Like hunting dogs, dogs that are on-the-go are consistently moving. These dogs come from the "round-tip" family as they were typically used to round up animals. Unlike hunting dogs, however, round-up dogs seldom get a chance to rest every couple of hours. They work continuously until they have recovered all the strays, brought in the last maverick, or are called off by their owners. As a consequence round-up dogs burn tremendous amounts of energy every day they are working. Many of them are performing at the upper limits of a dog's capabilities and endurance.

Always leaving food out and having these dogs self-feed more desirable than portion control. By allowing the dog to establish its own daily intake it will do a far better job of determining how much it needs, in relation to how hard it is working, than you could ever do.

Dogs that are on ordinary herd duty can be fed any time that is convenient to the herdsman. Like all working dogs, they should be fed twice daily, if at all possible. For herd dogs, about half of the daily needs should be fed at each meal. Round-up dogs should be fed their morning meal at least an hour before they begin, if that's possible, and should always be allowed to rest an hour or so at the end of the day before being fed their evening meal.

Guide Dogs

These are the dogs that act as a blind person's eyes. Much of their expenditure of energy depends on the activity of their masters. Active persons will have active dogs. In addition, psychological stress and tension play a role in the requirements for energy in guide dogs. Consequently, even guide dogs with owners who are reasonably inactive have a greater need for energy than dogs of the same breed that live as house pets.

Most guide dogs, like any other dog, must have their food intake adjusted to maintain their individual body weight. The convenience of the food is almost as important as its quality where guide dogs are concerned. Elaborate mixing of ingredients, or even moderate combinations, become impossible tasks for people who cannot see to read a scale or level a tablespoon. A single-food diet is most desirable for guide dogs, and the foods of higher caloric density (1600 to 2000 calories per pound) give the least trouble for the greatest performance.

Feeding guide dogs is best done by using portion control. It poses the least problem for a blind owner to simply measure out a fixed amount of food at each meal and throw away any food remaining uneaten. By having a sighted person weigh his dog at regular intervals, a blind master can make a judgment as to whether or not his dog's food should be increased or decreased for the next interval.

Feeding Methods

There are two common methods that are being used to feed nursing puppies: Bottle feeding and tube feeding.

Bottle feeding: Bottles and nipples have been used for feeding newborn puppies for many years. The form most often used today is the toy doll's bottle. Most of these are made from plastic and some have real rubber nipples that are made in the same shape and form as the larger baby nipples. Bottle feeding a newborn puppy is not much different from bottle feeding an infant. Keep in mind that all equipment should be very clean. The bottles and nipples should be sterilized, the formula boiled, and the hands and utensils washed in hot soapy water.

Tube feeding: Another way of feeding a newborn puppy is through feeding tubes. With the proper equipment and experience, a pup's entire feeding can be placed into its stomach without getting the milk anywhere close to the trachea or the lungs. Once the dog owner is used to the technique of feeding the newborn puppy with a stomach tube it is unlikely that he will ever again feed a puppy with a bottle and nipple. The feeding tube eliminates bottles and nipples that have to be cleaned after each feeding and sterilized before the next. Also, the danger of inhaled milk, which sometimes happens during bottle feeding, is greatly reduced and the feeding time is reduced by 75 %.