I have a 108 lb shepherd mix (about 27" at the withers). My trainer said he should lose a few pounds for the protection work. So, I am feeding him 1 cup in the morning and 1.75 cups at night of Pro Plan dry, weight management. He is the hungriest dog and I feel so bad because he always stands over by his food bucket nudging at it and looking up at me. When I do feed him, he eats it every last piece right away. He also only gets maybe 1 very small treat during the day.
I was just curious as to how much food he should be getting. I feel like its not enough. I wish I could feed him more (as I come from an Italian family and we love to cook and eat-haha). I am thinking when it starts to cool off, I can feed him more if I exercise him more.
I guess I just feel really guilty. I even started adding warm water to his dry food to make it seem like there is more. Let me know if 2-3 cups is a good amount food to give a big dog.

Weeellll...first....get him off pro-plan and if you do not want to go raw, choose an all natural kibble from Leerburgs list of all natural kibble under "Feeding Dogs".

Longer walks in the morning and evening when it cools off along with some fetch....and if you can lead him while riding a bike that would be great to do also.

 Quote: Carol Boche

Weeellll...first....get him off pro-plan

Ditto. Of the first 8 ingredients, 6 are grains. Of those 6, 4 are forms of corn.

The second and third ingredients are brewer's rice and by-products.

Out of 8 ingredients, ONE is good for dogs.

My best success helping pudgy dogs to control weight has been with fresh real food. Part of his hunger is almost certainly a result of trying to get the protein he needs from a bowl of mostly wheat and corn. (The grains far outweigh the meat in that product.)

But as Carol says, even if you're not ready to feed raw, there are many *far* better choices than that one.

I've helped owners with their overweight dogs several times, and will be happy to supply encouragement and advice if you need either one. You are doing an excellent thing for the dog by getting his weight under control.

Kristen,

Let me just say I understnd where you are coming from with the "hungriest dog" issues.

Now my boy is not overweight and is raw fed. He is still hungry. This does not mean I will over feed him. To let you know how guilty my dog can make me feel, i will give you this situation:

If my dog gets it into his head it is meal time, or we are at home and he has spent too much boring time anticipating meal time...he will vomit. Seems his stomach is ready to eat and if the acids build up and he is not fed...pukes.

Very tough when you have to feed the dog early before work 5 days a week and then would like to sleep in on the weekend I can wake up and feed him, or wake up and run to the back door when he starts dry heaving

Expect that no matter what you feed your dog he will eat "every last peice right away". That's what hungry dogs do! When I was feeding my dog kibble, I am not sure I ever even heard him crunch a single chunk, just inhaled. If I let him eat as much as he wants, I would have to roll him down the street!

Like Carol and Connie said, raw food is the way to go. Your dog may always want more, and definatley remind you when it is meal time, but the "Italian" in you can feel satisfied that your dog has gotten the healthiest possible, satisfying, species appropriate "real food" meal that you can provide

Feel guilty if you have to when you feed the dog less, but feel happy when you have a dog that can do protection work, has a healthy heart and joints, and is not overweight

I will never tell someone that raw is the way to go as it just isn't right for everyone. If you can feed raw or a raw pre-made food, great, otherwise, go with the highest quality kibble you can find that works for you and your dog. Pro Plan isn't a quality kibble - although, I know a number of people that swear by it, go figure - and I would highly suggest, like everyone else, that you switch to something better.

I have taken in some obese fosters and had to put them on a diet so I know what you are going through. I would say that the amount you are feeding does seem too small for a dog that size. Ideally, I take the amount the dog was eating and start by cutting it back by a quarter cup. I have the advantage of access to walk on scales at a couple of places so I can weigh my dogs as often as I want. I weigh the dog initially and then adjust the amount fed so they lose no more than 1-2 pounds a week, and I do weigh weekly when they are dieting.

Exercise is always a plus and seriously limit any and all treats. My treat size for a dieting foster is no bigger than a pea and they get only 1-2 of them a day. If your dog is losing at a good rate, not excessive, and you have increased exercise and your dog is still starving, you can add green beans to his meals. They have almost no calories and it helps keep him full.

Good luck.

Out entire K9 Unit switched to grain free food. I am feeding BARF personally, but pay for a lot of it myself. The other dogs switched to EVO initially and then were asked by Wellness to try their new CORE food. In my 20 years of being involved with our K9 Unit I have never seen the dogs healthier.

Some of our dogs were on Science Diet others Pro plan and since switching the dogs have become slimmer and more muscular. Fussy eaters are not anymore. We no longer get dry coats, hot spots etc. I have to thank this web board and Leerburg for getting me started in researching this.

Im sure our vet bill is lower as well

CORE has a lower fat food that might be what you are looking for if you are not interested in feeding raw. I believe that the food is now available in retail outlets. I think your dog will do better with this type of food and your dog will be overall healthier and your dog will loose fat and gain more muscle mass.

I just looked at the Wellness CORE food, which was new to me, and read the ingredient list.

It certainly beats the other so-called weight-management kibbles I have seen.

I know you are very knowledgeable in the subject Connie and although I wish everyone would feed raw it isn't going to happen with a lot of K9 handlers. I do feel that foods like CORE and similar quality are better than the grain loaded foods that our vets recommend.

 Quote: Steven Noonan

... I do feel that foods like CORE and similar quality are better than the grain loaded foods that our vets recommend.

Oh, absolutely! I'm with you!

Also, I think it's just plain wonderful that your unit has switched to Evo and Wellness. That's night and day compared to SD and Purina.

Isn't is great how fast we can see the difference when we give our dogs meat instead of corn?

So, where can I buy a bag of the Wellness/CORE dog food?