Feeding Requirements for Guide Dogs And Dogs On The Go

Like hunting dogs, dogs that are on-the-go are constantly moving. These dogs come from the round-tip family as they were typically used to round up animals. Unlike hunting dogs, however, round-up dogs rarely get a chance to rest every couple of hours. They work continuously until they have recovered all the strays, brought in the last maverick, or are called off by their owners. As a consequence round-up dogs work off tremendous amounts of vitality every day they are working. Many of them are performing at the topmost limits of a dog's capabilities and staying power.

Always leaving food out and having these dogs self-feed more desirable than portion control. By allowing the dog to establish its own daily intake it will do a far better job of determining how much it needs, in relation to how hard it is working, than you could ever do.

Dogs that are on normal herd duty can be fed any time that is convenient to the herdsman. Like all working dogs, they should be fed twice daily, if at all plausible. For herd dogs, about half of the daily requirements should be fed at each meal. Round-up dogs should be fed their breakfast at least an hour before they start, if that's possible, and should always be allowed to rest an hour or so at the end of the day before being fed their dinner meal.

Guide Dogs

These are the dogs that act as a blind person's eyes. Much of their outlay of energy depends on the activity of their masters. Active persons will have vigorous dogs. In addition, psychological pressure and tension play a role in the requirements for energy in guide dogs. Consequently, even guide dogs with owners who are reasonably inactive have a greater need for energy than dogs of the same breed that live as house pets.

Most guide dogs, like any other dog, must have their food intake adjusted to maintain their individual body weight. The convenience of the food is almost as important as its quality where guide dogs are concerned. Elaborate mixing of ingredients, or even moderate combinations, become impossible tasks for people who cannot see to read a scale or level a tablespoon. A single-food diet is most desirable for guide dogs, and the foods of higher caloric density (1600 to 2000 calories per pound) give the least trouble for the greatest performance.

Feeding guide dogs is best done by using portion control. It poses the least problem for a blind owner to simply measure out a fixed amount of food at each meal and throw away any food remaining uneaten. By having a sighted person weigh his dog at regular intervals, a blind master can make a judgment as to whether or not his dog's food should be increased or decreased for the next interval.