[Sammy-Doo's Fam]

Sampson is 68 lbs (up from his formerly skinny size of 63 lbs) and looking very healthy at his current weight.
When we adopted him, his file said he ate 2 cups of dry food in the morning, with wet mixed in.
We put him on Canidae because he used to eat "potluck", or anything the shelter received as a donation.
He was accustomed to Pedigree and that is the only wet food he will eat and we only give him a little bit at nightime, like 1/4-1/3 of a can.
Lately, we have been giving him 3 cups in the morning and at dinner he has an empty bowl. Sometimes its like he can even eat another 2 cups after that!

How do you all feed your Doodles?
I know some put the bowl down for 10 minutes and then take it away. We always just leave the bowl out for Sam.
He doesn't seem to abuse having food around 24-7 and we measure his 3 cups out each morning but it doesn't seem to be enough.
How much Canidae should we be giving him?
Is having his bowl out all the time good to do if it works?
Should we keep giving him the Pedigree wet food?

 

[blueteal]

Denver gets yogurt, chicken and rice in the morning
He gets more chicken/rice/veggies around 4 pm and 2 cups of
Canidae around 6 pm and them another 2 -3 cups around 7:30.
I used to leave the Canidae out for him during the day but he never ate
it until 6 pm so now I do not leave it out.

He eats everything on this schedule............

 

[cracker9ball]

Before I had 2 Jack Russells and I left there food out all the time and it worked well.

With Samantha I am tryin to read more and do what is suggested and so on. What I have seen so far is it is better to put the food down for 10 minuts and pick it up. I guess training your dog to eat when its time. My questions are what if the dog is not hungry right then, Sam has wanted to play more than eat a couple of times and I have tried both, I tried to get her to eat, and I have just picked it up. I think picking it up is fine, she did fine and just scarfed up her next meal. I dont know if this info helps but I hope so, Have a great evening.

 

[cracker9ball]

Sue how are you preparing the chicken?

 

[blueteal]

Sue how are you preparing the chicken?

I boil it with the rice and veggies and make a big batch to last the week.
then I just portion out a ration for each meal.

 

[lmtoth2]

Our doodles get 1.5 cups dry in the am and 1.5 cups dry in the pm. We throw in a few treats/carrots here and there, but that's it If we put down 4 cups in the morning I think they would eat it all.

 

[Sammy-Doo's Fam]

Sam isn't into veggies at all.
Heck, he isn't even into treats...
The vet tried to give him a cookie for being so good today and he wouldn't eat it. He took it from me for a second but then spit it out!

How do you get them into other foods?
What kind/how much yogurt can Sam have?
He does like yogurt, he started licking mine when I was eating it on the couch last week!

 

[annabelles mom]

Annabelle gets about 4-1/2 cups of Iams Healthy Natural in her bowl, when it's gone I fill it up sometimes she eats it all in a day, some days there is a little left over next am.

Someone asked in another post what treats we give AB and I forgot where the post was so posting here

AB also gets treats - Health pro Mint/parsley treats - 1 in am 1 in pm (helps the puppy breath, she rarely has bad breath since I started using them) then we also have Iams treats - green box and Natures choice mini treats in carrot/apple and blueberry flavor. I rotate treats She also gets raw carrots if she asks for them.

She will sit in front of fridge if she wasnts carrots, or in front of treat jars if she wants a treat.

After our dinner she gets 3 chicken/rice balls - 1 from Daddy and 2 from Mommy, coz she's Mama's girl - they are dehydrated and about the size of a gumball, very crunchy and she loves them, very low cal - if we have friends over for dinner, she goes to each person for her chicken nugget - this child is spoiled rotten :shock:

If we have rice for dinner, she always gets a little of that in her bowl, she likes turkey so when we have turkey she gets a few nibbles of that .

Also if Daddy has an eggbeater cheese omlette for breakfast, she gets some of that

 

[MaxandMe]

i feed Canidae 2 times a day to all 3 doodles but also give them either pumpkin or sweet potato and pineapple.

sometimes i boil up chicken and give some with their meal but cut back on the canidae then.

during the day sometimes they get a little of my oatmeal i make along with blueberries or strawberries as a treat.

Like Sue i make it up in a big batch and measure it out at chow time.

i'd give the amounts but i have 3 doodles getting different food amounts
and all 3 doodles usually eat all their food within minutes, though lately peanut takes longer and i keep the other two occupied so she can eat in peace as they'd gladly finish her dinner faster for her!

 

[*sharon*]

I give Rosie a cup of dry Canidae, mixed with 1/4 can Canidae and whatever I feel like giving her mixed in (whole eggs, yogurt, spinach, cheese, cottage cheese, grated carrot, chicken, applesauce, etc.) If I don't add stuff to her food she gets 1 1/2 dry and 1/4 canned. She also gets carrots and Zukes minis for treats. We walk for 2-3 miles in the morning and she scarfs down her breakfast. Then I walk her for 1-2 miles in the evening and she scarfs her dinner. Rosie was 39.5 pounds when we brought her home and 2 weeks later at her vet appoint was 41 pounds. She was used to grazing when we first got her but that didn't fit in with our family so after removing the bowl a couple of times, she very easily made the switch.

 

[ChasP505]

Ozzie still gets a cup of dry food in the morning, another at around 4:00. He also gets some miscellaneous training treats, but no other food. His food is sucked down within 1 minute.

When he matures, he'll be fed just as I always fed my dogs, once a day between 4:00 and 5:00. We haven't decided on an "adult" food yet, so the quantity will depend on the type of food that we settle on and agrees with him.

 

[annabelles mom]

We've always fed our dogs twice a day - once a day is a LONG time for them to go without food, twice a day, they are getting "engery" for their system more evenly

 

[ChasP505]

We've always fed our dogs twice a day - once a day is a LONG time for them to go without food, twice a day, they are getting "engery" for their system more evenly

I once had a dog that went 17 days without food, only water. He lived to be 15. There are a couple of posts running which address the "raw" diet. If you believe that the raw diet emulates what a dog would eat in the wild, once a day, or even skipping a day, would emulate HOW a dog would eat in the wild.

 

[annabelles mom]

We've always fed our dogs twice a day - once a day is a LONG time for them to go without food, twice a day, they are getting "engery" for their system more evenly

Also, my very first dog, many years ago once got a taste of my Italian grandma's marinara sauce ("da Gravy" for you people from da Bronx) and for the rest of his life I had to put some sauce and Parmesan cheese on his food or he refused to eat. He once went 17 days without eating until he finally broke my will and I gave in to him.
_________________
Chas P.

I once had a dog that went 17 days without food, only water. He lived to be 15. There are a couple of posts running which address the "raw" diet. If you believe that the raw diet emulates what a dog would eat in the wild, once a day, or even skipping a day, would emulate HOW a dog would eat in the wild.

I understand that people think RAW is the same as a dog in the wild but I dont have a wild dog, I have a domesticated one. I don't want my dog to be a "wild" dog, she's my Pet, my baby and I cannot imagine putting raw meat and bones in front of her.

Letting a dog go that long without food borders on neglect - just my opinion I cannot imagine denying my Pet food because I wanted her to eat something she didnt want to eat; anymore than i would do that to a child, pets are like children, they trust us to take care of them and if it means changing their food because they don't want it anymore, then change the food is what I would and have done.

For those that believe in and feed their dogs RAW food, that's their choice, personally I strongly disagree with it, too much chance of disease and damage from eating bones, for me I will stick to dog food - to each their own!

 

[annieG]

Just my opinion but I'm with Mary on this...our dogs are not in the wild nor have their ancestors been for a long time. Also, animals in the wild did not live so long, were not as healthy. No one worried if they had fleas, ticks, a luxurious coat, mats, infections. Is that really what we are trying to emulate...the wild? I think to argue that feeding raw is good for them because that is what they used to eat in the wild is weak. Domestic dogs were not in the wild...we domesticated them and thus have changed their systems accordingly. If you feed raw because it is healthier and safer considering the problems this past year with prepared dog food then I feel there is some validity in that argument. There are problems with raw meat and fish too. Finding the cheapest product does not guarantee safety. What about the poor chickens, pigs, cattle that were killed to produce the product at a cheap price. Does anyone ever consider how they are treated?

Some of our ancestors who came to American on the old ships from Europe ate hardtack, salt dried fish, rotten potatoes...what ever they could bring on the ship with them. Does that mean that I should go back to that diet? No, because we are better educated.

 

[ChasP505]

Let me go on record to say I have never even considered feeding my dogs the "raw" or "barf" diet, although I certainly agree with the validity of it. My Dad was raised on a farm and all the farm dogs were fed once daily a modified version of the "barf" diet supplemented with old stale biscuits and cornbread.

I've always fed my dogs high quality commercial dog food and supplements. I got into the routine of feeding my dogs once a day based on the recommendation from the breeder I bought my first Siberian Husky from. Many people say that Siberians are closer to wolves and jackals than most modern domesticated dogs and that's why they do well on a single daily feeding and an occasional fast is good for them. But I also fed my Labs this way and I don't think they suffered any ill effects for it.

BTW... my wonderful lead Husky, who 35 years ago voluntarily went on a hunger strike, was given plenty of fresh food every day. This dog came from a long line of Siberians bred for racing and he had uncommon independence and intelligence... the finest, smartest, toughest and most loving dog I've ever owned. I couldn't help it that my grandmother's pasta sauce was like crack cocaine to him!

And so I intend to at least try Ozzie out on one meal a day. If he has problems with it, I'll make the needed adjustments to schedule and quantity.

Yeah... To each his own!

 

[2kidsNadog]

Cody has evened out around 68 pounds. He's 11 months old.

We feed him a cup of Canidae in the morning and a cup of Canidae mixed with half a can of Merrick at night. He gets treats throughout the day for training or if we leave him for a few hours in his crate.

On doggie daycare days he gets more food since he's more active. On those days he gets 1 1/2 cups of Canidae in the morning and a heaping (i.e. more then 1 1/2 cups) scoop of Canidae mixed with a half can of Merrick. I try to throw in some leftover rice or something 'extra' as well on those nights since those nights he only gets up to eat and then goes back to sleep - so no treats.