GENEVA, Switzerland, July 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Ever wondered why your dog continuously scents the air and the ground,enjoys running and chasing, loves the smell and taste of meat? Well theanswer lies in his natural origins - a hunter, a carnivore that caught preyand ate meat - the wolf. Maybe it's time to take a good look at your dogagain, appreciate the wolf inside and feed as his nature intended.

Why is this important? Well for dog owners, breeders and veterinarians itmeans we can learn more about the make-up of our best friend from his wildancestor and in doing so perhaps better appreciate his day-to-day needs andhow we can best meet them through care, exercise and nutrition. And when youlook closely the similarities are striking.

Both species share many of the same physical features and attributes -like 13 pairs of ribs, 42 teeth, exceptional scenting and hearing ability...the list goes on. Then there are the social and behavioural clues. Yes, yourdog loves being part of your family. He is a pack animal, just like the wolf,and flourishes in the family as long as he understands his status in thehierarchy, either as leader or follower, which is why good training is soimportant.

Likewise, when your dog is scenting or chasing, he is re-engaging hispredatory instincts - but just for fun.

You feed him of course, so he doesn'tneed them for survival, but they are nevertheless still present. According toexperts, what you feed your dog should be directly linked to his naturalorigins too. They reasonably point out that from teeth, designed for cuttingand tearing meat, rather than chewing plants, through to a short, simple,digestive system, designed to process meat not plants, wolves and dogs aredesigned to eat and digest lots of animal protein.

UK Veterinarian, David Morgan, from Eukanuba, says the fundamentalsimilarity between wolves and dogs is the foundation of Eukanuba diets, "Weuse chicken- not cereal as our main protein source because we believe dogsevolved from carnivores and should be fed accordingly."

Maybe it's time to take a good look at your dog again, appreciate thewolf inside and feed as his nature intended.

Eukanuba premium dog nutrition is available at pet specialty stores, whowill be able to help you choose the correct Eukanuba nutrition for your dog.

Ladislas Beuzelin, Tel: +41(0)58-004-5074, beuzelin.l@pg.com