Thread: What are you feeding your working dogs?

I feed purina dog chow. I used to feed Eekanuba but changed through a bit of a financial crisis. Purina was cheaper but on studying the breakdown it seemed there was little difference. I started feeding and noticed no difference in the dogs health or performance but saved about 50% or more.

My wife manages a service station so they do get supplemented with pies (They have to be thrown out once they have been in warmer for six hours) which they love.

My vet has commented on my dogs being among the best health condition she sees, but did still try to sell me a more expensive food.

Yes it is very interesting looking at different feed and prices .Another thing may one could look at is what kind of stools are coming out with each type of feed ---I know its a horrible thing to comment on but it would be very interesting .

Tux for example I believe my dog produces soft serve .With the food I cook him mixed with pellets by home brands --mmm I can remember but it is a super market branded food which appears to have much the same as everything else in it and my boy does good firm stools

Anybody heard of Possyum?

Stool condition is a good indicator..... especially to what "fill" is in a food... good foods... less stool...

Possum is ok but too lean to be an adequate constant diet.

500gm/day frozen chicken necks per dog (24-28kg) plus 2 biccies night and morning (ie 4 of the TUX 'Working Dog' formula)

Note the supermarket Tux is all fluff - my girls are all looking the best ever - and given that 2 are prone to skin conditions, this was waaaay cheaper than the hypo-allergenic varieties.

My feed bill dropped from $350/month for vet-supplied 'special' feed down to approx $120/month

Totally agree re comments re stools - the wrong biccies just produce . . . er slush/soft-serve

Originally Posted by Ruff

Stool condition is a good indicator..... especially to what "fill" is in a food... good foods... less stool...

Possum is ok but too lean to be an adequate constant diet.

When you say less stool Ruff do mean less pooh comes out ? Im looking for a firm but moist output -if it is just runny I would change the diet --but truthfully I am no pooh technician and will take advice

Originally Posted by el borracho

When you say less stool Ruff do mean less pooh comes out ? Im looking for a firm but moist output -if it is just runny I would change the diet --but truthfully I am no pooh technician and will take advice

Think: cheap nasty foods, loads of big smelly poos. The smaller the poo, the less waste basically. Your dog will be using all the goodies from the food and that means less waste to poop out.

Good to hear your opinion on Possyum, Ruff. I have just discovered it and use it for my high value rewards (cut into 5mm cubes kinda thing). It's a not the full diet for my guy but he would get a fair bit of it each day as well as meals (dry 'working dog' can't remember the brand, I buy a shiteload at a time, as well as Golden Boy "endurance" and raw lamb bones that I think are 'sposed to be for stewing/soups). You reckon it's pretty lean stuff? My dude is pretty light eh. I use bread as a low-value reward and that seems to help keeping some weight on him.

I saw a grey hound guy on TV feeding wholemeal white bread to his dogs with their feed ??? why bread

If you go with the flash food by a small bag for a start and see how they go, several of mine scour on it. Even though it's flash doesn't mean it will work.
They all crap properly on the Tux energy thing, and it's cheap, normally around 100-120 a 40kg and try to add fat when I can get it. Tried that rice one to and I've added that to the flash food list as they all shat sloppy on it.

Originally Posted by el borracho

I saw a grey hound guy on TV feeding wholemeal white bread to his dogs with their feed ??? why bread

Makes 'em fat! Just like people.

Originally Posted by Wirehunt

If you go with the flash food by a small bag for a start and see how they go, several of mine scour on it. Even though it's flash doesn't mean it will work.
They all crap properly on the Tux energy thing, and it's cheap, normally around 100-120 a 40kg and try to add fat when I can get it. Tried that rice one to and I've added that to the flash food list as they all shat sloppy on it.

It's not flash food, it's any major change of diet causes scours. If I am changing dog foods I graduate with their old food over a few days... no worries. I find way too much poo everywhere on TUX which is funny because they are owned by Purina and I feed Dog Chow and it costs less, produces less waste and they seem to do better on it.

Originally Posted by Dougie

Think: cheap nasty foods, loads of big smelly poos. The smaller the poo, the less waste basically. Your dog will be using all the goodies from the food and that means less waste to poop out.

Good to hear your opinion on Possyum, Ruff. I have just discovered it and use it for my high value rewards (cut into 5mm cubes kinda thing). It's a not the full diet for my guy but he would get a fair bit of it each day as well as meals (dry 'working dog' can't remember the brand, I buy a shiteload at a time, as well as Golden Boy "endurance" and raw lamb bones that I think are 'sposed to be for stewing/soups). You reckon it's pretty lean stuff? My dude is pretty light eh. I use bread as a low-value reward and that seems to help keeping some weight on him.

Save yourself a fortune and stop training with food, it's cheaper, you get a better result, and are actually training instead of bribing.

Originally Posted by el borracho

When you say less stool Ruff do mean less pooh comes out ? Im looking for a firm but moist output -if it is just runny I would change the diet --but truthfully I am no pooh technician and will take advice

I've never thought of myself as a poo technician but have been called things which amount to the same I guess.

Amount, mine only crap once a day as a rule. And also , what's the word, quality? Firm shits not full of bran and running everywhere. and not huge either...

I grew up with horses and we could always judge a horses general health cleaning the stalls each day, I find the same works, in general, with dogs.

a horses poo should 'break open like a freshly baked scone or muffin' (per Pony Club Manual) - any takers on describing optimum doggie poo?

Im not a dog geek and my dogs dont work or hunt,they are pets and make me and my family happy
They exercise themselves a fair bit playing with each other the kids etc and get walked not much if im honest but they do get out for a good run most weekends and evenings in the summer.

Back when I was more "mercenary" they pretty much lived on venison bones and I would be hanging out for them to make room in the freezer so i could bowl another. Even then they would still get tux at least every second day.

On venison I would feed them more than they would eat every night and they would not put on weight,hence the tux.

Now days Id rather see/watch deer than carry them(as long as the freezer is ok) so venison/bones is a treat to them and they pile on the weight on biscuits if not careful. Probably partly that the dogs are getting on now too.

But I have noticed ANY change in diet they scour for a few days then come right as they get used to it.
And on bones they eat a lot of grass to keep things moving.

Iv probably been doing it all wrong but my dogs are happy and healthy, me well Im happy (most of the time)