working dog food recommendations

glitterfuzz

glitterfuzz

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I have 2 welsh sheepdogs that dont seem to be able to concentrate long enough to eat a meal unless they have done a days work! The older one looks "fatter" (although shes lean and just right!) since she got older, however, the other is not quite a year old and is never still and a little skinny!

They are both currently fed Dylan working dog complete beef and chicken rings which is 24% protein. I also mix this with zest working dog meat to make them eat it straight away or they pick at it for ages and then get distracted by a toy or something more interesting!

I have to feed them something that all looks the same or they dont eat all of it and pick out their favourite bits.

Can anyone recommend a working dog type food that all looks the same, doesnt cost £49 for 15kg! and is good for putting on/mainting weight in batty collies that wont stay still!!!

I really need something that you can feed a small amount of but the dog gets a lot out of it
 
Mine are on chudleys working crunch, they all get alot of exercise and look very well on it, their weight is all ideal (but im a tirent to dog weight)
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It's about £12 where I am for a 15kg bag.
 
Otto is on Skinners Field and Trial Duck and Rice which is £20 for 15kg. He doesn't do well on anything wheat based and if something upsets his tummy he won't eat, he scoffs his duck and rice though!
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He has a bag of Skinners Field and Trial Salmon and Rice for every three bags of Duck & Rice, which is around £27.
Both are 20% protein and all the bits look the same.
However Otto needs 3 meals a day (2 and a half cups as opposed to the 2 they recommend) to keep his weight up, but he is both very active and very prone to losing weight especially if he stresses! The half a cup extra at lunch really made the difference with him.

ETA - Both are hypoallergenic, he was on Chudleys but he couldn't tolerate it, Skinners was the cheapest I could find that was completely Gluten free.h
 
I don't know if you guys can get Sneyds Wonderdog over there, but OH feeds his 3 working labs on it and he thinks it's great.
He did use Skinners as well and thought it was good too, but has found the dogs take their time chewing the Sneyds and not gulping it.
 
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He did use Skinners as well and thought it was good too, but has found the dogs take their time chewing the Sneyds and not gulping it.

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Otto is very concious of chewing his food properly
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He takes a couple of bits at a time and crunches them for ages before swallowing
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When he was a puppy he used to take one bit at a time and go to his bed to eat.
 
Another vote for Skinners
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Even though mine arent working dogs they are both on it and look really really well on it
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I feed them 5-6 cups a day mind you, which is odd considering they are 22kg and 26kg respectively... but they are definitely not fat
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Another vote for Skinners F & T Duck and Rice. I feed the 2 older GSDs a coffee mug and a bit each day, and Evie, who is never still has 2 mugs a day. This is far less than the recommended amount on the bag but they all look very well on it.
 
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Are they doll's cups?!
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Nope, it is a plastic cup which I have had since I was a kid, my mum and dad bought them for going caravanning
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I'm going to weigh one now I think
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ETA: 1 cup = 85grams

So mine can have between 425 and 510 grams of food per day (divided into 2 meals).

Manufacturers recommended amount for them would be 300 grams per day
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Wierd - see recent photos for evidence of non-fat dogs
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I feed Skinners too! But this time of year I feed the Maintenance which keeps weight on even my mad springer
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I used to feed Chudleighs Working Crunch which is a little bit cheaper and that was just as good (not sure why I switched now!)

The shooting season starts soon so I will most likely change their feed to one of the ones mentioned above for a little bit more protein.

For a really basic cheap working dog food - Dr Johns do a silver and gold with respective protein levels. Its a bit boring for my dogs but my friends feed it for their gang and they look very well on it.

ETA: Our local feed merchants (MVF) do their own brand which is made by a known label but much cheaper - that might be worth checking out in your area
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Another one for Skinners!!
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Maybe try adding a glug of oil to their feed - most happily eat it and it will definatley help with the weight gain.
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She will def eat oil as she steals it from horses feeds!! Which type of oil would be best for a dog? At the moment she is fed 2 heaped coffee mug fulls twice a day (if I can actually get her to eat it!) and 1/4 tin of meat mixed into each meal to make her eat it.
She doesnt have problems with gluten or a sensitive stomach, she just isnt interested in eating until she has been outside all day! The other dog was the same until she was about 5.
 
i feed csj to my very sensitive jack. she is a working dog. i give her the lamb and rice which is gluten free- never had any problems, she loves it. i think it cost £25 icl p&p. you can check online if you have a stockist near you. you can also collect points on the site and get something free when you have enough.
 
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