Dog feed costs

ezra_

Hello,

We are close to getting a new dog, to replace the dog that has passed away.

However, we are looking at a large dog (Think Rottie or GSD).
What are the feeding costs / advice for such a dog? We had smaller dogs before, but want to make sure that we aren't doing something wrong with a larger breed. Weight management will be important I think, larger dogs are more prone to hip/leg issues and seem to be generally a bit lazier than terriers.

Nody

Well the exact feed amount will be a mix between food type (inc. different kibbles recommend different amounts) and the dog's physics (i.e. how much do they burn, how much they exercise and run etc.) but if you take 50kg as base and Taste of the Wild for example you'd be looking at about 800g a day as an adult.

VonVix

My 33kg GSD costs about €70-€80 to feed per month (a decent quality dry and wet food), give or take. He's got a good off-switch, so he is a bit more easy going than some other GSDs can be if I'm not doing anything with him, so he probably eats less then some of the higher energy types. It really varies by dog though. I found the feeding cost for a large breed dog not as overwhelming as I thought it could possibly be.

As for advice when it comes to a GSD or Rottie type? Know what you're getting.

Be aware of the laws in Ireland surrounding breeds such as German Shepherds and Rottweilers: http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/environment/animal_welfare_and_control/control_of_dogs.html
"The rules state that these dogs (or strains and crosses of them) must:
Be kept on a short strong lead by a person over 16 years who is capable of controlling them
Be muzzled whenever they are in a public place
Wear a collar bearing the name and address of their owner at all times."

Keep in mind if you are renting your home, it may be very difficult to find a place to rent if you have a large dog bound by this legislation.

German Shepherds are extremely sensitive as a breed. They require extensive and ongoing positive experiences with people and other animals. It can be very, very easy to end up with a nervous and/or reactive dog if you get one from a puppy but have limited experience in raising, training and socialising a large, sensitive breed. The same can be said for Rottweilers, but from my experience they can be a little more hardy than GSDs are. I don't recommend either breed for a novice owner (by novice I mean someone who hasn't interacted with large breeds on a regular basis and has no experience doing positive reinforcement based training) who are mainly looking for a "pet" in their home, some people may feel differently about this, but this is 100% my personal experience and as a German Shepherd owner.

Hope this helps!

ezra_

Thanks guys. Appreciate this.

We've both had dogs for years, though this would be our first restricted breed.

VonVix

I found it much more difficult owning a restricted breed than I thought I would. I was well aware of the laws beforehand. But I was surprised by how afraid people would be at the sight of my dog. I have had people go out of their way to avoid me and him by literally getting into a ditch and hiding with their dog, which proceeded to confuse the hell out of my dog and make him bark at them! It can be really frustrating and upsetting even.

DBB

Nody wrote: »

but if you take 50kg as base and Taste of the Wild for example you'd be looking at about 800g a day as an adult.

Are you sure about this? Off the top of my head (because it applies to my GSD), TotW recommends a daily ration of 395g for a 40kg dog... 800g for a 50kg sounds like a huge amount!
Bear in mind op, most German Shepherds will weigh in at 35-40kg, with particularly big individuals obviously weighing more.
I'd agree with VonVix, I have verrrry laid back GSDs, but they are sensitive souls indeed and really take any rough handling or harsh words to heart. When you use positive training methods, they almost learn by osmosis, as if they can read your thoughts
You need to be seriously careful who to buy a pup from, there are way too many physically unsound, and nervous/anxious GSDs out there. But a good GSD is a fantastic dog!

Nody

DBB wrote: »

Are you sure about this? Off the top of my head (because it applies to my GSD), TotW recommends a daily ration of 395g for a 40kg dog... 800g for a 50kg sounds like a huge amount!

That's what the table says; 4 and a third American cups converts over to approximately 800g according to google.

ezra_

Nody wrote: »

That's what the table says; 4 and a third American cups converts over to approximately 800g according to google.

I work that out to be c. 500g.

1 American cup of a dry solid (such as a walnut) is 115g.

Springwell

I feed by cup measure and the density of foods does vary but that usually all into 85-105g per cup range (the heavier foods are usually the ones with less fillers!)

TOTW is at the top end.

DBB

Nody wrote: »

That's what the table says; 4 and a third American cups converts over to approximately 800g according to google.

On the side of the bags that I buy, the allowances are written in grams of food per kg of dog... The scale for dogs from 45kg to 57kg is 425g to 500g daily. That makes far more sense!
As far as I could find out, an American cup is taken to be around 100g... Far more sensible and accurate for them to provide the food weight in grams though, as measuring by cup leads to significant inaccuracies in daily ration.

tk123

ezra_ wrote: »

arger dogs are more prone to hip/leg issues

You just notice it more on larger dogs I think Most of the small terriers in our park have hoppy legs and dodgy knees but it seems to go unnoticed by their owners!

Choc Chip

DBB wrote: »

When you use positive training methods, they almost learn by osmosis, as if they can read your thoughts

Off-topic: I totally find this with my GSD-ish dog! I say her name and before I've asked her to do something she's already doing it. It's obviously her reading my body language but it feels like she's reading my mind.

AryaStark

VonVix wrote: »

I found it much more difficult owning a restricted breed than I thought I would. I was well aware of the laws beforehand. But I was surprised by how afraid people would be at the sight of my dog. I have had people go out of their way to avoid me and him by literally getting into a ditch and hiding with their dog, which proceeded to confuse the hell out of my dog and make him bark at them! It can be really frustrating and upsetting even.

This also happens with my dog. When she was a pup I brought her everywhere to socialise her and everybody wanted to rub her and thought she was so cute! As soon as she got to about 6 months she was quite big and people started to avoid her and automatically be afraid because she was a husky.

VonVix

AryaStark wrote: »

This also happens with my dog. When she was a pup I brought her everywhere to socialise her and everybody wanted to rub her and thought she was so cute! As soon as she got to about 6 months she was quite big and people started to avoid her and automatically be afraid because she was a husky.

I don't know about you, but I think it does have an impact on them when you are socialising them. It doesn't help having people approach you (because cute puppy! But... restricted breed!) and then suddenly and obviously these people get very nervous meeting your dog.

Choc Chip

VonVix wrote: »

I don't know about you, but I think it does have an impact on them when you are socialising them. It doesn't help having people approach you (because cute puppy! But... restricted breed!) and then suddenly and obviously these people get very nervous meeting your dog.

It's interesting - I was in the UK over xmas and met 2 adult GSDs in the middle of a city. Both wanted to bounce up and up to say hi to me, not suspicious AT ALL (they were both long haired and fluffy and gorgeous ). I don't know whether it's that some UK lines have evolved to be friendlier, or if they get a different reaction out and about as they're not muzzled and so grow-up to be friendlier to strangers, or a combination of the two.

VonVix

Choc Chip wrote: »

It's interesting - I was in the UK over xmas and met 2 adult GSDs in the middle of a city. Both wanted to bounce up and up to say hi to me, not suspicious AT ALL (they were both long haired and fluffy and gorgeous ). I don't know whether it's that some UK lines have evolved to be friendlier, or if they get a different reaction out and about as they're not muzzled and so grow-up to be friendlier to strangers, or a combination of the two.

I think the fact they were in the middle of the city says a lot in my opinion, I find dogs can hugely be shaped by their environment. I do know I will be raising my next dog very differently than I did with this boy, it's funny how much you really learn through real life experience despite reading lots on the subject, you really need both to have the best understanding when it comes to raising a dog.

Dubs1990

I feed my German Shepherd GAIN, he gets 400g a day, we also give him sardines around 3 times a week, he also loves veggies so use these as treats. I have tried TOTW and champion grain free both did not agree with my lad, eventually I tried gain and have not looked back, he's in great shape, it's going to be trial and error at the start.

This is ruffle 50euro a month