Water

• One of the most important aspects of a dog's diet is its intake of quality water. A dog's body is made up mostly of water, and so it can be said that the quality of water directly affects the health of the dog. A water supply that is made readily available and is maintained fresh daily is important for a dog's health. Giving your dog water from a filtered tap will remove many of the impurities, as it would for human consumption, resulting in a healthier and happier canine.
  
  

Commercial Dry Food

• By far the most widely used food choice for the canine diet, commercial dry food, or "kibble," is a wide and varied industry. The quality of ingredients used in kibble is also as wide and varied, with many companies using low-grade animal byproducts and filler grains with little to no nutritional value. Low-grade grains include corn or cereal byproducts and soy. Kibble can also be made from high-grade meats and grains that are of a better quality. Most kibble that can be bought in a grocery store is of a lower quality. To get a good-quality kibble suitable for your canine's diet, visit a local pet food store. Look for foods that don't have byproducts, which include low-grade meats and can cause health issues.
  
  Most kibble will include grain as an ingredient but beware of kibble that lists it as the first ingredient. Also the type of filler that manufacturers utilize is also something to look for. Beet pulp, wheat, rice, millet and sweet potato are all good grains that offer a good nutritional value, so buy foods that list those on the ingredients list. Look for kibble with a meat as the first listed ingredient, which will denote a higher-grade kibble.
  
  

Commercial Canned Food

• As with kibble, the market is saturated with various canned wet foods for canines. These vary from those of poor quality to those with higher-grade ingredients. Again, as with kibble, avoid canned foods with animal byproducts and focus on those with actual meats. Many canned foods have a substantial amount of filler grains to bulk up the amount of product while keeping the costs down.
  
  Finding a canned food with quality ingredients that include rice, beet or other vegetables as its filler grains and a non-byproduct meat such as chicken, venison, beef or elk is an ideal choice for your dog. Canned food is usually not seen as a viable diet by itself, often paired with kibble in a ratio that consists of about one-fourth wet food to three-fourths kibble.
  
  

Homemade Food

• A great option for your dog is making its food yourself. This involves cooking meats such as chicken, turkey, elk or beef as you would for human consumption, except without the added spices. A homemade diet can also include grains such as basmati white rice, plain yogurt, cottage cheese and fresh, canned or frozen vegetables. This diet is a great option if you think your canine may have a food allergy, as you can monitor its diet very thoroughly.
  
  

Raw Food

• Quite possibly the most controversial diet that a dog can be given is the raw food diet, often called the "Bones and Raw Food" or "Biologically Appropriated Raw Food," both of which are known as the "BARF" diet. The thought behind this diet is that canines would benefit from a diet that is based on the canine diet before they became domesticated. This diet involves raw meats, as well as fruits, raw eggs, some dairy, vegetables and bones.
  
  The controversy revolves around a potential health risk from the bacteria in raw meat to dogs as well as humans. The raw diet has not been proven scientifically to have any health benefits to the dog and can be risky with the ingestion of bones, which potentially can get lodged in the dog's throat or cause internal punctures. Benefits of the diet are that it creates a much shinier coat and an abundance of energy in the dog. Raw food diet is much more natural when compared to a processed food diet.