Wednesday 5 June 2013
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Friday 31 May 2013
On Food... (Boring, but Important)
An interesting article posted by the Barking Lot on Facebook got me thinking more about the subject of feeding Newfoundland puppies. Ultimately, it is your choice what to feed your new pup, but here is the information we have gleaned over the past few months (and links to the sources).
Devon Nutbeem of Homeport Kennels (Newfoundland breeder in Fredericton) recommends feeding a low-protein puppy food. She says that it is also important to minimize the amount of time your Newf spends jumping around on their hind legs, to only exercise a reasonable amount, to avoid stairs as much as possible, and to keep your puppy at a healthy weight. She notes that a Newfoundland's skeleton grows much more quickly than its muscles, giving it a gangly look for the first two years or so. Devon has spent many years showing and breeding Newfoundland dogs. You can read more about Devon's Newf puppy instructions here.
Vicki Leggo of Alegup Kennels (Newfoundland breeder in PEI) recommends not feeding any puppy foods (large breed or otherwise) after the puppy comes home with you (around 9-10 weeks). Instead, she recommends Innova Adult Large Breed, Eukanuba Large Breed Dog Food, or Chicken Soup for the Dog-Lover's Soul Large Breed. She recommends that any wet food not exceed more than 20% of the total volume of food. She recommends Glucosamine & MSM supplements as per her instructions, as well as chew toys (rawhide is not recommended). Vicki's dogs are beautiful and she has over a decade of breeding & showing experience. You can read more about her puppy instructions here.
This article, posted by the Barking Lot (a great locally-owned pet store in Fredericton) recommends feeding a large-breed puppy food (which tend to have less protein, calories, and calcium) or a food that is "approved for all life stages". They do not recommend regular puppy food (too many calories will cause the pup to grow too fast) or many adult foods (some still have too much calcium) and say that the adult dog's size is determined by genetics while the time it takes to reach that size is determined by nutrition. It is best for them not to grow too fast, as their bones outpace their cartilage, which can cause orthopedic problems. They also recommend against free-feeding.
We are currently feeding Taste of the Wild High Prairie Puppy Formula with Roasted Venison & Bison. It has a minimum analysis of 28% crude protein, which is actually slightly lower than Acana Large Breed. Crude fat is 17% (slightly higher than Acana), and calcium is 1.4% (slightly lower than Acana). The two foods share many of the same ingredients, and the Taste of the Wild has fewer calories per cup. Taste of the Wild is a grain-free premium dog food that retails for about $70 for a 13 kg bag. We feed them three meals daily (2 of them moistened with a little warm water) and make a small amount of dry food available during the day. The 9 pups are fed about 8 cups total at each meal. We leave the food down for 20 min, then remove it. Depending on when they were last fed, there can be about 1 cup of food left over, meaning approximately 3/4 cup per meal per puppy, or 2 1/4 cup daily (plus some extras). This is within (but on the low end) of the feeding guidelines written on the bag.
It is better to feed smaller meals more often than one or two larger meals. Slow-feed bowls are helpful, and you shouldn't exercise your pup an hour before or after a meal to reduce the chance of bloat. I would recommend feeding them first thing in the morning, when you come home from work, and just before bed. A toy that dispenses kibble as the puppy plays with it is a great way for it to alleviate boredom and get some nutrition while you are away at work.
Sam & Kia are fed Acana (various kinds). They eat 3-4 cups daily.
That's all for now! Hope you didn't fall asleep reading this.
Devon Nutbeem of Homeport Kennels (Newfoundland breeder in Fredericton) recommends feeding a low-protein puppy food. She says that it is also important to minimize the amount of time your Newf spends jumping around on their hind legs, to only exercise a reasonable amount, to avoid stairs as much as possible, and to keep your puppy at a healthy weight. She notes that a Newfoundland's skeleton grows much more quickly than its muscles, giving it a gangly look for the first two years or so. Devon has spent many years showing and breeding Newfoundland dogs. You can read more about Devon's Newf puppy instructions here.
Vicki Leggo of Alegup Kennels (Newfoundland breeder in PEI) recommends not feeding any puppy foods (large breed or otherwise) after the puppy comes home with you (around 9-10 weeks). Instead, she recommends Innova Adult Large Breed, Eukanuba Large Breed Dog Food, or Chicken Soup for the Dog-Lover's Soul Large Breed. She recommends that any wet food not exceed more than 20% of the total volume of food. She recommends Glucosamine & MSM supplements as per her instructions, as well as chew toys (rawhide is not recommended). Vicki's dogs are beautiful and she has over a decade of breeding & showing experience. You can read more about her puppy instructions here.
This article, posted by the Barking Lot (a great locally-owned pet store in Fredericton) recommends feeding a large-breed puppy food (which tend to have less protein, calories, and calcium) or a food that is "approved for all life stages". They do not recommend regular puppy food (too many calories will cause the pup to grow too fast) or many adult foods (some still have too much calcium) and say that the adult dog's size is determined by genetics while the time it takes to reach that size is determined by nutrition. It is best for them not to grow too fast, as their bones outpace their cartilage, which can cause orthopedic problems. They also recommend against free-feeding.
We are currently feeding Taste of the Wild High Prairie Puppy Formula with Roasted Venison & Bison. It has a minimum analysis of 28% crude protein, which is actually slightly lower than Acana Large Breed. Crude fat is 17% (slightly higher than Acana), and calcium is 1.4% (slightly lower than Acana). The two foods share many of the same ingredients, and the Taste of the Wild has fewer calories per cup. Taste of the Wild is a grain-free premium dog food that retails for about $70 for a 13 kg bag. We feed them three meals daily (2 of them moistened with a little warm water) and make a small amount of dry food available during the day. The 9 pups are fed about 8 cups total at each meal. We leave the food down for 20 min, then remove it. Depending on when they were last fed, there can be about 1 cup of food left over, meaning approximately 3/4 cup per meal per puppy, or 2 1/4 cup daily (plus some extras). This is within (but on the low end) of the feeding guidelines written on the bag.
It is better to feed smaller meals more often than one or two larger meals. Slow-feed bowls are helpful, and you shouldn't exercise your pup an hour before or after a meal to reduce the chance of bloat. I would recommend feeding them first thing in the morning, when you come home from work, and just before bed. A toy that dispenses kibble as the puppy plays with it is a great way for it to alleviate boredom and get some nutrition while you are away at work.
Sam & Kia are fed Acana (various kinds). They eat 3-4 cups daily.
That's all for now! Hope you didn't fall asleep reading this.
Wednesday 29 May 2013
Day 51 Videos & Inside Pics
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| A great pic of Thorin with his new toy ... taken by his family when they visited him this evening. |
Group Walks - this was a great opportunity for the puppies to get used to walking on-leash while feeding the off the confidence and excitement of their peers. Of course, video widget is down today, so here are the links. They aren't in any particular order ... but enjoy!
The only puppy you might not see here is Vader, as he was walked last with some other puppies who still had energy to go again while I cleaned their room because it looked like it was going to rain.
http://youtu.be/U0n0H2sLpAM - Group #1
http://youtu.be/NcHUT41eA2U - Group #2
http://youtu.be/VU1d_y7JqP0 - Group #2
http://youtu.be/AQfP5QBzNHU - Sport Come
http://youtu.be/9QRFO4Dv2nQ - Sport Outside
http://youtu.be/uDEaUmSxYog - Murphy Comes (After a While)
http://youtu.be/j4Gel5hTTT8 - Murphy Comes
http://youtu.be/gORGPJht8cY - Group #2
http://youtu.be/UvGJnE6S0Xo - Group #1
http://youtu.be/LAPuG0wFFa4 - Group #2
http://youtu.be/O98CEp7mZuo - Group #2
http://youtu.be/oYed6y7Qk6w - Playing tug-of-war inside over their blue squeaky toy.
A big thank you to all of the people who were over today and helped so much! We couldn't do it without you.
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| Bella ... inside after a long day! |
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| Lucy adores her belly rubs, |
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| Good girl, Murphy! |
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| Reuben investigating the cat tunnel. |
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| Sleepers. |
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| Sport chewing on his squeaky toy. |
Day 50 & 51: Pics & Weights
It has been a busy day today for the puppies! In the last 36 hours, everybody got some one-on-one time, including walks in the back & front yard (where they could hear cars & lawnmowers), and on the gravel walkway & paved driveway (different textures). Then this afternoon, everybody got a bath, a few hours in the ex-pen, and some group walks - which were lively & chaotic but fun!
Potty training is also going well ... almost 100% success rate for #2's on the pine shavings, #1's are slightly less reliable. They have no problem going outside when given the opportunity.
8 of the 9 puppies are sold (pending weekend deposits on the last 2), and we may also have a buyer for Padme - application process & Friday's vet results pending.
The puppies were also weighed today, which is an increasingly difficult chore, as they are getting big and lively and very capable of escaping!
We have been weighing them just after meals, since it's easier to weigh full, happy puppies than excited, wriggling puppies, but these weights were taken about 6 hours after their last meal, so they are several ounces less than normal. There has been some shuffling around of the order, but the boys are all within 1/2 a pound @ 18 lbs, and the girls are all within 3/4 a pound @ 15.5 lbs.
Exact weights are below:
Reuben (Brown Boy): 18 lbs 3 oz
Lucy (Red Girl): 15 lbs 10 oz
Xena (Pink Girl - formerly Arwen): 16 lbs 0 oz
Murphy (Yellow Girl - formerly Evey): 15 lbs 4 oz
Sport (Blue Boy - formerly Strider): 18 lbs 5 oz
Bella (Brown Girl - formerly Hermione): 15 lbs 6 oz
Vader (Green Boy): 18 lbs 2 oz
Thorin (Orange Boy): 18 lbs 0 oz
Padme (Purple Girl): 15 lbs 3 oz
Pics from Day 51
You can really tell how the Newfs have a waterproof double-coat ... they dried almost instantly after being rubbed with a towel. Nobody is super keen on the water, but that may be because of the slick pool bottom. No one appears afraid, either. Sport was the most interested in watching everyone get baths.
The group walks, pics below, were fun. The puppies were much more confident with their siblings to back them up.
One-on-one Pics from Day 50 - I only have walk pics for Murphy, Sport, and Xena. Others will follow in the next few days!
Murphy's Walk:
Sport:
Xena:
Potty training is also going well ... almost 100% success rate for #2's on the pine shavings, #1's are slightly less reliable. They have no problem going outside when given the opportunity.
8 of the 9 puppies are sold (pending weekend deposits on the last 2), and we may also have a buyer for Padme - application process & Friday's vet results pending.
The puppies were also weighed today, which is an increasingly difficult chore, as they are getting big and lively and very capable of escaping!
We have been weighing them just after meals, since it's easier to weigh full, happy puppies than excited, wriggling puppies, but these weights were taken about 6 hours after their last meal, so they are several ounces less than normal. There has been some shuffling around of the order, but the boys are all within 1/2 a pound @ 18 lbs, and the girls are all within 3/4 a pound @ 15.5 lbs.
Exact weights are below:
Reuben (Brown Boy): 18 lbs 3 oz
Lucy (Red Girl): 15 lbs 10 oz
Xena (Pink Girl - formerly Arwen): 16 lbs 0 oz
Murphy (Yellow Girl - formerly Evey): 15 lbs 4 oz
Sport (Blue Boy - formerly Strider): 18 lbs 5 oz
Bella (Brown Girl - formerly Hermione): 15 lbs 6 oz
Vader (Green Boy): 18 lbs 2 oz
Thorin (Orange Boy): 18 lbs 0 oz
Padme (Purple Girl): 15 lbs 3 oz
Pics from Day 51
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| Padme before her bath. |
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| Xena after her bath. |
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| Mum (Kia) |
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| Dad (Sam) |
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| After-bath sad face. |
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| Cute puppy ... not sure who you are! |
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| Reuben the heartthrob. |
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| Pink towel ... very manly. |
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| Sport ... it's been a long day already! |
The group walks, pics below, were fun. The puppies were much more confident with their siblings to back them up.
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| Hi Lucy! Meet your dad. |
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| Padme was soaking up the sunshine ... and the belly rubs. |
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| Chaos. |
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| Hey, we're getting the hang of this! |
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| Speedy Reuben. |
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| Hi kids! |
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| Wow, buddy ... too much personal contact! |
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| Either Sport or Murphy with Bella & Reuben in the background. |
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| Like father, like son. Reuben & Thorin. |
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| Vader being a lazy boy. |
Murphy's Walk:
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| Not quite sure about stepping out into the great unknown. |
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| Just sitting on my leash, here. |
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| Why hello! |
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| Hey ... this is kind of fun! |
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| Mmmm ... grass. |
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| Happy. |
Sport:
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| This is my thinking face. |
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| Woof! |
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| Pulling a Sam ... (Sam likes to bring us his leash when he wants to go on a walk.) |
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| Happy. |
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| Just chilling... |
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| Cute tail. |
Xena:
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| Are you sure about this? |
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| Sad face. |
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| Focus... |
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| Hello... will you be my friend? |
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