I was wondering whether anyone could advise us, we have a 6 month old Labrador, at present he is fed on Bakers Puppy complete food, after discussing with a pet shop advisor/assistant he advised us to try an alternative brand to help with behaviour and hyperactivity, we have started introducing him to Green Dog - holistic dog food. He eats this quite happily, I would just like to know what food would be the best to give him? Also, I'm uncertain as to whether he may be lacking something in his diet as he has a disgusting habit of eating his own poo, plus any other poo he finds on a walk! How can we stop this? We have tried the distraction technique but this does not seem to work. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
My pup spent a couple weeks very interested in his poo too. We live where we've snow on the ground from Dec - Apr and its very cold (tho this winter has been a bit warmer). He first had interest when it froze before I had a chance to pick it up and dispose it. He played with like a toy. Probably better than a stick so why not? But when we had a warm up and his poops didn't freeze he started doing a bit of eating. Lovely. A friend suggested a square of pineapple with his meal. Seems when it comes out post digestive it has an odor not so pleasing to the animal. Has it work? He doesn't eat his poo any more but maybe he just out grew it like a lot of others things he once did but could be worth a try.
Hi there, and welcome to the forum. I'm sure people will be along to recommend their favorite brands soon. In the meantime here is an article on poop eating http://www.thelabradorsite.com/why-dogs-eat-poop-and-what-you-can-do-about-it/ and here is one on feeding http://www.thelabradorsite.com/how-to-feed-a-labrador/ I hope you find them helpful
Juno rather enjoyed eating poop, but luckily never been interested in her own only what we have encountered in walks so dog, cow and horse have been greatly enjoyed. I have used the "magic word" although pick your word with care as you can feel a bit of an idiot calling it out in the park at the top of your voice . After a period of restricted exercise I discovered that the "word" wasn't working so well so went back to our well trained "Leave" supported with "Drop" or "Swap". It takes time but it is something they seem to grow out of. Juno will go and smell poop but doesn't touch it and normally doesn't even get that close to it. Food recommendations are areal minefield and different people have different views. As a puppy Juno was on Husse Valp which I found really good and economical. After her spay I switched her to Royal Canin Large Breed Junior Neutered on my vet's recommendation. After her surgery for ED she was again switched on the surgeon and vet's recommendation to Hill's Prescription Diet J/D Reduced Calorie. If feeding kibble I'm not convinced there is significant difference between them, particularly when you consider how many versions of kibble some manufacturers produce. My advice generally is to feed the best that you can afford that suits your dog. I also have to confess that I really don't understand what is meant by "holistic" when referring to a dog food, perhaps someone else can explain for me.
I can only recommend the brand we use because we've never used any other - we are on CSJ. It seems to be very, very good (high quality ingredients, all natural, no additives, etc). They say they keep their costs down by not advertising - certainly I've never seen it advertised anywhere, it only seems to be known about by word-of-mouth and people who use it all seem to be enthusiasts. Pongo's breeder had him on the puppy version and that is how we came across it. We pay £15 for a 15kg bag, which lasts about a month. They also do a range of dog treats at good prices, all natural. Pongo will tell you all about them if you ask him. (I have heard that Bakers is particularly frowned upon because of the artificial colours and additives in it...is that what your vet was talking about?)
I feed Natures Menu BARF diet. My girl is allergic to wheat and we wanted a food without lots of artificial colours etc. Since we changed her to this last year she has done so much better. Everyone will have their preferences as to food. Good quality food is a bit more expensive, but worth it. There is a website called all about dog food, where you can get recommendations on different brands and which ones are good / should be avoided. Bakers to me is the equivalent of feeding your kids macdonalds every day.
We feed Skinners Salmon & Rice which we buy from Amazon on repeat order, free delivery so I never have to remember to order it and it just turns up! Hattie & Charlie have gorgeous coats and have lots of stamina x
I switched to Edens about a month ago and Dexter is loving it. No more smelly flatulance No cereal in it, 80% meat 20% veg and herbs. I have it delivered to my door via the company so no more carrying heavy bag of kibble.
I feed Ripple Millie's Wolfheart (Obedience) but unfortunately he is a poo eater - not his own - but anything else he can get his mouth on. I've been training leave it but not very successfully so I am going to have a go at the 'magic word'.
When we switched Snowie to raw meat and bones, it took him 45 minutes to work through a meaty bone and then he needed a good sleep afterwards! That might help you temporarily with the dealing with an energetic dog. However, you will gather from this forum, that a lot relies on training...
Yes! We buy 2 bags at a time; they are £11.50 each plus about £7 for delivery. CSJ wouldn't be any good for wheat-allergic dogs (it does have wheat in it) but if you are looking for a good, natural-ingredients, high quality food made by people who seem to know what they are doing, it seems a really good option to me. But, as I say, I've never used anything else so can't really compare....
Oh yes, I can recommend this. When we really need Pongo to be quiet for a few hours (eg if we have a big project on and need to both get our heads down in work for while), we just give him a big, raw, juicy bone - even better if it is frozen. He will work on it for an hour or so, then he lets us take it away from him and put it back in the fridge for next time while he goes to sleep for ages - utterly exhausted with the joy and delight of it all.....
The downside of this for us is that Lilly will always, always want to take meaty bones and larger items (eg rawhide stuff) outside to eat, which is a little bit limiting if the weather is rubbish. Mind you, we just do it for a treat, she doesn't need distracted like this for the peace and quiet nowadays.
