By Ceri Rundle

You know the ones – the ‘magpie’ people who stand in front of the shelves and pick up the shiniest packs.

No, they don’t bother to read the ingredients or check the nutrients inside. They just grab the glossiest packs with the brightest pictures or the feeds they’ve seen on expensive ads. After all, it’s easy to fall for fancy packaging and think that choosing the most costly food shows you’re giving your dog the ‘best’.

All these ‘magpie’ people are doing is demonstrating that they don’t really understand the dog they love.  Branding is powerful and recognition of a highly advertised logo can unfairly influence your opinion.

Do your research properly

A few years ago, I spoke to a dog owner, whose dog had experienced regular digestive upsets. So, after discussing the dog’s dietary history I sent her samples of the foods that I thought might solve the problem and suit her dog.  Encased in plain bags, all evidence of the name, ingredients and price of the sample foods were hidden. I took care not to tell the dog owner how much each of the foods cost, until after her dog had tried them.  I then waited for her to give me some proper feedback as experience showed me that the price of the food could influence her choice to purchase.

Sometimes cheap can win all the prizes

Imagine when it turned out that Champ! Adult was loved by the dog and had sorted the digestive problem out, but was surprisingly reasonably priced. Several owners that I did this ‘blind’ testing on actually admitted  that they wouldn’t have chosen  Champ! Adult, if they had known how ‘cheap’ it was – especially if they’d been paying a lot more money for foods that had possibly caused a digestive upset in the first place.

When you’re testing dog food, anonymity is vital

If you saw what you perceived to be a ‘cheap’ brand, you might not even let your precious dog sully its lips with it. And yet that food might be the one that suits and your dog loves the best.

Basic packaging keeps our prices low

It’s always been part of our CSJ ethos to keep the packaging simple – because then we can keep prices low too.

We regularly review the environmental impact of the feed packaging and need packaging that can keep food fresh during storage and protect from outside elements. Currently the best solution is still recyclable plastic, but we’re always looking for better answers – while keeping prices down.

Moral of the story

If your dog isn’t happy on the food you’re giving, check with our nutrition expert Nicki.  Don’t go on our online shop and just choose the most expensive.

Just fill out the short form on our website to give Nicki information about your dog and she’ll give you an individual recommendation of exactly what feeds, treats, supplements and herbs suit your dog the best and she’ll arrange for food samples to be sent out.

The proof of the pudding is in the eating

It’s what sets us apart from the competition. We don’t spend money on pricy packaging, ads or sales people. We see all the time that other brands just build these costs into the ever increasing  retail price for the customer.

We prefer to have an expert nutritionist on board who can give professional free health advice, to ensure that every dog has the right food for its individual digestive system. We’re all different and so are our dogs. So, don’t be a ‘magpie’ person, be someone who cares.

Make a nutrition enquiry: https://www.csjk9.com/contact-nutrition.asp