How much food should I be feeding my 6 months old B? I know she needs to be feed twice a day, but unsure how much.
Thanks
I am of the old blood and Jaycee bowl is filled with fresh dog food hard every morning and for all day and the evening. Jaycee will only eat what she wants and stops when she is full and she is house broken and kennel. Kennel broken before house. Seems when we eat dinner Jaycee eats dinner she will get a mouth full and bring it into the livingroom if thats were we are at and eat. This how we have always done our dogs and cats. This is how my grand dad did his dogs and it has always worked. Good Luck
Rita Jean
I think that each dog is different and there is no set rule/amount to feed. You need to look at your B and adjust the food accordingly to if she is thin, too heavy, or just right. Remember that all the foods are different as far as calories, so while with one food you might give a cup, with another you might only give 1/2 a cup…. Your Basenji (adults) should have a nice tuckup from their rib cage through the loins. You should be able to feel the ribs easily but they should not visable when standing still.. when running you should be able to see the outline of the ribs. B's in show weight will usually carry a bit more "meat" on their bones.
I disagree with free feeding as you never know how much they are eating and if you have multi dogs in the same house you really don't know how much they are eating... you also never really know if they start going off their food because of illness. You (anyone, not directed at a single person) will never build good eating habits because they eat when and what they want. More like children, they are not "free fed".... I believe that dogs/animals should eat when fed... give a certain amount of time to eat.. if not, they lose it till the next time. Of course there are times this doesn't work, like nursing bitches, sometimes elders, really ill dogs.....
As far as free feeding I do know how much Jaycee eats her bowl is right by my office desk I know ever time and I can see by the time she goes to bed at night how much is gone. As far as having more than one dog eating free this is were there are taught to eat out of there own bowls just as a child is taught to eat out of there own plate.
This is were I disagree with you Pat to us Jaycee is not a dog/animal she is part of our family we all love her and kiss her on the nose. My shiba, and akita we all love them they are family and they all know there bowl, We have our parrot we all love him not as wild animal this parrot will even tell you back I Love You when you tell him.
Enough said and to each there own. Again good luck in what ever you do about feeding.
Rita Jean
All of my Basenjis are first family members always have been, always will be, just because I show or do performance events with them, that doesn't mean that they are any different then a loved family pet.
To each their own on feeding for sure, just pointing out why I do not believe in free feeding, also why mine are fed in crates….. so that they each can enjoy their meals in peace and I know what they are eating and how much....
All of my Basenjis are first family members always have been, always will be, just because I show or do performance events with them, that doesn't mean that they are any different then a loved family pet.
To each their own on feeding for sure, just pointing out why I do not believe in free feeding, also why mine are fed in crates….. so that they each can enjoy their meals in peace and I know what they are eating and how much....
+1 on this - and yes, to each their own on the feeding. Mine are definitely family members, just because I control their food doesn't mean I love them any less. Another reason I really like controlled feeding for my 3 kids…when Ruby was sick, I was 100% clear on what she was eating and what she wasn't eating so I could figure out (with the help of everyone here :)) just how serious things were. It also makes output a lot more predictable...when sick or healthy. Mine eat in their crates, there are no squabbles over food...and with 3 b's, that is one less cause of major noise:D:D:D...
I agree with both of you….yes, our beloved dogs are in fact family members.
Rita Jean, I also free fed for years until I got Kate. She was what we used to call on the farm "an easy keeper". She gained weight just looking at food (I think Kate and I are soul mates in this:()
I still feed my 2 together, and they regulate naturally, but I cut down the food in the bowl to a measured amount per day. They don't fight, or gulp, or go hungry late in the day. They both look great, (Kate's a little chubby but has been since she was a pup. She continues to lose excess #'s on a slow but steady basis)
Tanza, I also see your pov. If/when it comes to the time that I feel I need to monitor Ty and Kate's diet closer, I'll have no problem separating them for feeding, nor will I have have any resource guarding issues to deal with. At this time I'm blessed enough to be able to monitor my pets and their issues on not only a daily basis, but an hourly basis.
All of my Basenjis are first family members always have been, always will be, just because I show or do performance events with them, that doesn't mean that they are any different then a loved family pet.
To each their own on feeding for sure, just pointing out why I do not believe in free feeding, also why mine are fed in crates….. so that they each can enjoy their meals in peace and I know what they are eating and how much....
My dogs are beloved family members also. I do not crate feed, but each dog has been taught to eat from its own bowl. As with my human children, I do not free feed. There are set meal times for the humans and for the dogs.
My dogs are fed morning and evening, at roughly our breakfast and supper times, and they do get snacks throughout the day…..just like the human kids.
B's in show weight will usually carry a bit more "meat" on their bones.
Can you expand on this? I'm not sure what you mean. Thanks.
Dogs in the show ring are usually shown with more fat than a dog that is at what some refer to as "race weight". The description that Pat gave for what a basenji should look like is a nice lean athletic weight.
Can you expand on this? I'm not sure what you mean. Thanks.
lvoss said it well, usually a show dog, depending on their body conformation will carry a bit more weight/fat/padding that somewhat softens their look as compared to racing weight….
It is a small difference, but with a dog in typical show weight, it might not be as easy to see the outline of the ribs when running or if you were standing over them, they would be a bit "thicker" through the loins....
Are we talking just slightly larger? By no means "chubby" or fat though, right? The pics I have seen of all y'alls dogs they look like they are in great shape, and not large, but then again, I don't have a before show and at show pic.
Are we talking just slightly larger? By no means "chubby" or fat though, right? The pics I have seen of all y'alls dogs they look like they are in great shape, and not large, but then again, I don't have a before show and at show pic.
Not chubby or fat… just more filled out - if you go to my website and look on the lure coursing page, enlarge the picture of the red bitch (Fatia) with the red jacket (in the line of four pictures). Note that if you look at her loins, she is much more tucked up the red bitch (Kristii) at the top of the page in yellow. One is more in show weight (the one at the top) then the other one.
Thanks I will go right now.
Ok I am back. I see what you mean. If you wouldn't had pointed that out, I probably wouldn't have been able to see the difference. Thanks
I've noticed that dogs, including Basenjis, eat more and get chubby if they were abandoned and lived in the streets for a while, especially when they were young pups. One of my Basenjis and one of my rescues have cast iron stomachs, they aren't picky eaters, and they love food! One of my Basenjis doesn't eat a lot and I often hand feed her so I know she is getting enough nutrients.
