Your Dog Was Built for Founding Breeder’s Nutrition

An over-processed diet means less than the best for your dog.

Legacy Valuing Tradition does exactly what our name implies – in fact, our Founding Breeder’s Nutrition is formulated with the same unrefined, natural ingredients that have been nourishing man’s best friend for thousands of years.

Amazingly, fossil evidence suggests that the domestication of dogs began nearly 14,000 years ago . Though originally descended from wolves, dogs slowly lost the ability to survive on their own when they were bred as companion animals. Over time, they came to rely on owners and breeders to provide essential nutrition, and adopted a diet of cooked meats, cereals, fruits and vegetables that mirrored what their human companions ate.

This wholesome selection of foods is what Legacy Valuing Tradition refers to as Founding Breeder`s Nutrition. It incorporates an array of high-quality ingredients not commonly found in other mass-produced dog foods.

Whole chicken, lamb and ocean salmon are the primary ingredients in all of our top-quality foods. Our whole ingredients mirror the exact balance of protein, carbohydrates, fatty acids, vitamins and minerals that are found in nature; they are delivered in the exact proportions required for optimal health, and delivered in a highly-palatable form.

Observation of wolves in their natural habitat has shown that when they are presented with a fresh kill, they eat the liver, kidneys, intestines and other internal organs first. Modern scientific research indicates that the level of vitamins, minerals and enzymes in these organs is significantly higher than that of the surrounding muscle tissue, which is why Legacy Valuing Tradition includes chicken liver as a source of natural vitamins, minerals and enzymes.

The ground bones and marrow in our natural, holistic foods embody an essential source of important elements such as calcium, phosphorus, glucosamine and chondroitin. For proper nutrition and skeletal development, these elements must be present in the correct proportions, which Legacy Valuing Tradition offers by providing the ideal ratio of 1.2 parts calcium to 1 part phosphorus. But we know that what we add to our foods is often as important as what we leave out. Our research has shown that both calcium and phosphorus are absorbed best when held in solution within the acid pH of the stomach, and an acid pH tends to prevent the formation of insoluble tricalcium phosphate in the intestine. Commonly used wheat by-products (such as wheat bran and wheat shorts) contain phytic acid, which contributes to the formation of these granules. Because calcium in this form cannot be absorbed, it limits your dog’s calcium intake. That’s why Legacy Valuing Tradition does not contain wheat by-products.

Our natural products also contain three types of grain: brown rice, dehulled oats and dehulled barley. These unrefined grains are considered a moderate source of energy, which means they release energy slowly and keep dogs feeling satisfied longer. Dehulled oats and dehulled barley contain twice as many fatty acids as wheat, which gives them a 10-percent lower calorie count and one-third more vitamins and minerals than the pearled barley and oatmeal commonly found in other major brands.

Historically, these unrefined cereals with germ (nutritionally, the most valuable part of the grain, consisting of vitamins, minerals and amino acids) were an important staple for both humans and dogs. Because their nutritional value has been proven over hundreds of years, they remain an essential part of our recipes today.

Legacy Valuing Tradition products are also an excellent source of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids. Our combination of flaxseed and fish oil supplementation provides the optimal Omega-3/Omega-6 balance to meet the daily nutritional needs of your dog, while offering great support for the heart, skin, immune system and brain.

Our special formula is not only an outstanding source of linolenic acids, but contains a healthy supply of lignans as well, for our natural flaxseed offers unique nutritive benefits for the body`s cellular defense mechanisms. Flax has been cultivated for more than 7,000 years in the Middle East as a source of linen fiber and for its oil. The Roman Legion used bread made from flax, giving soldiers the stamina to march long distances and then do battle. The ancient Egyptians, Hebrews, Greeks, and Romans used flaxseed as food, the oil as medicine, and the fibers for clothing and the sails of ships. Flaxseed is a traditional ingredient for the canine diet because it was introduced in Founding Breeder`s Nutrition. hundreds of years ago, with beneficial effects on canine health.

Thousands of years ago, when humans started playing the key role as provider of food for domesticated dogs, owners took on the responsibility of determining which types of food their dogs were going to eat. From generation to generation, they refined healthy methods of preservation, using old-world drying techniques and natural ingredients.

Legacy Valuing Tradition is preserved naturally, without the use of synthetic additives that can potentially affect the health of your dog. With a maximum humidity level of 10-percent, our dog food is dried using the latest in modern equipment, reflecting traditional techniques used long before the invention of artificial preservatives. To maintain the palatability and “shelf life” of our food, we rely on botanical ingredients such as rosemary extract, garlic and other herbs, just as the Founding Breeders did in ancient times.

Hold a piece of Legacy Valuing Tradition in your hand, and you’ll see that its coarsely ground texture closely mimics the qualities of the original Founding Breeder`s Nutrition. We coarse-grind our whole ingredients rather than relying on the fillers or substitutes commonly added to other high-quality brands. That’s why we categorically reject any vegetable protein-based, synthetic additives such as corn gluten and soybean meal.

It’s an unfortunate reality that today, most pet food brands produce kibble for dogs with highly-processed and finely ground ingredients. This recent development in the pet food industry is designed to produce a product that looks good to human customers, even if it does not support the digestive needs of dogs. Dogs are carnivores. Their mouths are designed to eat meat, and their teeth are shaped for cutting and shearing. Just like their ancestors, it is normal for dogs to bite off large pieces of food – between five and seven centimeters – which they then chew into smaller pieces of one to two centimeters before swallowing.

One heart-shaped piece of Legacy Valuing Tradition kibble offers three remarkable characteristics which relate back to the natural and traditional qualities of Founding Breeder`s Nutrition: First, our kibble is made with the same lamb bone tips that dogs tend to gnaw on instinctively. When dogs crack this type of kibble with their teeth, the coarsely-ground ingredients create a natural abrasion essential for the effective cleaning of teeth and gums. Second, the coarsely-ground ingredients significantly improve digestion and help to control your dog’s weight. Third, because our kibble takes time to digest and pass slowly through your dog’s intestinal tract, it allows him to feel full longer and eat less. In turn, these qualities reduce the danger of obesity and the stress that comes from constantly feeling hungry.

Legacy Valuing Tradition also offers an important benefit to you as an owner – the opportunity to rest easy, knowing that by choosing Founding Breeder`s Nutrition, you’re giving your dog the best and healthiest food on the market today.