I give my dog his evening meal no earlier than 5:30 pm but from 4:30 he has started asking for his dinner. This evening he was crying from 5 pm onwards whith increasing intensity. Then no less than an hour later he is back sitting by his bowl asking for more. He gets half his food for breakfast and the rest in the evening. He is a fit, healthy dog from working stock, long and lean and muscular but with enough round his ribs so not to show through his skin unless when fully stretched out. He is two and a bit years old and entire. He has weighed a constant 30kg for the last year. He gets 500g Burns kibble per day yet they recommend 300g -400g for a large dog. He has two walks a day which vary between 45 minutes to an hour, sometimes chasing his ball or running along the path and dipping into the river for a swim. Is he genuinely hungry or simply a greedy lab?
Re: Genuinely hungry or just hoping for more? [quote author=Jes72 link=topic=7236.msg99687#msg99687 date=1407271054] Is he genuinely hungry or simply a greedy lab? [/quote] I think - probably - both. He is a greedy labrador, and he is always hungry. Tell him my boy gets 100g of kibble a day, is active, and slim but not thin... ;D. He'd sell me for 500g a day.
Re: Genuinely hungry or just hoping for more? My Charlie is 3 1/2 years old, 30 kg very tall and slim, Lab x Pointer and he gets 400 g per day and sardines. My girl Hattie is 25 kg and she gets 300 g per day and sardines, she is almost 7 years old and gets upto 2 hours a day walks and still thinks she is a puppy : They can both hear the fridge or cupboard door open at 200 meters so always up for more food if I let them : Your boy sounds typical to me and 500 g seems absolutely ample to me x
Re: Genuinely hungry or just hoping for more? Yes I think you are feeding a suitable amount and there would be no need for him to be hungry. Perhaps he's a bit like my girl who, although she doesn't get fed at the exact same time every day, knows when it's dinner time! She will get fed anywhere between 6-7pm depending on how long a walk we've been on and if we are still at home at 5:30 she will start dancing around because she knows it's nearly dinner time. As soon as I sit down after getting back from a walk she's there begging for her food but I make her wait. She only gets about 250-280g per day though as she's 19kg of nothing!!
Re: Genuinely hungry or just hoping for more? Hi Jes,I know amounts vary brand to brand but I would say you are feeding him plenty...my dog is only a small,,working line lab...he's 24 kgs now at 2 years old.His recommended amount is 280-300 g....normally I feed him 125 x 2 meals but due to the weather being so hot we are doing a lot more activities inside the house...requiring rewards and I'm not always getting the amount of walks in that I like him to have so i reduced down to 100 x 2 and he's gone to 80 x 2 these last few days : ...he must be devasted!,he tortures me for his meals,although I don't have whining,just big sighs and leaning up against the food cupboard,oh and laser like eye contact that burns holes in me as I go about my business : Im not starving him ;D I'm making up the shortfall in training rewards ,to be honest I could really cut his meals in a bowl out completely at the moment but I like to give him a dinner in a bowl , I know it's silly of me,but it doesn't feel right if I don't I reckon your fella is a typical,lab,trying it on....hopefully,the whining habit will extinguish if you stand form and don't give into,him...I wouldn't put any food down to him until he is quiet...even if it's just a few seconds of quiet,grab that window ,otherwise he's thinking he's got you twisted round his little finger ;D....like my dog hasn't!!!! ;D
Re: Genuinely hungry or just hoping for more? Thank you for your replies. It sounds like he is getting more than most although as his weight is constant he is burning it off. I'll tell him at dinner time he is a greedy guts and that he has had his dinner and us a lucky boy. J
Re: Genuinely hungry or just hoping for more? [quote author=Jes72 link=topic=7236.msg99794#msg99794 date=1407313538] Thank you for your replies. It sounds like he is getting more than most although as his weight is constant he is burning it off. I'll tell him at dinner time he is a greedy guts and that he has had his dinner and us a lucky boy. J [/quote] ;D
Re: Genuinely hungry or just hoping for more? My dog can only dream of 500g of anything I'm sure your boy feels hungry but that's Labradors for you. They think they're perpetually in a state of starvation. They could be the size of a Blue Whale and they'd still be negotiating for more. By your description he sounds like he's in great condition
Re: Genuinely hungry or just hoping for more? Big thing is of course not to feed him as a response to his whining or crying, but only when he is quiet and well-behaved. I've noticed it with my dog too - I usually feed her at around 6pm, but when OH is home he feeds her earlier, sometimes as early as 4pm. She has now started bothering me at 3:59!!!! You could think about switching to raw, which generally means that a dog has to work more on his food, and is more satisfied.
Re: Genuinely hungry or just hoping for more? I did find when I fed my dogs on Burns that they became very thin. Perhaps try another make of kibble?
Re: Genuinely hungry or just hoping for more? I agree your boy sounds normal. My girl wakes me up in the morning for breakfast : (well, I'm guessing that is why!) Not sure if you saw my dog bowl photo last week - Burns v Simpsons. Stacia might have a good point. Worth a thought anyway. Does sound like he is a good healthy shape, and clearly nice and fit though!
Re: Genuinely hungry or just hoping for more? [quote author=Stacia link=topic=7236.msg99815#msg99815 date=1407316388] I did find when I fed my dogs on Burns that they became very thin. Perhaps try another make of kibble? [/quote] We found the same thing, Benson got quite thin, we changed his kibble, and now he is fine, doesn't seem so hungry either. We do also give some of his allowance in kongs and part freeze them so he works harder. Some of his diet is now raw
Re: Genuinely hungry or just hoping for more? Looking at the kibble side by side with other brands there does seen to be hardly anything to Burns...like the biscuits are so light and seem like there's nothing to them.
