Adult Dog Feeding Guide

If you are planning on adding an adult dog to your home
you need to get an idea of the adult dog feeding guidelines
that you will need to follow. Our canine friends come in
many shapes and sizes. The levels of activity can vary
greatly among pets and is an important consideration
in determining energy needs. Sufficient nutrients are
necessary to meet energy needs and to facilitate the
repair and maintenance of body tissue.
There are a number of methods you can use to feed your
dog dependent on your particular schedule and needs.
One method is to provide two meals in a day preferably
served in the morning and evening. This method employs
giving equal portions for both meals and helps to monitor
an animals caloric intake and thus maintain a desired weight.
Another method is designed to make food available
through out the day. This method benefits owners who may
be away for long periods during the course of a day. This
method runs the risk of your dog consuming excess calories
which leads to weight gain. Dry food is best used for this method as dry food is less likely to spoil when left out all day long.

Another method for feeding your dog involves
feeding your dog for a specified time period say thirty minutes
and then removing the food. Again this can be used if your
dog has a weight problem and you want to control how many
calories she is consuming. For practical purposes it is advised
that you feed your dog twice daily.

Activity level is an important consideration in determining
how much food your dog will need. If your dog is a normal
house dog he should receive a maintenance level of energy.
If you have a less active dog you should reduce by 10 percent
the maintenance level of energy. If you have an extremely
active outdoor dog you should increase the maintenance
level of energy provided by 20 to 40 percent.
Get the advise of your veterinarian for the best type of food products
and feeding schedule for your particular dog. Additionally an animal
that is ill or recovering from surgery will have differing dietary needs.
Consult your veterinarian for proper guidelines in this instance.

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Chesapeake Bay Retriever information

Overview:

The Chesapeake Bay Retriever is originally from the United States, and often referred to as the "Cheese". These dogs are enthusiastic hunters of fowls on both land and water. The Chesapeake Bay Retriever was the first retriever to be documented by the American Kennel Club. Even though they are not as well known today as the Golden or Labrador Retrievers, the Chesapeake Bay Retrievers are wonderful family and field companion dogs.

Description: 

The Chesapeake Bay Retriever is a muscular dog with a lot of power. The head is broad. We see the muzzle is the same length as the skull. This breed has small ears that are high set and hang loosely. They have wide set eyes which are amber and yellowish colour. Their teeth meet in a scissor or level bite. Their height is between 21 and 26 inches, dependant on sex of your dog. Their weight is in the range to 65 to 80 pounds, for the male dog, with bitches, 55 to 70 pounds. The body is muscular and is in keeping with a working dog. The tail is medium in length and is rather thick at the base.

This breed has webbed toes, which helps them when swimming. Their coat is short, with a slight wave to the fur, the coat is oily, which enables the dog to dry off quicker and swim in colder waters than other breeds. Coat colours include light tan, red, brown and sedge, occasionally, we see small white spots upon the breast, toes and back of the feet and also on their tummy. They live for about 12 years. This breed does have an odour.

History: 

of the Chesapeake Bay Retriever: An English ship was wrecked on the coast of Maryland, in the winter of 1807. Everybody was successfully rescued including two dogs that were given to a family of dog lovers; these were Newfoundland dogs, and the start of this breeds of dog. The Newfoundland dogs were mated with the flat coated retrievers, curly coated retrievers and the English otter hounds.

We see in this breed, the outstanding abilities of the retriever, the enthusiasm from the Newfoundland, combined with all these breeds love of water and the webbed feet from the Newfoundland. The Chesapeake Bay Retriever has received some wonderful skills from their ancestors. Some of the talents we see are retrieving, hunting, guarding and more recently, competitive obedience, field sports and schutzhund.

Temperament: 

The Chesapeake Bay Retriever breed is highly trainable, willing and able to please. Training can be slow sometimes on learning new training commands. Here we have a dog that is great with children, and is a very friendly dog. This breed has a lifelong passion for water.

Care:

These dogs should be brushed about once during the week to remove the dead hair. It is vital for these dogs not to be groomed too much as this will harm the coat. The Chesapeake Bay Retriever should only be bathed when it is really necessary in order to protect the integrity the coat. The Chesapeake Bay Retriever is an average shedding dog.

Training:

The Chesapeake Bay Retriever is very clever dog an intelligent dog that is very precise and devoted to their family when socialized and trained correctly. The Chesapeake Bay Retriever is not quite as fast to learn as some of the other breeds, and will require a tolerant trainer that will offer plenty of repetition. This breed should only be taught by one person until they have learned the command, otherwise they might become confused.

Health problems:

Overall, the Chesapeake Bay Retriever is a rather healthy breed. They are however prone to bloat, and it is therefore advised that they rather have a number of small meals rather than one large meal. These dogs should also not exercise directly after eating. Hip dysplasia is a minor concern with these dogs, and progressive retinal atrophy and entropion are eye conditions that are also seen with the Chesapeake Bay Retriever.

Labrador Retriever Information

In 1903, the English Kennel Club recognized the Labrador Retriever breed, then later in 1917 by the American Kennel Club (AKC). Today, it is listed as the number one registered dog breed with the AKC and is popular with dog lovers all around.

Labrador Retrievers are a type of gun dog that are naturally friendly, loyal, playful, and trainable. Because of this, it is no wonder that in 1991, it was voted as the most popular dog breed. Even children are drawn to Labradors.

This very active dog is highly trainable and it enjoys learning anything that would please its owner or audience. Other than retrieving, this dog enjoys, playing frisbee, running, swimming, and just about anything that entails play.

Labrador Retrievers can be very gentle too and if they want to, they can carry an egg in their mouth without breaking it.

With their natural curiosity and trainable characteristic, Labradors are often employed in police work for detection and retrieval assistance.

Dog Care

Since the Labrador Retriever is an active dog, dog owners are advised to allow play time on a daily basis. This breed needs to be able to swim, run or just be outside and play. Engage your dog in games that will stimulate him physically and mentally.

Although Labradors can withstand all types of weather, it still would prefer to be indoors where the temperature is constant and is in the company of family. So keep your Labrador safe inside the home where it could be comfortable.

Upkeep must be fairly active on a daily basis. Labrador retrievers must have daily exercise in the form of running and swimming. Retrieving, however, is at the top of the list of fun games that Labs really enjoy, especially through water such as the beach or even a large outdoor swimming pool.

Health

In general, the Labrador Retriever can live anywhere from ten to twelve years if cared for properly. Annual checkup is advised since this breed has major health problems like OCD or obsessive compulsive disorder, CHD or coronary heart disease, elbow dysplasia, obesity, and patellar luxation. Dog owners should be on the lookout of other health concerns such as diabetes, distichiasis, muscular dystrophy, tricuspid valve dysplasia, and even collapse due to over-activity.

Dog owners are advised to give the Labrador Retriever a diet best for its size and activities so that it can reach its full potential and keep it healthy and strong.

How To Feed A Puppy

It is Important to look after our dogs to the best of our ability, and feeding a puppy correctly is important to give it the very best start in life. For optimal growth and health, a balanced diet is necessary. This means the diet includes the right amounts of protein, carbohydrates, fat, vitamins, and minerals, in the right proportions.

Puppies need to take in proportionally more calories per pound of body weight than adult dogs do, because they need more energy to grow. Commercial puppy foods take this into account. It is very calorie dense, which means that it includes more calories per bowl, compared to adult dog food.

Since puppies have little stomachs, they should be fed small meals regularly. This means three small meals a day up to twelve weeks of age, then reducing frequency to two meals a day. You can keep feeding your dog two meals a day throughout adulthood, or further reduce to one meal when he's around 12 months old and close to fully grown.

You should feed your puppy according to the guidelines on the food packet. Overfeeding puppies can make them overweight. This can predispose to orthopedic problems such as hip dysplasia, and may lead to obesity later in life. It is undoubtedly easier to prevent your dog from getting overweight in the first place than it is to get rid of the excess weight later in life.

It is a good idea to base your puppy's diet on quality commercial dog food, and then add extra things such as rice, pasta and raw bones. Remember to never feed your dog cooked bones, as these are dangerous and may splinter, damaging the gastrointestinal tract. When choosing a dog food, take a close look at the ingredient list. The top two or three ingredients on the list should be meat or meat protein. Dog foods which may be less expensive are higher in cereal, and therefore not as good for your pet.

Home cooked diets are possible, but it can be very hard to maintain nutritional balance. One of the best examples is calcium. A predominantly meat based diet can contain too little calcium, leading to poor bone density and increased risk of fractures. Conversely, adding too much calcium supplement to a diet can also lead to developmental orthopedic disease. It is very important to get the balance just right.

It is also important to choose a commercial dog food which is appropriate for the breed. For example, giant breed puppy food allows for slow steady growth. This helps to avoid orthopedic problems in your dog such as osteochondrosis dissecans which is often associated with rapid growth in large breeds of dog.

As puppies get older, their growth rate slows, and they can be switched to adult food when they're close to maturity. This is usually around twelve months for most breeds, and eighteen months for giant breeds.
It is very important to choose the right dog food for your puppy, as the effects of poor nutrition can last a lifetime. Make sure that the food is both of high quality, nutritionally balanced and appropriate for the breed.

dog food feeding tips

Maintain a regular feeding schedule, twice a day or three times a day depending on your schedule and your animal.  Due to the fact that puppies have smaller stomachs, they will need to eat at least three times a day.  By the fifth month your puppy can be fed twice a day.  Don’t let your pet eat when he/she feel like it.

Measure out the food that your pet should eat in one sitting.  Dog foods packaging will have a serving suggestion based on the weight of your dog.  But also consider the energy of your pet.  The best rule of feeding is first start with the amount of food he/she eats within a 15-minute period, which will be what he/she needs per feeding time.  Adjust the amount of food being fed based on the weight gain or loss of your pet.  Soon you will have just the right amount of food.

Each dog should have his or her own dog food dish.  Supervise that one of the dogs is not taking the other dogs’ food.  Using this method will allow you to notice if one of them has lost their appetite indicating a health problem.

Feed your pet in various places--inside, outside, in the kitchen, or anywhere that works for you.  This will come in handy when you have to travel with your dog or if he/she has to be placed in a kennel that will have its own way of feeding them.

Don’t change dog food brands and types on a regular basis.  Change of food can cause upset stomach and possibly diarrhea.  A good quality dog food will provide everything your pet will need in nutrition.

If you do have to change dog food, change it gradually.  Start making the transition by mixing a little bit of the new dog food with your dog's current dog food.  Over days increase the new food and start phasing out the old food.

Wash the dog food bowls and water dish regularly.

Don’t leave food and water outside while your pet is inside overnight.  Unwanted critters can come along to freely eat out of your dog’s food and water bowl putting your pet at risk of catching disease or illnesses.

Store the dog food in a container that you can close to protect it from getting stale.  The older the food gets the more nutrients it will lose.  Don’t purchase more than a months worth of dog food that your pet can eat.

Expecting mothers will need more protein and calcium added to their deit .  Change her food over to puppy type dog food and mix it with cottage cheese.