[aquariangt]

That’s an interesting report, but it sort of specifically says in fasted dogs? So to me that would say that when there was already some organ shutdown, adding pure green tea extract would cause some undue harm/system shock. I’d be very wary to run around shouting that wellpet is toxic, though if you are uncomfortable, certainly stop feeding it.

[aquariangt]

I believe that you have to call for exact #s on calcium in foods, as they are only required to report a portion?

[aquariangt]

Size of food on the bag is pretty irrelevant. Sm Breed, Med Breed, Large Breed…doesn’t really mean much. Pick a good food and go with it-kibble size can play a factor in the eating style of the dog. To be safe, I’d go over to the canine nutrition forum, and use Hound Dog Mom’s guides to selecting the proper food for a large breed puppy, since you can’t really guarantee size of dog in a cross.

Also-that’s an interesting mix.

[aquariangt]

Dr. Tim’s is a quite nutrient dense food. How much are you feeding and what size are your dogs? Activity level?

[aquariangt]

The Fromm 4 Star Grain Inclusives are clear of potatoes, and the Pork and Pea Grain Free as well.

[aquariangt]

Life’s Abundance: A. It’s not readily available as you can only buy it through a rep, and B. To me at least (maybe they are more forthcoming with the DFA team) they haven’t disclosed manufacturing information

[aquariangt]

I’ve never understood why people pop on with a comment like that, L M. Do I agree on puppy age? Yes. But she has the puppy, so your comment is moot.

Pitlove gave you a ton of great information. Keep the pup on the purina for a week or two to make sure she adjusts well, then start transitioning. Definitely pick 2-3 4-5 star foods, and start her on a rotation diet early. I am a big Fromm guy and almost always use Fromm Puppy Gold as my go to first transition food, it’s easily tolerated, not usually a huge jump from what the breeder had them on protein wise, and is a great company to boot.

Good luck

[aquariangt]

I saw that at Petsmart when i was getting litter last, so it’s out, but i hadn’t seen the website yet.

On another note- Bdog you mentioned trying the pure balance tubs a while ago. Well, i finally was over near walmart so i ran in and got a few. Unfortunately the first one i opened was the salmon, and I didn’t read the tub to see it was pate style. That didn’t go well. Tomorrow I’ll try another

[aquariangt]

There is nothing necessarily breed specific needed here. You do need to feed a large breed appropriate food, and in Canine Nutrition, there is a giant thread with tons of information about it. Read the links in the first 3-4 pages, skip to page 35/36 and get Hound Dog Mom’s most recent document on large breed accepted foods

[aquariangt]

Novel protein would be a protein that is more rare. Something he is unlikely to have been exposed to. An example would be Zignature’s Kangaroo diet. LID means limited ingredient, just the essentials so it helps narrow down where the intolerances are coming from. Allergy tests don’t really tell too much, they give false negatives and false positives. The best way to figure out intolerances is trial and error. Since you know he can handle fish, i’d find a fish LID and keep very close tabs on ingredient panels, keep a list of what things aren’t working. Natural Balance, Nature’s Variety, Zignature, Acana, Fromm all have diets that may work. Buy small bags so you aren’t out all the cash, but it will take some time and money to get it pinned down. I don’t love Natural Balance, but it can help with this type of issue as they have a lot of options in the limited line. I’d use some digestive aids in the process as well- The Honest Kitchen’s Perfect Form is a good one.

I am in agreement that dogs are technically omnivorous, but I also find it more in the scavenging nature of canines, as they do what they need to to survive, but definitely have a carnivorous bias. Dogs need meat. That’s how they thrive. Don’t cut out all options of animal protein until you’ve exhausted them.

[aquariangt]

Your dog has allergies to all animal proteins? That’s almost always a bit far fetched. What foods have you tried? Maybe a novel protein LID diet would do the trick

[aquariangt]

…are you sure you don’t work for them?

[aquariangt]

And freshpet is in editor’s choice

[aquariangt]

C4D-Love and hate that story. Love seeing dogs come out “on the other side” but the ones in that bad of shape to start…painful. Truly painful

[aquariangt]

What about the story you heard including any sort of aggression? You are suggesting something that (still wrongfully) would be used for aggression, but then you also mentioned fear. This was fear reactive, and there is less than zero reason for alpha rolling a fear reactive dog.

Why are you telling Sam to Roll a fear reactive dog? Taking a dog out of a situation is MOST CERTAINLY a solid technique for calming. Read calming signals, react appropriately.

My comparison to shock collars was a comparison of semantics. And shock potentially do less damage than Cesar’s destructive techniques

[aquariangt]

Holy crap.

Putting a dog on its side is alpha rolling. Wording it like that is the equivalent of calling a shock collar a training collar.

NEVER roll a fear reactive dog. It only makes matters worse. 99.9% of the time, Cesars tactics are unnecessary and cause so much undue harm I can’t even begin…

C4D- I AM and I agree with everything you just said

I don’t know what this “disagree with your dog” nonsense you are spouting is about, but take it elsewhere. Dog Learning Theory and Behaviorisms-go research them.

Sam Koch I repeat-NEVER roll a fear reactive dog. Speak with your trainer. Work through it that way, if need be-keep realistic expectations of where Honey is at, and be aware that she may not make it as a service dog, but a wonderful companion she could still be. I am not working with you, so I can’t say one way or the other.

[aquariangt]

February 1st is not enough time to know what this dog is going to react to. I have one who isn’t friendly (not aggressive, but definitely gives back off signals) that are very subtle. Hopefully the service dog trainer has experience with that kind of dog. I do agree with L M. Did you work with the service dog trainer to pick a dog? That helps. Keep very close eyes on her when you are out and about, and watch for some of those dog signals and what is causing them. Please keep in mind-a tail in the air isn’t always good, there is so much more to it than that. Watch her tongue, watch her lips. Everything she does, and take note so you can share with your trainer.

A Class of people, that’s generally low key, even though it’s crowded. A store like petco isn’t. And children have a very different energy for dogs to read

[aquariangt]

Yes, dogs can have bad days that make them behave differently, especially if they aren’t feeling well, it’s hard for them to express themselves as obviously as you would hope

[aquariangt]

Thundershirts do work on some dogs, every dog is different. I don’t feel like you will want to rely on that for a service dog

[aquariangt]

And what about with you-what kind of training and situations have you had her in? How old was she when you got her? Did she give any signals before growling and barking at this little girl?

It takes very, very little to set a dog off. Especially one that you don’t have the background of.

[aquariangt]

Are you working with a service dog trainer? You need to bring this up to them immediately.

What’s the training and (I don’t really like using this word because it’s thrown around so incorrectly but I will) socialization history of Honey?

[aquariangt]

They’re ok. A bit heavy on fillers, and a bit big and not as soft as I like. I used them once, I’d give a half of one when we got home from training to each. Overall, not my favorite but better than most of the junk at box stores. If you want something that size, I like Plato’s EOS better

[aquariangt]

They aren’t on Editor’s Choice, and their inclusion is unlikely, but they are both rated on the review side of the site

[aquariangt]

Oh my, there are HUNDREDS of treats. I change constantly. That’s to help keep them moving and not get bored. Definitely don’t use the same forever, they’ll certainly not respond as well. I also don’t use kibble to train in any sort of group or public setting, it won’t get you the results you want. Watch out for food intolerances though, if there is anything she doesnt get along with in food, it’ll happen with treats. Rotational diet helps toleration of treat changes as well.

Currently in my bag I have:

Stella and Chewy’s carnivore crunch Salmon and cod (wont use again, too crumbly, my biggest pet peeve with treats)
Ziwipeak Venison Jerky
Sojos Simply Turkey

In my chewy shipment coming:
Vital Essentials Tripe Niblets
Weruva Paw Lickin Chicken

Sojos simply is my favorite, I usually have one of the three flavors on me.

[aquariangt]

If you’re shopping at PetSmart, opt for Nature’s Variety, Wellness, Nulo, even Simply Nourish over anything made by Blue. Shady company

[aquariangt]

Both brands are really good. If you head over to the canine nutrition forum, and look at large and giant breed puppy food, Hound Dog Mom has a lot of really good links to LGP nutrition articles. On page 35 or 36 she has a list of 4-5 star foods that fall into the acceptable calcium and nutrition levels for a large breed pup. I believe Orijen didn’t actually fall into the acceptable levels, so I’d lean Wellness CORE. Double check the list though, it’s quite useful. I suggest picking 3-5 foods and rotating, and try to get different protein sources. Start with a bag of whatever the breeder was on though, too much change in that first week can be tough on the pup.

All of this is just from my reading, I haven’t had a large breed puppy in…18 years? A while at least 🙂

[aquariangt]

Poor Ingredient List: Ground Corn to start, Meat and Bone Meal, Ambiguous rice all right up top. Very, very low protein (22%-too low for any dog in my opinion)

[aquariangt]

That food is going to rate pretty low. 1 star? Maybe up to 2? It’s not good. Would avoid

[aquariangt]

As far as the training aspect:

Find a trainer. The dogs need to be worked away from home. Training is secondary most important thing after nutrition in being a dog owner, in my opinion

If that isn’t an option, here a few tips I can give out:

Exercise is important. As much as it’s important, even more important is the bond that comes from walking with you. Treat them for good behavior.

Resource guarding can be tricky, but never do anything physical to your dog because of it. Take away what they are guarding, so the punishment is not getting what they want. Reward for good behavior.

Don’t let her out without you. If she chases kids, she goes back on the leash, or inside the house. However, she needs to be able to run and play, so it depends what the chasing is, and it may be the kids imitating inappropriate play and encouraging it. Don’t leave her with kids alone.

How long has she been biting? Is it aggressive charge biting, or is it nipping? play biting? Different responses for different things.

[aquariangt]

I’d avoid Nutrisca if I were you. Dogswell isn’t the best company to play with, IMO

[aquariangt]

I was just a little shocked by that is all 😛

For the record, if I were to rotisserie a chicken for the dogs the ingredients would be:

Chicken

[aquariangt]

Seriously?!

Here are my ingredients for when I use my rotisserie:

Whole chicken, Salt, Pepper, Garlic, Rosemary

[aquariangt]

If I was to take a wild guess, I believe the Kobe human style is canned by evangers? I think I heard that. I like Weruva as well, but avoid the human style

[aquariangt]

Are you talking about this?

http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/hills-science-diet-dog-food-adult-dry/

[aquariangt]

I’ve never used a weight loss food. If they start getting a bit chunky i reduce the food a bit of what they are eating. I also keep protein to a maximum and carbs to a minimum (for kibble, they always have more carbs than canned and raw) which helps keep them in shape. A quick glance at farm and fleets website, the only brand im comfortable with is Wellness. I didnt see it online, but perhaps in store they have Wellness CORE. I’ve heard of people using Wellness CORE reduced weight or whatever it’s called with success, so maybe try that. Depending on what you are switching from, if its a lower quality food you would be feeding a lot less on any wellness than you would on that, and the better ingredients will assist in natural weight loss

[aquariangt]

The only reason that dogs can’t tolerate change is when they aren’t used to it. If you introduce a rotational diet slowly, their stomach will be able to change food from one to the next. Just like people, if you ate mashed potatoes and boiled chicken for a year, you wouldnt be able to tolerate anything else right off the bat. I introduce a rotational diet as young as possible, so that they can change bags from one to the next seamlessly. Some even rotate each meal. Start slow, after a few bags, you can do it no sweat

[aquariangt]

It’s not cheap, and they do a helluva job marketing. There are no foods i can think of that i’ve seen a commercial for that I would feed

[aquariangt]

Blue Buffalo is a bit of a slippery slope around here.

I’ll lead off by saying that the reviews are written in such a way that it is as unbiased as possible, following the same formula for every food. Ingredient Panel, Guaranteed Analysis which Dr Mike and team convert to dry matter to equally rate all foods. That’s all.

On paper, several Blue Buffalo formulas look quite nice.

All of that being said, it is up to the consumer to do the research from there. The forums and the review comments section are great to find out what you need to know. Blue Buffalo has been found to not be so honest about their ingredients, and the ingredient panel isn’t always what’s in the bag. Many, many dogs have had issues that they shouldnt, and people try to figure out why. They also don’t care to disclose information like who manufactures their food (its almost never themselves)

I avoid them like the plague. Taste of the Wild is manufactured by Diamond, a company of just as ill repute as Blue. The ratings are just the start of what you need to look for, and neither of those brands-while rated highly-will ever go near my dogs.

[aquariangt]

What did you switch from?

[aquariangt]

I would buy a variety of cans to make sure your dogs like them before buying a case to make sure they like the stuff. If your dogs arent used to transitioning i would also go slow, and mix in everything, both toppers and dry, slowly. I can switch kibbles and toppers at will, because my dogs are used to variety, but you sometimes have to work up to that point.

I’d give Whole Earth Farms a call and see if you can be refunded for the unopened cans

[aquariangt]

I have no idea, bumping in hopes someone with experience in that realm will see it

[aquariangt]

I’ve never looked at BB Jerky treats-as I don’t consider them to be a reputable brand at all.

Are they a chew treat or a training treat? For a jerky “chew” I use The Honest Kitchen Beams or a tendon chew-jerky like (Best Bully Sticks has plenty to choose from) for a jerky treat to break up for training, I use Ziwipeak, Real Meat, or Boulder Dog Food company.

Again, if you let us know what you’re using them for, there may be many more options, I use a variety of chews and the treats I’ve used for training seem endless. Remember a few things-hold your treat company to the same standards as food as far as sourcing, ingredient transparency, etc… and keep treats to under 20% of their weekly caloric intake. I do so much training and they get chews a few times a week, that I have to keep close tabs on this, one of mine especially can get chunky real fast

[aquariangt]

Yay it let me log on today!

There is a big difference between treats to use in classes and treats around the house. Kibble can work for certain games around the house. Working for dinner-make it fun! When im teaching group classes though, ESPECIALLY where the dogs are working in close proximity to each other, I need something more hardy to keep their attention. I use a lot of freeze dried meat with my own, the one I do a lot with trains easily and doesn’t need a ton of motivation. The other one with issues I keep it coming, and I keep it varied. My training bag generally has 2-4 types of treats, plus a treat tube of peanut butter. The pouch I wear while im teaching also has 3-4 types of treats in it, I never know what I need to pull out for a certain dog. My agility dog could work for kibble since we only get treats at the end of a run for the most part, but I need other treats when im working certain skills and drills, so I just use the same treats through the whole evening.

[aquariangt]

Since you are a member of Editor’s choice, a good starting point is to pick a few brands from the list here, and start rotating through them. There are other brands I like NOT on editor’s choice, but it’s a good resource with a lot of information

[aquariangt]

Chuck and Dons have plenty of great options, I haven’t lived near a fleet farm so i haven’t been there in about 15 years.

A few that I like from C+D: Fromm, Earthborn, Orijen, Acana-among others. just be careful on Diamond manufacturing at least 3 brands i saw on their website-Taste of the Wild, Canidae, and Solid Gold (not all varieties-i use Barking at the Moon). They have other great options as well, and some raw food

Petsmart: Nulo, Nature’s Variety, Wellness

Walmart: Pure Balance

[aquariangt]

Ugh to Pedigree 🙁

My first recommendation would be to join Editor’s Choice and look at the brands there-they go much deeper into the brands themselves and not just the ingredients and GA as the reviews are.

Next, don’t stick yourself onto one brand. Rotation is great, and important. Find multiple brands you like, and use em all. I personally have 3 brands that are in every rotation (I do about 6 bags of food in one “rotation”) and try to incorporate at least 1 other brand every 6 bags or so. Mix up protein sources, binders, what veggies are in there… and brands.

Where do you shop? Petsmart/Petco? Feed Stores? Smaller Pet supplies places? That helps with recommending something solid for your pup

[aquariangt]

Zignature has a new kangaroo formula

[aquariangt]

Budget friendly is somewhat relative. From a quick glance at the list DogFoodie linked (which I would absolutely pick something from that list, and read a few of the articles linked in that thread as well to familiarize yourself) Ones that I consider fairly budget friendly:

Dr Tims
Fromm Gold
Earthborn
Victor
Zignature

[aquariangt]

Editor’s Choice is an overview of the best of the best, and heavily focused on the company itself. Canidae uses Diamond as a manufacturer, which certainly plays a role in not making it to Editor’s Choice

[aquariangt]

What about canned or raw? Or like Marie said, something dehydrated-all of these tend to have way less carbs.

[Author]

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