Do some dog foods create less 'waste' ??

H

HelsB

Well-Known Member
Joined
18 June 2008
Messages
680
Visit site

Hi,

This is my first post in the dogs section!

I have owned several dogs but for the first time we have an adult (18 months-ish) which we got from Battersea Dogs home. He is not house trained! We are doing all the things by the book and things are getting better.

It does not seem that he cannot 'hold it' just that he doesn't realise that he is supposed to in the house!

What my question is about, is does the type of feed I give him relate to how many poos he does? A friend mentioned that some feeds create less waste? Possibly mentioned James Wellbeloved as a good one?

He is on the Pedigree Chum complete dried food at the moment, which is what they were feeding him on at Battersea so we didn't want to change things straight away, but now he has been with us for almost a month I think we can have a think about whether there is a better food for him.

Thanks
Helen

Ps - I want to stick with a complete dried food - fedinitely not tinned or raw!
 
My battersea dog came on Pedigree food too, I think they get it sponsored!

There are def some foods that produce less waste, generally the more expensive ones.

Keep on with the training and hopefully he will have a 'lightbulb' moment.

What dog have you got?
 
He is the most adorable Staffy in the world! Black & White and gorgeous! (Fits in well with my coloured cob!!)

He is on 2 x feeds of 120g each feed a day, so 240g total plus we do try to keep him away from rabbit and horse poo!!!

It does vary how many he does in a day....yesterday he did one in the house (in front of us - oops!) at 6am, one lunchtime, one evening walk, and 2 overnight which makes 5. Sometimes as little as 3 though!

He looks well but no extra fat, has not gained or lost any since we got him.
 
My dogs are on two scoops of Arden Grange, twice a day (a scoop is an empty, standard size tin can!) and will do 4-5 a day.

Is he regular enough? FI my boy, while not in the house, will do one after the morning feed, one the minute he gets of of his run in the early afternoon and then two or three in the course of a walk (between 90 mins-3hours, depending on how mean I am feeling
tongue.gif
)

He very rarely goes overnight, after his evening feed and will often wait until after morning feed and do one then, as mentioned above.

Might be an idea to keep an eye on the likely times for your boy and whisk him outside, then.

My friends had a problem with a bitch who was a bit of a 'muckspreader' and the reduced feeding to once a day, seemed to solve the problem.
 
He's not settled into a proper routine although we are trying to keep to a routine with him.

His meals are 6.30am (after a walk) then approx 7.30pm which fits in around work, he spends the early part of the morning by himself then hubby picks him up 11ish to spend the rest of the day in the van / workshop / office with him. Never had a problem in any of those places, just the house (normally when left alone although doesn't show any other signs of separation anxiety)

He is taken out at about midnight but often won't poo, then again at 5.30am (we have to sleep in front of the tv 10-12 to achieve this!!)

Doesn't seem to want to 'go' in the time following a meal...
 
Ah, see, if he is on his own and this is when he feels like going, then there is no one to tell him 'no' or to shove him outside when it does happen.

Don't suppose he could stay out during the day when alone - he seems to get a lot of human contact otherwise?
 
Funny really... our dogs are on Burns and we have noticed a great reduction in how much they need to go. One of them is on the variety for older dogs and the other is on the variety called high oats which is supposed to (and does) fill them up for longer. The dog on higher oats used to be such a theif! She was constantly hungry but the high oats one takes the edge off her hunger. She also normally goes 1-2 a day now. Up until about 3yrs she would almost always have an accident at night even though she knew it was wrong.

I don't like pedigree chum TBH, wouldn't feed it to our two! I would switch him to something of higher quality Burns or James Wellbeloved. And also make sure his routine is as constant as possible, and make sure you praise him lots when he goes in the right place (with food if need be!).
 
Yes he does have a lot of human contact, in fact we leave him home alone in the mornings so as not to create a rod for our own backs so to speak, being with us all the time.

It's the overnight stint when he makes mistakes more often. Don't want to outside kennel him, not sure that would help the house trainig and alsohe REALLY did not cope with being in kennel at battersea, ended up being fostered.

Oh that reminds me....when he was in foster home he was in a crate (indoor kennel) in Foster carer's home, and was managing to hold it between 9pm-6am!! We are crate trainig but at present cannot leave him for long enough to have him downstairs all night by himself - fine if we are in the room but cries and barks if left alone for too long - it is going in the right direction though so shouldn't be too long - hopefully that may crack the overnight !!

Looking into feeds with less fillers etc, my friend recommended Something like Autarki which is basically a cheaper version of James Wellbeloved I think!

I think looking into changing feed times may help too……I feel bad just feeding him once a day though!!
 
[ QUOTE ]
Funny really... our dogs are on Burns and we have noticed a great reduction in how much they need to go. One of them is on the variety for older dogs and the other is on the variety called high oats which is supposed to (and does) fill them up for longer. The dog on higher oats used to be such a theif! She was constantly hungry but the high oats one takes the edge off her hunger. She also normally goes 1-2 a day now. Up until about 3yrs she would almost always have an accident at night even though she knew it was wrong.

I don't like pedigree chum TBH, wouldn't feed it to our two! I would switch him to something of higher quality Burns or James Wellbeloved. And also make sure his routine is as constant as possible, and make sure you praise him lots when he goes in the right place (with food if need be!).

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks
cool.gif


This is the sort of answer I was after!

Yes we are praising with food and trying to ask him to 'go' in his place in the garden by placing poos there and telling him to 'be quick' which he is gradually learning but still not gone on his last night time outing yet!!
 
[ QUOTE ]
he REALLY did not cope with being in kennel at battersea, ended up being fostered.

I think looking into changing feed times may help too……I feel bad just feeding him once a day though!!

[/ QUOTE ]

Being outside in a family home is a lot different to the stress dogs feel in a proper 'kennel' environment
smile.gif

And a lot of the people I know feed their dogs once a day - our old girl just got the one feed and if anything, was a bit of a porker
blush.gif


Good luck with the crate training, hopefully that will crack it!
 
Hi, as suggested a better quality food does produce less waste, but it sounds more like what u are already thinking, he is a little confused re where is is supposed to go.
If he is crying and barking when in the crate and he was once craed in the foster home, he was obs taken out for period of time ad the crate routine disrupted, and staffs are by far the worst to get into a crate routine, as they yackle like only staffs can
smirk.gif
and ca destroy a crate in a few seconds.

Could u drop the evening meal, altogether so there is less on his tummy over night, lots of owners inc me
tongue.gif
only feed once a day.
Also restrict his access to any room in the house unless u are in that room, so when he does go to pass a motion u can get his collar(hence breaking the habit) and that means even when he has begun
tongue.gif
and take him straight to the garden and command him go "wee wee" and use the same command when ever u see him pass a motion and offer a treat at the end of the passing
smirk.gif
grin.gif
thi s also gives him guidance as to where u want him to go.
If u want to reintroduce the crate it may be worth u placing one in your bedroom and covering it, so u can gradually move it back downstairs and as long as the cover is still on he wont realise he has switched rooms, maybe even invest in 2 crates to keep one downstairs so u can place him in when eating/tired after exercise and when u are in view and pottering around, and maybe collapse it when u take him out in the car and put it up in there, this way he assosiates all positives with the crate and u are slyly creating a new crate routine to help stop the passing indoors and get him to feel less anxious back in the crate.

Also if u are reintroducing the crate, everytime u release him, take him by the collar and put him straight out, no fuss jsut out, this creates a rouine from crate to garden which they pick up very quickly.
 
QR to OP - Yes, good quality (read: more expensive) foods do produce smaller, firmer, less smelly poos. It can be a help for housetraining. My friends family adopted a greyhound that was on a greyhound type mix. She was producing something that looked like something that would come from a soft serve ice cream machine (sorry for the graphic description but you get hte idea). The dog was having frequent accidents in the house...She moved her on to the same food that I feed my dogs (an holistic diet) and within a few weeks her stools were much less disgusting and she was able to hold it til it was time to go out. They were obviously pleased with this result.
wink.gif
 
Cavecanem - all makes a lot of sense and yes we are working on a lot of what you have said, never thought to cover the crate or to have him in our room as really was hopng to confine him to the 'undecorated' pet friendly kitchen / family room and keep the rest of the house pet free! (I don't like housework!!)

I think we need to be thinking along the lines of the house training / crate training as well as changing what he eats and when he eats it to help him along the way. It was never my intention to keep him on the Chum but didn't want to change to quickly after getting him home. Now I am thinking sooner rather than later!!

Cayla, what is this holistic diet you mention please? I spend a lot of care making sure my horses are on the correct diet so seems silly to feed my dog on just any old thing!
 
[ QUOTE ]


Cayla, what is this holistic diet you mention please? I spend a lot of care making sure my horses are on the correct diet so seems silly to feed my dog on just any old thing!

[/ QUOTE ]


Erm, did you mean me? I don't think Cayla mentioned holistic food? If you did mean me
wink.gif
then the food I mentioned was Land of Holistic Pets (which is George Burns from Burns food fame).
 
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]


Cayla, what is this holistic diet you mention please? I spend a lot of care making sure my horses are on the correct diet so seems silly to feed my dog on just any old thing!

[/ QUOTE ]


Erm, did you mean me? I don't think Cayla mentioned holistic food? If you did mean me
wink.gif
then the food I mentioned was Land of Holistic Pets (which is George Burns from Burns food fame).

[/ QUOTE ]

oops yes I did mean you ....sorry!! I am readung from small browser at work....norty me!!

PS guys.....he was clean last night
cool.gif
mist not get excited!!!
 
Lol....dear lord, I kow nowt about holistic food stuffs
grin.gif
grin.gif
I mentioned new crate routine and cover
tongue.gif

By covering crate and havig him upstairs, u can then slyly move him down into designated doggy/family room with little distruption
smile.gif
 
Update....2 Clean nights now.....this is before changing to a better feed! (I have some naturalm no fillers etc feed on its way to me)

The key......is to get him SOOOOO tired he cannot lift himself out of bed!!! Both nights we had to lift him out the door for his midnight wee....and he was still in his bed (on the sofa!) in the morning
laugh.gif
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top