When you own a dog, one of your primary concerns should be the diet of your new pet. There are many different dog diets out there and it is your job to choose the one that best suits your pet. To do that, you need to know what kind of foods are best suited to the dog's digestive system, what nutrients and dietary elements are required and importantly, what foods should never be a part of any dog diet.

By nature, dogs are carnivores. Like their close relatives, the wolf, in the wild, dogs catch animals and eat raw meat. Unless they are in dire straits and close to starvation, they will not eat any form of vegetation. However, over the long millennia since the first dog became domesticated, they have slowly adapted to a more omnivorous diet, and also cooked food.

It wasn't until the end of World War 2, when meat was in short supply that commercial dog first was first produced. Prior to that, dogs were given what their owners ate. Their diets consisted of mainly cooked or raw meat, and some vegetables. Contrary to the popular belief of today, that "human food" is bad for dogs, the canines thrived on this sort of diet.

That is why many people are now steering clear of commercial dog foods, choosing in a sense, to go back in time and feeding their dog homemade dog food. Homemade dog food is a great choice because you are able to feed your pets healthy delicious meals that they will love, cooked or presented in a way that makes it easy for their bodies to extract and use the essential nutrients, minerals and trace elements the food contains.

Here are a few excellent tips when it comes to feeding your pet.

1. It is important to provide some variety in the diet. Just as you would hate to eat the same food every day for breakfast, lunch and supper, dogs don't enjoy it either.

2. If you choose to give your dog commercially produced food, make sure that it is of a good quality and fulfils all the dietary requirements.

3. When making homemade dog food, make sure that you use fresh, high grade raw meat and bones, rather than the pre-packaged "pet meat." These preserved meats contain preservatives that can damage your dog's health and in some cases, prove fatal.

4. Don't give your pet raw bones too often. Once or twice a week is enough. More than that and your canine's digestive system may become affected leading to constipation. Always make sure that the bones are raw. Cooked bones may splinter causing internal damage.

5. The amount of food your dog needs will depend on the breed, size and weight of the dog. Be careful that you do not overfeed your dog, and be equally careful of underfeeding.

6. Make sure that the pet ALWAYS has access to plenty of fresh, clean water.