:34):
and see the difference. Thanks for listening to the dog
who asked for more and for taking the time to learn how to
support your dog. If meal time feels stressful or
confusing, I've created a free mini bowl blueprint with three
simple swaps you can make right now to bring more calm and
connection to me meal time. You'll find the link in the
episode description. Go grab your copy and start

(06:56):
making meal time easier today. New episodes drop every Monday
and Wednesday. I'll see you next time.