we still have "butchers" here in Australia. these are usually local shops, that sell meat. After they have cut up the large sides of beef, they are left with some bones. The bones you are after are the breast bone, which is usually discarded as waste, but is good for dogs. Get them to cut the bone (which is about 1 metre (about 1 yard) long), into the size that is good (mine are cut into chunks about 7.5cm (about 3 inches)) or whatever size you want. The cutting is done on a bandsaw so no effort on their behalf. The advantage is that there is no debris left for the motor mower to fling at your windows, or for insects to settle on. Even at the supermarkets there are some to be had, but find out from the meat section when they get deliveries. You will pay more at the supermarkets, but you should not pay more than necessary.
Feeding Schedule
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My sheltie is fed two times a day, but she actually doesn't eat her first meal.. She looks at it and then walks of. She only wants to eat in the evening.
Tonight I had to dissect a heart of a sheep and I took it for her afterwards. (it was tested) She has eaten half of it and I think she won't mind eating the rest of it tomorrow morning
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EL D lets me know with big time basenji noises if he doesnt' get his morning breakfast (smaller meal) on time and gets aboslutely obnoxious if I don't feed him his evening meal on time.
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Jack throws up too, if he doesn't get to eat! I'm so glad to see that is normal.
Jack will only eat a tiny bit in the morning, maybe 2 or 3 bites, and usually I have to coax him into it with a treat on top. Then he won't eat until I come home from work, and then he scarfs it down, no treats needed. Sometimes he acts like he is hungry later, so I will feed him a second time at night. Sometimes I wonder if that is okay.
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Jack will only eat a tiny bit in the morning, maybe 2 or 3 bites, and usually I have to coax him into it with a treat on top. Then he won't eat until I come home from work, and then he scarfs it down, no treats needed. Sometimes he acts like he is hungry later, so I will feed him a second time at night. Sometimes I wonder if that is okay.
The only reason I might see it could be a problem is the second evening meal might be why he doesn't eat breakfast and why he scarfs down his evening meal.
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@WBL:
The only reason I might see it could be a problem is the second evening meal might be why he doesn't eat breakfast and why he scarfs down his evening meal.
Yeah, I think I'd be inclined to drop that second evening meal.
I feed my dogs twice a day, with cookies once or twice a day. And then at bedtime, when they are crated for the night, they get a few bites of chicken treats. It seems to hold them over well til morning.
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how much are your dogs being fed? on the side of my food bag it says a cup and 1/3? So i have been feeding my dog this once a day in the morning as soon as she gets up along with various treats throughout the day. After reading this im assuming i should switch to twice a day. so then should i split the cup and a 1/3 in half or just feed her that amount twice daily?
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I find the recommendations on the bags – all brands I've ever used of dog or cat foods -- to be WAY high. If I fed my dogs that much, they'd all be sausages! LOL
My Merricks bag recommends 1 1/3 cups daily for dogs this size, but mine only get 1/2 cup a day. Well, Jazz gets exactly 1/4 cup twice a day; Keoki gets a bit more than that, but no more than 3/4 cup a day.
If I fed my golden mix what they recommend, she'd be getting between 3 1/2 - 6 cups of food a day!!! Yikes, she gets 1 cup a day {1/2 cup twice a day} and is in great shape at 14.5 yrs old.
But, if feeding 1 1/3 cup a day works for your dog then I'd continue, and yes, I would split that up to a twice a day feeding.
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I feed both of mine twice a day. I don't go by what's on the label of dog food…I feel their ribs and if they are easy to find and visible when they move, they're good and that's how I judge their weight.
Ruby gets 3/4 cup daily with assorted other treats. Ruby gets a quarter cup of Wellness Core (Ocean) in the morning in her crate...then gets another quarter cup of Core in her Kong (w/peanut butter). At night Ruby gets a quarter cup of Orijen (Fish).
Ruby had gained a little weight on the Orijen, so I had switched her to Core Ocean. She lost too much weight on the Core Ocean and I added the Orijen back in. Her coat is better with the Orijen and I may switch her morning feed to Orijen as her weight is still a little low.
Brando gets 1 1/4 cups daily with assorted other treats. Brando gets 1/2 cup of Orijen (Fish) in the morning in her crate...then gets a 1/4 cup of Core (Ocean) in his kong in his crate with peanut butter. At night he gets a 1/2 cup of Orijen (Fish).
I had switched Brando to full Core a couple months ago when I switched Ruby, but he couldn't keep weight on with it. So now he's back on the Orijen again and his weight is perfect and his coat is like velvet. He's not a big dog (23lbs), but he is super active so he needs high test food.
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Good point Renault = best way to gauge amount is to feel the ribs; they should be easily felt by rubbing your hands along the dog's side, and somewhat visible as the dog moves about.
As far as how often to feed – do the dogs in the wild actually only eat once a day? I doubt it. I imagine how often they eat depends on what they find to kill and how large it is.
I know Jazz tends to throw up bile in the mornings if I feed her once a day.
and it's easier to control weight feeding twice a day, IMO -
I feed about 1/3 in the morning and almost 2/3 when I get home from work and the last little bit about an hour before we go to bed. I found mine almost always needed that last little bit to stop the morning barfs. That's not counting the biscuit treats which are given whenever appropriate (rewards, bribes, JFF).
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I feed my dogs twice a day. My male dog is very lean and requires one cup of Blue Buffalo Wilderness topped with a couple of tablespoons of Merrick wet and one tsp of yogurt with live cultures twice daily to hold his weight. My female gets 1/3 to 1/2 cup of Blue Buffalo Wilderness and a tsp of yogurt twice daily. My girl has a much lower metabolic rate than my boy.
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Wat is a suitable brand of puppy food? And do you feed dry puppy food mixed with wet puppy food? Also when house training your B's at wat time during the day is their last meal?
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I only fee 1X day immediately after work. That was a great help with housebreaking. I know some are uncomfortable with it but it worked for me and still does.
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Kananga gets about 3/4cup of kibble in the morning around 8am, 3/4cup around 5pm, and then 1/4-1/2cup before bedtime around 10pm.
Keeps his stomach happy and I've had no issues with only taking him out 3x day (once before breakfast, once before dinner, and once before his bedtime snack).
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What is Arlene weaning the puppies onto? Orijen has a good grain-free puppy kibble.
I feed mine twice a day. The best schedule I have found for housetraining is to get them up and out to potty first thing then they play while I get breakfast together, they get their breakfast and then are out again after 20 minutes, usually for a short walk. The pup is then crated or ex-penned while we are at work. One of us comes home for lunch and the pup is pottied and played with so they are ready for an afternoon nap. When I get home they go out again and then play with the "big dogs". Everyone gets dinner between about 5-6pm then they are out for their evening walk about 20-30 minutes later. Then I make sure the pups get a good play session before bed and out to potty right before. Usually it takes a few weeks before they can hold it all night so plan on pee break in the middle of the night, just pick them up and out to potty then back to bed so they know it is for business and not play.
