| Archive for The Brittany Forum For all friends of the versatile Brittany |
| sallie |
WeightMonet is very active and full of life - the only trouble is, since we have moved his weight fell to 15.3kg - with a lot of hard work he went back up to 17.8 now however he has started to lose weight again - he is now 16.7kg. We met up with the syndicate the other day and they said if he didn't put on muscle he wouldn't be able to join in with the shoot - any ideas on how to get Monet to keep on weight and transfer it into muscle please? Remembering that he is grain intolerant
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| doganjo |
Have you tried Tripe, SAllie - it is well known to put body on a dog - Guy uses it. I've used it on cockers with success | ||
| guy |
I am currently using a mix of raw tripe and Skinners field and trial meusli. Purina performance was very good - but you havet to pay VAT on it whereas the Skinners and the tripe are VAT free.
I still cannot get 'body' on Topaz. Ellie i need to control hers and Catja seems to self regulate quite well and is of a good weight to start the hunting season. |
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| johnhod |
Dont' both purina and skinners have grain in them? Sallie said that Monet was grain intolerant | ||
| doganjo |
Tripe and terrier biscuit is a usual combination - but it probably has grain in it too? Maybe plain rice would be OK with tripe and add vegetables?
Annie |
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| guy |
Good point - i went into automatic when i saw my name. 
it was pointed out to me recently that feeding raw protein doesn't put the weight on as the body needs to use a lot of energy to convert it. And the i am told on good authority dogs cannot process carbs well - they just become stool volume. There are those who suggest fatty lamb lamb mince and a google search can come up with 'fattening up recipes' full of minced meat, cream cheese, peanut butter etc. All the 'serious' books on dog nutrition seem to be very thick and very expensive |
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| sallie |
to give you an idea what Monet is eating at the moment
breakfast - 120g arden grange (grain free) lunch - boiled egg dinner - boiled chicken breast supper - scraps from my plate interesting comment about the protein - i though that is how you put muscle on? I might get some tripe to see if that helps and mix it in with his breakfast Exercise Morning - half to one hour of training and free running Afternoon - water retrieve training... this was actually for poppies joints, but Monet hijacked the event Evening - one hour free running, with a bit of recall training Oh yes i am bored - hence the training and walking
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| doganjo |
Too much exercise for that amount of food - he needs much more! Just my own opinion, but then Allez is fat! 
Annie |
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| Lin Dyke |
We used Butchers tinned tripe and boiled rice to get Coppers' weight up. Have checked ingredients list, no direct mention of any grain, just "meat and animal derivatives(tripe min26%) derivatives of vegetable origin, minerals". He was fed his daily ration in four meals to ensure proper absortion. We now have him on "dog mince" from the local farm shop (they raise their own stock and it is butchered on site) fed raw with a mixer. He is now in danger of getting a bit too porky  but is well muscled. We cooked the rice until it had just about absorded all the water and didn't drain it, just left it to cool, it was then nice and gloopy with the starch.
Rudi has always been a problem to get weight on, he is a very fussy eater and we thought we'd cracked it with lambs hearts (again fed raw) plus biscuits. He put on weight and looked good but is now going through one of his "not wanting it" phases 
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| Patricia |
Sounds good Lyn...
I go along with Anne, it is too much exercise for that diet. As for doing a day's shooting, I really can't see your dog NOT being able to keep up. You must however up the Protein level. Brittanys don't all have bulgeing muscles like other breeds and I would be suprised if he is unfit by the sound of it. A famous breeder in France tells me to put weight on, to feed...like Lyn says, good quality raw mince beef. You can get it from a friendly butcher. I think that shorter training sessions with good results may be more beneficial and a good run for fun( as long as he recalls) to let off steam... 
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| sallie |
Thanks for that - i have never come across Butchers tinned tripe Lin, so will keep an eye out for it - do they sell it in places like sainsburys? I was also told by a Lab owner to get Chappie - whats that like? Monet has only been out twice today - he is not happy!! | ||
| Lin Dyke |
Most supermarkets sell it Sallie, also Pets at Home. Be careful with Chappie though, it could contain grain, so check the list of ingredients. | ||
| johnhod |
Although I'm no expert I think you need to train your dog for the type of work it's going to do. Think through the type of shooting dog he will be working on. Will there be short bursts of activity followed by periods of rest, or is it likey to be sustained activity over long periods? Train for the same. Either one or two long training sessions or lots of short exercise sessions. Also think about the ground to be worked on, little point in lots of training on the flat if it's all uphill on the shoot. Your working dog is an athlete and athletes train to suit conditions. | ||
| Mugi |
Chappie certainly contains wholegrain cereal but still trying to find a proper ingredient list! | ||
| sallie |
Hi Sue - i have tried the internet for ingredients but to no avail. Sue are you doing beating with Mugi again this year? How do you get him to build muscle?
Hi John, Monet will be beating this year over a wide range of different grounds including woods - which is exactly how we train (up hill, down dale, tripping and falling as we go)... i can no longer shoot, my shoulder won't tolerate the strain - so Monet is going to be beating, which is hard going for the whole day, hence the need to build up muscle, his stamina and his athleticism is there...mine however is not
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| guy |
surely it is not the volume of muscle that counts but the ability to work it. I seem to remember reading you are doing four hours a day at times - must be a good regime for a days beating. After all you don't have to beat the whole estate on your own, if he is tiring you could always keep him at heel for a drive.
There is something called Kronch Pemmikan - a sort of 'activity bar' http://www.henne-pet-food.dk/engl/pemmikan.htm This thread should prove interesting to you http://workinghprs.myfastforum.org/viewtopic.php?t=1228&start=0 |
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| sallie |
Hi Guy, Monet to heel - you taking the mick?!
The kronch pemmikan sounds a good idea - i've never come across it before. I know what you mean about muscle, its the first time i have come across this, i thought that Monet was in great condition compared to some of the other dogs in the syndicate, he certainly out does the labs in the fields stamina wise and ground cover, i call him working lean as i do not do a fat working dog. Oh well - i want to work him, so i have to put the weight/muscle on him, might re-introduce chicken wings for protein... i think it was Patrica who mentioned he wasn't getting enough protein. |
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| Mugi |
Mugi will do some beating this year but only a little on partridge so it is gentler on him.
He seems to manage to maintain his condition pretty well for an old man and free runs about an hour and a half a day anyway. Diet wise he has a fair bit of lamb - his bone content is currently a piece of lamb breast as his preferred chomp then his evening meal is approx 400g of tripe, beef, heart or lamb mince (if he has had chicken wings for brekkie). I have used Kronch for him during a working day and it seems to keep his energy up well. Chase at rising 18 months eats a bit more than Mugi but his exercise is very different. He gets more training exercise so swimming, retrieving so short bursts etc. The other day he was hunting a field on a slope and ran full pelt for 20 mins of so and although puffed that was more cos it was muggy than it being too much for him. He then gets more heelwork and play exercise with his brothers. Given the opportunity he would eat and eat though so I need to keep a check on his weight, he has well defined muscle for a young dog but he does like to try and plead puppy fat too .
If you check out Zooplus they are also doing a tinned meat called Bozita that my friend swears by for her bitch who is grain intolerant which might also be of interest. |
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| Ghilliegumdrop |
Merlin and Ghill have had that Bonita, it's a Swedish food and you can get 'reindeer and elk' amongst other flavours. | ||
| sallie |
Lin - Thanks for the recommendation, Butchers tripe is working a treat and his weight has gone up though not quite so sure about the smell wafting from is bottom
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| Lin Dyke |
That's great Sallie Shame about the side effect  Maybe you could try fixing a lavender bag to his tail 
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