Hi, I was hoping you guys could give me some advise on dry foods.

I was told to put him on 3 meals a day and to aim for a protien level about 26%.

After reading some of your post it seems this may not be a great idea?

The thing with Neville is he had a bad start to life (another story) and now I just want to do the very best for him.
Also can you advise on the quantity of food advisable per feed as he always seems hungry..he's like a hoover. Most pups/young dogs are greedy but with him possibly having some catching up to do I want to make sure I get it right.

Other feeds I've seen are around 23% protien.

Lastly I walk him twice daily but only short walks, perhaps 30 mins a time as I was told too much excersise was bad on his growing bones..also to discourage him going up the stairs, is this correct? as he sems to be eager to go up there.

Thanks for your help Rob

I am a bit radical I am afraid... our puppy (though he wasn't a pyrenees) got changed over to adult food at 4 months old. I would do the same with a pyrenees. I would not keep them on puppy food for too long to prevent long term damage on the joints.

I am sure when Fiona and others pop in, she can tell you further what she did with her pup. Unfortunately we didn't have Troy from a puppy, so we were never in that situation with a pyrenees.

Vera

I agree, defenetly feed your pup with Adult food. I recomend to use brands what are made from human grade ingredients, has NO by-products, artificial coloring, and are wheat and glutsen free. These are the things what I look for in a kibble. I mostly feed my dogs with home cooked and raw food witch is the best but as working person I alaways dont have time to make them food and than I give kibble.

Hi Rob , i changed Akira to an Adukt complete at just under 6 months old combined with natural feeding as the protien level in puppy food is in my opinion way too high :D

Neville is gorgeous by the way and i think i would be looking at changing his food around now , as long as you introduce his new food quite slowly he should adjust fine , Akira had a very varied diet as a pup and can tolerate anything now , Storm is a different matter he had been fed on Bakers complete which is full of sugar and colourings , he has a very dodgy tum so he has to stick to the same food he was very over weight when he first came here , just under 80KGS :o

Akira is on a complete food now called Gilpa Kennel which has Green Lipped Mussel added in to it which is a good suppliment for joints and is only20% protien, Akira was diagnosed with Hip Dysplasia at just over a year old so i am very careful to make sure she gets the best chance of a normal happy pain free life , i like to keep her on the lean side so she is putting no extra strain on her joints especially her hips , so she gets glucosamine and Green lipped mussel capsules every day to suppliment her diet and has never needed to have any metaclam or pain relief apart from when she was first diagnosed .

My vet agrees whole heartedly with me as she is fed up seeing people who get giant breed pups and feed them high protien foods so they grow quickly and in the owners opinions are better bigger , with no thought for the long term health of their pups :angry:


Storm i have put onto Dr John Silver as he started to gain some of the 15KG's he had lost on the Gilpa Kennel , Dr Johns Silver is 18% protien and he is doing really well on it too . same as Akira i give him glucosamine and Green Lipped Mussel every day too as i cant do anything about the damage that could have been done before he came to me , but i can give him the best i can now :D

I wont be around for the next 10 days as i am away to Egypt on holiday but if i can be any help when i come back just holler :D

Fiona xx

Thanks for the replies, Dutchess our other dog has done very well on a lesser known brand (I cant think of the name Wagg I think :unsure: ) thats an adult food for working dogs, she's not a working dog but we do an awfull lot of walking (sometimes 15 miles in total a day) its got 23% protien..I'm not sure on the other stats. The same manufactures make a similar one for adult dogs (not working dogs) and its 21%.
However in preparation for Nevilles arrival, we'd been and bought a sack of junior wafcol for all dogs(supposed to be very good) which has 28% protien as Nevills been being fed one at 26%, but it was the closest I could find to mix with his to wean him off his, as he was fed the kennels own brand I cant get here! :(

I'd also like your opinions on walks..so far we have just done little walks, perhaps 30 minutes round trip twice a day. today we walked to the sea front where poor Neville got blown away lol. Dutchess used him for cover lol which was really funny to see.

What are your opinions on walking as I dont want to over do it, or not do enough?

Thanks in advance Rob :)

Hi, I'm sorry I took so long to type the above post I'd missed the post in above that :o , so basically get him on an adult food now.

I was worried as he hadn't had the best start to life and thought he may of had a period where he didn't get enough protien etc.

Thanks for the replys.

About 30 minutes twice a day , sounds fine to me , another important thing to remember is not allowing your pup to run up and down stairs and / or jump on and off the furniture , my dogs would never do that :unsure: :ph43r: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: ( i will post some of my dogs never allowed on the furniture pics soon )

Jumping up and down can jar their bones and in a giant breed it is important that they dont get too many shocks as their joints and bones are still growing and the less stress the better :D

I carried Akira up and down the stair out to my back garden for the first few months but i think i had to give up when she was about 18 weeks old , all i did then was teach her to walk close to me slowly to save her jarring her joints too much, while i held onto her collar :D

Fiona xx

Hi,
yes I was aware of the stair situation, Though neville is quite determined about going up there ;)
I've put a metal gate thing accross the stairs..he has moved it on 2 occassions but I think I've got it secure now <_< he goes up OK but he struggles coming down as he's too big to judge where his back feet should be so kinda slips down.

As for the furniture I was aware of that because I'd been reading this forum before joining..however my wishes and nevilles conflict and he's bigger than me!

Joking apart we have been stopping him..my wife struggles a bit as she sits on the leather arm chair near the window and it seems he wants to look out. He puts one paw on the chair and Joanne puts a hand on his chest and says firmly "NO" so he puts his other paw on the chair too so he's stood up, so she puts too hands on his chest to stop him..and says in a commanding tone "NO" so he leans forward and she falls back so he puts his back feet on the chair and squishes Joanne. at this point (when she's turning blue) I intervine (reluctantly :P ) and lift him down.
A few mins later he's back for another attempt :blink:

He's really really lay back and loveable and cuddly but so stubborn (selective hearing) :P

Another thing is he can hear the sound of me getting the box of dog treats at a thousand paces..however when he's a mind to do something its as if he switches off his ears :D
Say for example I want him in the front room where my wife can baby sit him..he'll get to the living room door then refuse to budge..no matter how many times I shout him in or how loud..he just turns and goes off doing what ever he wants..unless I bribe him with a doggy treat :angry:

Lastly..after hearing all the potential problems with joints and bones I've got paranoid a bit and worry about him...he sometimes wants to lay on the cold concrete by the back door..regardless that its wet, windy, and very cold. Is this OK???
I've also been scrutanising his back leg movements (told you I was paranoid..and the worlds biggest worrier)..and though he chases our other dog dutchess at speed and wants to play (she gets squashed from 1 of his paws as she's only little)..I've noticed he is slow at getting up..is this normal?..kinda slow..guess his body weight means he couldn't do it fast..but wanted to ask.

Regarding his diet I'll change it once we get to the end of this 15kg sack to a normal dry food for adult dogs, do you think 3 feeds a day is ok and for how long?..he has a large-ish bowl that I half fill..maybe 3/4 fill.

Sorry for all the questions, and I appreciate the help..as casper was 3-4 yr old I have no experience with a pup of this size..so am greatfull for any & all advise

Thank you very much Rob

Pyr's are very independant and can be stubborn , but i love that side of them :D

One thing i would say is when you ask him to do something ask him once then make sure he responds , by calling him repeatedly he is getting the message that its ok to ignore you , so rather than keep shouting him to come to you , use the word here or come with his name then if he does not respond go to him and repeat the word even if you have to let him see a treat for a wee while until he gets the hang of it thats fine , you need him to know that ignoring you is not an option :D

A good trick for stopping him from climbing all over your wife is to get her to throw a treat accross the floor as soon as he puts one paw on the chair as soon as he goes to move after the treat get her to use the word off and praise him loads as soon as he responds , make it a new exciting game and he will soon learn that off means goodies , Pyr's are like no other breed of dog , you can almost see them thinking when you give them a command "whats in it for me ? " or "your point is? " If he persists in trying to climb on her ask her to stand up so he cant telling him to get off and the minute his paws are back on the floor again loads of praise and a treat will help him to understand the off command .

I found with both Akira and Storm they get bored very easily when training so its better to do a wee bit often than try to keep their attention when they have had enough , they really do not see the point in doing as they are told most of the time and training is very much a one step forward 3 steps back thing with these gorgeous dogs :lol: :lol:

Make training fun and then you will all enjoy it , if you feel yourself getting frustrated give it a break for a bit as he will pick up on your feelings too , despite their size our Pyr's are very sensitive doggies :D

As for lying on cold things i would not worry too much they seem to prefer cool than carpets , i know when Akira was a pup and i was crate training her she would not lie on a blanket in the crate she preferred the cold metal base of the crate . As i said earlier glucosamine and green lipped mussel are good suppliments for our Pyr's , so might be worth geting some for your boy prevention is better then trying to cure problems later in life

Fiona xx

Hi Rob when i first joined this forum when we got Daz (6 weeks) he is now 15 months old I was worried sick about food walks and hips etc.I have learned so much from here.Daz seems to have a tolarence to animal proteins and we used to feed him bakers from a pup he would bound around scratch bite himself and bound around more.I asked on here about foods and decided to change his food to Nutro choice lamb and rice adult at about 4 months old within 2 weeks he wasnt so hectic he stopped scratching things were great.as for lying down in the wet and cold Daz does same thing we have stone flooring in the hall and Daz spends most of his time by the back door he purposely spills his drinking water on the floor and lies in it this is only because he is hot if he was in the garden he would dig a hole and lye in that Daz will try and swim in a puddle he loves water.I also watched Daz move about as a pup and worried is his movement ok i would walk fast and watch him trot like on crufts he looked great yet just a slow walk and he walked like a donkey did the vet thing and there was no problem it was this point i decided to enjoy him rather than worry myself sick about him (although i do still worry about him occasionaly mainly its about is he gonna eat my mail or get in the bin :lol: :lol: :lol: ).By the way he is georgeous
Alan

No, our dogs are definitely not allowed on the furniture either...





By the way, Troy also prefers lying on colder surfaces. He is often found on the laminate flooring in the hallway by the front door. In the summer, he will often lay on the tiles in the kitchen as well.

Re legs: you will find that young dogs go through many growing stages until fully grown. At about the age Neville is now they start becoming rather gangly and don't seem to co-ordinate their legs quite well enough... but it will all fall into place, you'll see. :)

Vera

Hi you took the words outta my mouth lol, its like today we went for a short walk, to a small playing field, we walked round the border..and just as we were about to head home Neville decided it was play time..some man walking by said "My god he looks like a polar bear :D " ..further home I giggled as a little girl in a trolly looked at her mum and said something..to which her mum replied "its a doggy" the little girl said "No it a Gee gee (horse)" (made me laugh) :lol:

However when we got home Neville had to pull himself up the 3 steps to my door.

In doors he chases our Dog Dutchess..its funny as he's all paws but he has no problem chasing her to play.

Thank you for replies..it helps alot, and we are over the moon with Neville, and his personality is something completly different to any other dog I've known.

Rob :)

Forgot to say..those pics are great lol though you do look a little squashed Vera lol.

I have to say I'm suprised at how easy house training is..sure we had a few accidents mainly at night.. and almost none day time..now I said that I'll prob step in something in a min lol its sods law :rolleyes:

He's found the bin..sadly its hard to keep him out as he just goes back when my backs turned and goes to anyone at meal times..he wont snatch anything but gets uncomftably close and gives you his paw time and time again.
I know he's not hungry as he'll do it right after being fed..just puppy greed I think.

Thanks again for all the replies, I've learned loads already..and hope to get more great advise.

On behalf of Neville and myself, thanks :)

Hi again Rob
Bins :D :D mine is ontop of my fridge now and still Daz gets in there.I found house training easy too but he did go backwards for a week or too expect that to happen its a dog thing not just pyrs.If Neville is always hungry have you tried worming him?.I have just done daz but make sure you get the stuff from a vets as pet shop ones never seem to work in my experience.It doesnt stop them getting in the bins though :lol: . :lol:

Yes I agree pet shop ones are rubbish :angry: , I'll be going to the vets for some for sure..also to get some frontline flea stuff, he's been wormed and flea'd vaccinated etc and micro chipped and he's due to be wormed next month.

I think the problem is that he's spent so much time in kennels alone, and not in a family enviroment so its all new to him, having food around thats not his etc.

So in many ways we are starting from the basics with everything, somethings he just gets outta the bin to play with & not eat, tonight I found him happily bouncing after, kicking, and chasing an empty margerine tub he'd liberated from the kitchen bin :lol: We have lots of dog toys but he's not too bothered about them..again I think he perhaps didn't have so many when he was younger.
I have an appt later in the week with the nurse at our vets for our registration and initial check up, so will prob feel better after that.
I've noticed his nose isn't as cold as Dutchess's..her's is like an ice cube..so his feels warm in comparison..prob just me worrying again..sometimes i think I go outta my way to find things to worry about! :unsure:

Thanks again Rob :)