[mcnuttsj]

I have a couple questions for fellow multiple-dog owners. So here is the background info. okay, so i have three dogs. The oldest is Cail, who is a 1.5 yr old lab/beagle (35lbs), the middle child is Pepper, 2 mo. younger than cail, is a Husky/Shepherd (Australian?) mix (about 45 lbs), and the third one is a puppy we got a couple weeks ago, who is a 16 wk old lab/pit mix named Taz (25lbs?). When my husband and I first moved in together, Cail and Pepper had to get used to each other because cail was his dog. cail was used to having food out all the time, and shared her food dish with 4 other dogs at her previous home. however, she got a little iffy with pepper. finally she is okay with pepper, but now she is having trouble adjusting to Taz. However this is just a little background.
1. We have a fenced in, pretty large backyard, where the dogs just run constantly. They wrestle, they chase sticks, they run just for the heck of it. We are feeding them Diamond dog food Hi-Energy. Does anyone know what this really means? we leave the food out all the time so they know that there will always BE food out, and they eat ALOT. they each probably go through 4-5 cups of food a day. Taz hasnt grown out of his puppy belly yet, but Cail and Pepper have always been pretty thin. They are so Darn Active Am I feeding them the right stuff?

2. Also, regular dog dishes simply do not hold enough water for our dogs. You know the gallon ice cream tubs? That is what we use. we fill it up 2/3 of the way, and refill it 2-3 more times throughout the day. They will just drink and drink and drink, especially Taz. Is this alright? Taz and Pepper can just sit there and drink for minutes at a time.

They aren't the best phrased questions, but I just want to know what your opinions are about this.

[Salamander]

Originally Posted by mcnuttsj

I have a couple questions for fellow multiple-dog owners. So here is the background info. okay, so i have three dogs. The oldest is Cail, who is a 1.5 yr old lab/beagle (35lbs), the middle child is Pepper, 2 mo. younger than cail, is a Husky/Shepherd (Australian?) mix (about 45 lbs), and the third one is a puppy we got a couple weeks ago, who is a 16 wk old lab/pit mix named Taz (25lbs?). When my husband and I first moved in together, Cail and Pepper had to get used to each other because cail was his dog. cail was used to having food out all the time, and shared her food dish with 4 other dogs at her previous home. however, she got a little iffy with pepper. finally she is okay with pepper, but now she is having trouble adjusting to Taz. However this is just a little background.
1. We have a fenced in, pretty large backyard, where the dogs just run constantly. They wrestle, they chase sticks, they run just for the heck of it. We are feeding them Diamond dog food Hi-Energy. Does anyone know what this really means? we leave the food out all the time so they know that there will always BE food out, and they eat ALOT. they each probably go through 4-5 cups of food a day. Taz hasnt grown out of his puppy belly yet, but Cail and Pepper have always been pretty thin. They are so Darn Active Am I feeding them the right stuff?

2. Also, regular dog dishes simply do not hold enough water for our dogs. You know the gallon ice cream tubs? That is what we use. we fill it up 2/3 of the way, and refill it 2-3 more times throughout the day. They will just drink and drink and drink, especially Taz. Is this alright? Taz and Pepper can just sit there and drink for minutes at a time.

They aren't the best phrased questions, but I just want to know what your opinions are about this.

A dog pack needs to establish its own hierarchy.
A puppy is especially a challenge to that as they are more playful, more silly and have much more energy than the older, established dogs who may not have the patience for puppy shenanigans.

The hierarchy will probably stabilize, in time.

The dog food you mentioned has a LOT of corn in it.
Corn can cause hyperactivity in a lot of dogs.
Other than their very good 'Taste Of The Wild' formulas, Diamond doesn't sell anything I'd feed my kids and their recall history gives me the willies.

Try switching to a corn-free [and soy-free] ingredient based food.

The higher the fat and protein content, the better.

I don't know if I'm allowed to recommend a food but my dogs do extremely well on Buckeye Pro Super-Bits.

I've also used TOTW, One Sensitive Skin and Stomach Salmon, HALO and just about every other premium food you can imagine but the Buckeye gives the most and best bang for the buck.

Always have fresh, clean water for your dogs.
As much as they're running during the summer, they need all the re hydration they can get.

Unless they seem to have polydypsia/polyuria when inside and at rest, I would not worry about that.

Hope this helps.