How to Train Your Lab to Hunt
How to Train Your Lab to Hunt
Most labs will eat all day if you let them. Well, you’re the brains in this outfit and you have to feed your dog according to your head, not your soft heart. I’ve tried lots of food over the years (always dry for me) and I sometimes struggled with the dog’s weight because Labs, especially big Labs, need volume. But volume can lead to excess calories. Excess calories can lead to – well, you know.
Vets, breeders and other professionals will recommend a variety of foods. Be sure they are not just recommending brands where they get compensated by the manufacturer. Food recommendations run the gamut. On a vet recommendation, I once fed my dogs a name brand food that was packed with protein and other stuff that guaranteed high energy and good health. The manufacturer promoted the benefit that you could cut down on volume and feeding the dog less food meant less clean up in the backyard.
My non-hunting-dog sister fed her older the dog the same food and swore the dog’s grey hair turned back to its original color. I’m not questioning the quality of that food or the claims made by the manufacturer, but my dogs were always still hungry.
Another vet suggested feeding the food with the fewest listed ingredients. That makes some sense because you can’t even pronounce half the ingredients anyway and you can often reason that simpler is better. In recent years, there has been a growing trend toward natural food with no man-made content at all. It’s always smart to talk to your vet before making any decision.
A walk through a pet store reveals all kinds of brands and all kind of options that make all kinds of claims to be the best. Take it from a career marketing guy; do not choose a dog food because of its advertising. Do some research, get good input from people you trust and then follow your gut (pun intended.) If you have to choose by price, so be it. But even then, you should research the foods in your price range and get the best you can for your dollar.
Good bet that if you asked 10 people (trainers and non-trainers alike) what they feed their dogs, you would get at least seven different answers and each with sound justification. There is no one food for all dogs and that’s why it’s up to you to research what’s best for you and your dog. Just don’t forget that you are feeding an athlete!
Just because your lab is a big dog doesn’t mean you have to give him BIG dog biscuits. That’s just manufacturer’s marketing. We give our dogs puppy size biscuits and trust me, they are very happy with that. Biscuits are a treat – mind over belly. They don’t fill up the dog’s belly. It’s the act of eating it that makes it special. Small treats are another way to cut down on calories.
For 25 or so years I have fed my labs Purina Pro Plan Focus Weight Management Formula. Not the one for large dogs; the regular version. Some experts may scoff but that food is high enough in protein and other valuable nutrients that I never had a dog run out of gas due to inadequate food quality. And my dogs work a lot. They’ve had great coats and maintained good health related to nutrition. Biggest advantage is that Purina Pro Plan Focus Weight Management Formula allows me to increase volume of food although I do adjust it based on the level of work the dog gets during any particular period of time. Happy Lab. Happy me.
