Basics on Feeding Eurasiers
by Gisela Aach
(Any copies, or excerpts, only with permission by the author)
The following basics should be adhered to for young and adult dogs:
1. Feed your dog regularly and always around the same time.
2. From the beginning, choose a special spot where your dog can always eat without being disturbed.
3. Clean the feeding bowl after each meal and check the water dish regularly so that the dog always has fresh water (no milk).
4. Give your dog a balanced food and correct amounts. If your dog does not eat everything, take leftovers away after about twenty minutes. If your dog repeatedly does not eat everything, reduce the amount of food by that left over portion. Do not accustomize your dog to having food on offer at all times, he could become a very picky eater that way. But also consider that a puppy must eat a lot in comparison to a grown dog. Eurasiers are usually very reasonable regarding food.
5. Food and water should have room temperature and should always be fresh.
6. Until 4 months of age, the food should be given over the day in 4 portions, up to 6 months in 3 portions, then you can slowly start feeding 1 or 2 meals a day.
7. After their meal, Eurasiers need sufficient rest, so no long walks then, no romping or playing after a meal, as this could cause health problems (such as vomiting, bloat ... ).
The Food
Dogs are not meat eaters exclusively, they need a balanced diet. At no means should they be fed with table scraps.
There are three possibilities to feed your Eurasier well:
1. Choose a good brand complete food, especially designed for the specific age of your dog. Before buying it, check the date it was manufactured: Vitamins lose their vital strength after 10 to 12 months. When you feed a dry food, you should always provide enough fresh water. When you feed canned food, it is recommended to mix it with flakes made of grain, potatoes, rice or ready-made flaked products, as the protein and fat contained in canned food is usually very high. Most manufacturers give suitable instructions.
2. Mix flakes of grain (supplemented with vitamins and minerals) together with meat (no pork, all other meat cooked - include the broth) in a ratio of 2 to 1, which means 2 portions of the same weight in flakes + 1 portion of this weight in meat. Look for the instructions of the manufacturer to find out if you must add the minerals and vitamins or if they have already been added.
3. Or you can feed home-made food, in which case you need to work out the exact amounts of carbohydrates, fat, protein, minerals and vitamins for a balanced diet that fulfills all nutritional requirements of your dog. In this case we recommend to study specific literature about nutrition for dogs (e.g. Meyer/Zentek).
Regarding all three feeding methods, it is important to consider that puppies and young dogs have very special requirements concerning minerals and they need correct amounts of them (increased calcium- and phosphorus, the amounts needed get less the older they get).
Weight Control
Regular weight checks, e.g. weigh a puppy once a week, help to keep your Eurasier healthy. Your puppy needs enough time (much longer than 12 months) to develop a healthy skeleton and muscles. As a rule we can say: A female is fully grown after about 2 years, a male after about 3 years. The following table is meant to help you control the weight. The lower weight is related to a female, the higher weight to a male. You can stay slightly under these values, but should not exceed them too much. If in doubt, turn to your Breed Inspector or Veterinary and find out if your dog has a good weight for its size.
Overweight in a puppy and young dog promotes the development of deseases in the skeleton and joints (e.g. HD). If your dog grows slowly, he will not stay small, but he will develop a much healthier skeleton!
(The size of an animal is determined genetically and could only be influenced by extreme malnutrition or extreme overfeeding, both would be harmful!)
Weight Table (Just to give you an idea)
end 2. month: weight 4,9 -6,2 kg, daily weight gain 90 - 115 gr
end 3 month: weight 7,6 -9,2 kg, daily weight gain 85 - 110 gr
end 4 month: weight 9,6 -11,7 kg, daily weight gain 66 - 82 gr
end 6 month: weight 12,2 - 15,0 kg, daily weight gain 43 - 53 gr
end 12 month: weight 16,6 - 20,5 kg, daily weight gain 24 - 30 gr
Whatever method of feeding you choose for your Eurasier, please note: Your dog also likes variety (he does not need variety to maintain his health, a good food is sufficient for that!). Change a few components every now and then to give him another taste. And if you should feed home-made meals, give ready-made food from time to time. Do not forget that this will be much easier during a trip.
Avoid lamb or mutton, because this is often the favoured meat for a special diet due to the fact that it is very low in allergens. In case such a special diet were ever needed for your dog, it would only work if your dog had not been introduced to lamb or mutton yet.
Eurasiers also enjoy raw hide bones or other such products as well as hard dog biscuits, as they also serve dental hygiene.
If you have any questions, your breeder and the Breed Inspectors of the ZG will be happy to give you further advice.
>>>>> Your suggestions & comments
Zuchtgemeinschaft für Eurasier e.V.