In the Kennel: April 2008

Spring Snows

On the Wing: In the Kennel "Here is a picture of my favorite hunting buddy, Lindy. This is what she does in the off-season (after pheasant hunting season is over for the year). She turned five years old in September and is a purebred Black Lab. She's a little girl at 55 lbs., but what she lacks in weight she gives back in drive - she is a born hunter and would go everyday if it was up to her!"

Jerad Stricker
Mitchell County (Iowa) Chapter of Pheasants Forever

Steve Ries - Top Gun Kennels and Native Dog Food

The best method to transition your dog to a new dog food. Native Dog Food: Brittany with new food

Changing To A New Food

As we talk to people about Native™ performance dog food, one question we are often asked is how to safely switch your dog to a new food. The answer is particularly important due to the nature of a high performance food. Performance foods are very nutrient dense since they don't contain "filler" type ingredients like corn, wheat, soy and by-products. They are formulated to enhance the performance of a very active dog, but they leave less margin for error with regard to feeding quantity. Following are a few important points to keep in mind when considering a switch to a performance food.

Change Should Be Gradual

Because dogs are consistently fed the same diet, it can be hard on their digestive system to change foods too suddenly. When you make a change to your dog's diet, you should do it gradually by mixing progressively smaller quantities of the current food with larger quantities of the new food. We generally recommend a schedule like the following.

Days 1-3: Mix 20% of the new food with 80% of the old food
Days 4-6: Mix 40% of the new food with 60% of the old food
Days 7-9: Mix 60% of the new food with 40% of the old food
Days 10-12: Mix 80% of the new food with 20% of the old food
Day 13: Feed 100% of the new food

This type of schedule should allow your dog to adjust to the new diet without indigestion. Keep in mind that you'll need to have six days worth of the old food on hand to get you through the transition. Native Dog Food: German Shorthaired Pointer with new food

Native Dog Food: German Shorthaired Pointer with new food

Don't Overfeed

Many dogs have large appetites and will eat all you feed them so you need to be careful not to overfeed. Obesity, particularly at a young age, can cause serious health issues later in life. We recommend a performance food because your dog will be healthier and perform better, but they do have higher calories so you'll want to limit feed. While all foods have feeding guidelines on the package, these are really just a starting point. The best way to determine how much food your dog needs is to keep a close eye on body condition. If he looks too thin, feed him a little more. If he looks like he is carrying too much weight, scale him back a little bit at a time. He may act hungry but his body condition will tell you different.

Wait For The Payoff

One final thing to keep in mind is that it usually takes 4-8 weeks to see the full benefit of a new food. Normal signs of improvement like smaller, firmer stools should happen pretty quickly but improvements in skin, coat and endurance take a little longer. You'll want to give your new food at least a couple months before you evaluate the full effects. A bird dog with more energy and endurance means better hunting and more birds so the end result definitely makes a change worthwhile.

If you have story ideas, dog photos, pre-1980 hunting photos and requests for future On The Wing consideration, please send correspondence to ahauck@pheasantsforever.org.

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