Interesting article with hunting dog food brands. Never heard of some of these brands might have to do some research.
http://dogfood.guru/what-is-the-best...-hunting-dogs/
Bc23
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Interesting article with hunting dog food brands. Never heard of some of these brands might have to do some research.
http://dogfood.guru/what-is-the-best...-hunting-dogs/
Bc23
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Dog food threads never end well. Stick with whats best for your dog through some trial and error. I rarely believe any of these dog food articles based on my own proven experience on the trail or in the field.
Oh I know. I am Acana- believer! My dog is in top shape with a great coat. Just maybe a an interesting read for others.
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The biggest thing for most hard hunting dogs is to find a high protein high fat food (generally around 30/20 ratio). 30/20 is pretty hot for my guy - great in hunting season and when training hard but in the off season when he's not doing much it makes him a bit squirrely. I've often thought it'd be neat to see him on Dr Tim's. I have heard it is quite high powered and hot for a lot of dogs. My guy would probably be like a crack addict on it.
Cant go wrong with Ol Roy.
I was a distributor for Dr. Tim's when it was being made in Ontario at the Royal Canine plant. No words to describe how good it was.
My two cents,
EVERY dog is different . Our Lab has been on every premium food that's available around here.
Energy output vs portion control seems to be key. We now feed puriana with dinner scraps ( I know the horror )
During hunting season he's feed puriana preformance and dinner scraps .
This combo just works (for him) coats great and he maintains a great athletic build through out the year, and I'm picky .
R
thought our dogs were doing fine on iams til ears fungis and feet were brown, switched to performatrin but diarrhea and bad gas switched to purina pro plan and all is good and coats are smooth and shinny looking much better!!
Your correct high protein but more important high fat. Acana (Canadian made ,not china thank god)carries sport and agility 35% protein & 22% fat. All of acana's foods are top rated and canadian made!Quote:
Originally Posted by Cass
Regarding off season, its recommended to continue with the high fat diet throughout the year (or at the very least a high fat diet a few months prior to hunting season) but limit intake via activity.
Dog sledders feed their dogs 50 & 60% fat content in there diets.
Fat = endurance.
I thought your spaniel was "squirrely" all the time? :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Cass
LOL yes Sharon he is. Bit too high octane for me. Great during hunting season... just a bit frustrating for the other 8-9 months of the year lmao
I think that as Rustic mentioned, not all dogs respond the same to a given diet however for the most part a decent food source should serve most dogs.
It also depends on the demands you put on your dog. If you don't have the measures and comparables in place, you won't know how well the food serves your dog OR how much better the dog could perform with a higher quality product. If this doesn't play into your demands, go with price point.
Where dry dog food is concerned, I also believe that the content percentages on the bags have marginally more value than the pictures. There is protein and there is utile protein. That's why I feed for a month or so, then do my measures.
Demands change. Seasons change. Recipes change. Parent companies change. Dogs (metabolism/age/appetite) change. Consistency within a product can vary. Some dogs tire of an otherwise good food and get finicky where-by simply changing to another product can inspire them again. Some dogs inhale their food without even chewing while others are VERY picky.
It can be interesting to find one dog food for all of the above.
This is the vital point when it comes to food, as far as I'm concerned. A food can have quality ingredients but not be easily digestible. All our fuss about food is meaningless if it isn't focused first on the results.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ugo
Some breeds or bloodlines will have breeding dogs throwing pups with the same metabolism as the parents. I have experienced this with my breeding and working dogs. Lean and high energy dogs typically consume more calories to perform at a higher level. But some breeds like the Spitz family of working breeds are known to consume less food and perform for longer periods of time. That would be genetic and thousands of years in the making. Look at the breeding parents and ask the questions to the breeder with regards to the amount of food for a pup, yearling , mature adult and working dog amounts. I could pretty much pinpoint the amount of food needed (calories)to pass along to my puppy purchasers through these growth stages. It is also key to fully understand a proven dog food kibble that works with your breed of choice and be able to prove it by trial and error. Not all dog foods are equal no matter how much they cost ! The best dog foods are proven under extreme conditions ! Everyone has a version of what is considered extreme.
Dr. Tim'sQuote:
Originally Posted by Ugo
Red Paw
Caribou creek
National Dog food back in the day
Annamaet
All these top end proven recipes have a life stage formulas and invest millions into research under the most Extreme Conditions . Some of these dog food companies owners partake in these extreme dog sports and sponsor other teams to prove the quality of their product. Other top end dog food companies have tried with disastrous results.
I know I'm old , but personally I think we make way too much about dog food.
When my Dad and I were breeding /training/hunting beagles in the 50/s 60s, we hit a time when we were very poor, and couldn't afford Purina.
Could hardly feed 6 kids let alone dogs.
My dad would pick up the left over food from food trucks on Fridays ; we ate it , and the dogs ate it.
- meat pies, buns, salads, fruit. wieners etc.
Dogs looked great and had all the energy needed.
Kids did fine - although to this day I can't eat a meat pie. :)