Working Dogs - What do you feed yours?

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Scranny_Ann

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As above really...

Our spangles are fed on Marsdens 23% protein which is fine for them, seem to do well on it. They are out on the shoot 5-6 days a week at the moment and look fine weight wise, perfectly healthy. If they have been out all day in rubbish weather they also have a pound of tripe with their usual feed.

Kensa, my lab, on the other hand doesn't seem to be doing so well on it
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her weight is ok-ish at the mo but could do with being a bit better. She can't have tripe - really doesn't agree with her (gives her the squits
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) Have also tried her on tinned food as an 'extra' after working but she won't eat it
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I've been looking into Skinners Duck and Rice biscuits as having researched on internet it seems the ideal feed for the sensitive types, protein level is good too. Anyone feed this? Or Skinners in general?
 
I have fed CSJ Command Performance feeds for the past year - their salmon based ones and have noticed an improvement in general coat growth, and muscular definition.

Not the cheapest but have actually fed less even on the working and competition hounds. Am also trialing Fish4dogs salmon working dog feed on 2 out of interest.

http://www.csjk9.com/productcart/pc/viewcategories.asp?idCategory=5&pageStyle=P
Use CP21 on the non workers, and CP30 on the working / competion hounds.

All ours do get fresh raw lamb daily mixed with the kibble, sometimes turkey or beef.
 
My lab doesn't work, but doesn't get on well with feeding more than the recommended amount of dog food (squits!), and on the recommended amount gets too thin (i.e. can see all ribs and spine) really quickly. Tried all kinds of posh dog food (royal canin, james wellbeloved) but ended up feeding him a portion of pasta in the morning and the recommended amount of dog food (chappie complete dry) in the evening. It seems like he can't cope with the extra protein after eating a loo roll as a pup!

Now squits are only related to scavenging horrible rotting things, rather than a regular occurence due to feed.
 
Wishful, like others on here I would not feed the recommended amount, in fact I never even look at the recommended amount
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I feed what I think is appropriate for my dog!

SA - I just bought two bags of Skinners duck and rice yesterday, I am making a £6 saving per bag on Arden Grange and I hope they bloody like it!!!

Harkback - would you recommend adding salmon oil to food then? A couple of people at our club are raving about it.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Wishful, like others on here I would not feed the recommended amount, in fact I never even look at the recommended amount
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I feed what I think is appropriate for my dog!

Harkback - would you recommend adding salmon oil to food then? A couple of people at our club are raving about it.

[/ QUOTE ]

I have fed salmon oil in the past to 2 dogs who's coat quality needed improvement and these dogs where in hard competition fitness. It did seem to make the coat less brittle and therefore less breakage on the guard hairs when entwined with brambles! Having said that since feeding the CSJ I stopped the additional salmon oil as it is already in the feed.

Hence my trying now on some dogs Fish4dogs Salmon Working Dog feed as this is even higher in oil and also has herring meal in. I have seen good results on some dogs with dermatological conditions that have been hugely helped by the addition of salmon oil to their feeding.

Salmon being an excellent high quality protein souce is easy on the digestion. I have reduced the amounts of kibble since feeding salmon based feeds as the improvement in muscle definition was evident after a couple of months. Of course it may just suit my own dogs!

I always feed by "eye", and adjust according to condition and work load. Except in the puppies and up to junior as having a large breed that needs calcium:phosphorus levels to be balanced and appropriate to their growth rates then I do follow scientific guidelines.

Got our salmon oil from this site, better prices particularly for the largest size and the Kronch brand is one of the highest quality brands. http://www.activepetfeeds.co.uk/catalog/default.php?cPath=25
 
We tried feeding by eye for 2 years (and still do to a point) - it didn't get the weight on and if you put more in, it came out the back end and clearly wasn't absorbed. Dog gets on with approximately the recommended amount for his weight, but would be too thin - so extra calories without protein were required. We know exactly what happened with the loo roll, OH cured it and bought the dog shortly after that. We tried probably every brand of food (including one that was £50/bag)... Dog is healthiest on chappie+pasta, can run all day, and is almost as quick in a straight line as a collie. He can run up slopes I couldn't even climb up, and is twice as fast up a steep hill as a similarly sized working lab/pointer when retrieving. Aged 2 years and 6 months we've finally got to the point where we can only see the ribs when he's stretching but not all of the time.

I was trying to say that sometimes more/different specific dog food isn't the answer, and that nutritional requirements (as in protein and vitamins) might differ from the dog's calorific requirements for his lifestyle.
 
I see - glad you have it sorted. What breed is he?
I actually gave pasta to our female for a few nights this week, she has decided after two years that Arden Grange is no longer to her taste....
 
If you can't get or keep weight on, go onto a puppy food for a while - Field & Trial puppy (I think 27% protein but don't quote me!) or their Superior which I think is 30% will do the job. That way you don't have to up the amount the dog gets, so don't get squitting problems!

There are some dogs that can stay on a puppy food all their lives, generally the type that just run and run and don't seem to have an off switch.
 
I uase the Skinners Duck and Rice for the collie....she looks very good on it but she does prefer it slightly softened which she wasnt ever bothered about on her old biscuit. She trickle feeds on and off through the day and then eats a good meal mid evening.

Baby spaniel is on Burns at the moment but is weaning herself over to the Skinners on her own which will be great on the purse!!
 
i used to use skinners musili till the old spangle decided chewing was sooo last season and thought inhaling the food was far more fashionable nowadays.... cue coughing, spluttering and choking on a regluar basis!
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we spoke to local keeper about what he feeds as we sometimes look after his dogs and they are all bonny and know his feed was biscuits - so we decided to try it - Dr John's - Platenam for the season and gold for the off season - changed to it about two years ago they all look fab on it - and only a approx £10/bag
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and spangle has to chew so doesn't inhale/choke!

for putting weight on though - afraid i'm quite traditional and go for eggs and offal etc
 
Thank you
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We used to use Dr Johns too, Kensa is fussy about that too
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She has 2 eggs a week atm - she loves them.

I have a few free sample packs of Skinners so i'll try her - knowing my luck she won't like it!!!
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The Skinners Rep suggested I use Salmon and Rice rather than Duck and Rice for keeping weight on Otto. He gets 3 bags of D&R and then one of S&R at the moment, to ensure he doesn't start reacting to the ingredients in them.
She suggested I fed them the other way round, so 3 S&R then one D&R, however Otto's tummy didn't seem to get on as well with the S&R so we didn't change.
He was fed an extra half cup at lunchtime for a few weeks and he looks fab now. He is always going to be a skinny whippet, but he doesn't look quite as ribby now.
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Have you tried feeding Sardines instead of Tripe? Otto has the most sensitive digestive system ever it would seem (unless it's razor blades that is
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) and the Sardines don't affect him at all. It's what my Parent's dogs get after a hard day working and they all look fab on it! They get a pork pie at lunch time too, spoilt brats
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Dr John's actually has a preservative in it that is is regarded as a bit dodgy by some people, my Mum stopped using it for that reason, so maybe Kensa has just been doing a bit of research
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Thanks Hen - i now have an image of Kensa sat in her bed with her specs half way down her snout on her laptop doing a bit of reearch!!

None of ours were very keen come end, the reason we changed.

I haven't tried sardines but i will tomorrow - i'll pop to Tesco tonight. As i'm not really up on the tinned fish front ... do i get them in oil? Sunflower oil? Sorry to be thick!!
 
Princess Kensa has a very high opinion of herself - you should see her trying to avoid muddy puddles!!!! She doesn't DO mud!

Ok swing by Tesco on the way home and see what she makes of them tomorrow
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I have a skinny lab! she been a nightmare to feed. She got Haemerogenic (sp?) gastro enteritis when she was 6 months, so she has quite a sentive stomach. We have 4 working spaniels too, they are fed Chudleys classic during the summer and Chudleys working crunch during the season, the lab couldn't cope with it.
I put her on a unnamed equivilant to James Wellbeloved (made by the same peole inthe factory, just no recognised name on the bag!) which was good but she wasn't really putting on any weight so looked a bit thin. I moved her on to Chudley sensitive which has worked a treat, she looks great and at the start of the season the vet told me off because she had put on too much weight!!
 
Another skinny lab here!

As a pup she also got colitis every 6month, think it was a slow wheat intolerance build up.

She was on chudleys performance which was really good to her, then I started using Cobby Dog kennel mix (made for hunting hounds) She loves it! Use to give her cupfull of cobby dog & chudleys for her grub. Have been on CSJk9 for last few month wiith the cobby dog & to be honest no real difference in her between the 2 feeds.
Plus all the horse hoff trimmings & droppings at work everyday plus about 20 carrots a day self served by her!!
Also I had seaweed & apple cider vinegar into the feed for her too.
 
QR: Have only skimmed the replies.

I usually feed Skinners Maintenance and both dogs look good on it. I have just gone back to Chudleigh's Working Crunch though as it is a couple of pounds cheaper and the dogs seem to prefer it.

For weight gain, a portion of pasta in the morning before working is brilliant. Don't bother with tinned dog food - most of it is 80% water.

I feed my dogs twice a day and in the evening they get the leftovers (but never fatty food) and I always make far too much gravy!!
 
OH's working dogs are fed Skinners working 23, one in particular in hard to keep weight on as she is quite a slim build. She thrives on it, and he gives them the odd tin of tuna in sunflower oil during the season if she seems to be dropping weight.
He wouldn't feed anything but skinners now, any time he changed he always came back to it.
 
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