Birdie is ALWAYS hungry - it seems like she can't get enough food. I'm not sure if this the result of being a rescued street dog or if she is just super food driven.
At first I thought the Gremlin wasn't measuring food right (our four year old daughter INSISTS on feeding the dogs - it's a priviledge to her), but she is always supervised and does measure correctly. (Cups are color coded or marked)
The Timberwolf bags says to feed a 51 - 80lb. dog 2 -4 1/4 cup of dog food per day.
Here's what Birdie typically eats in a day:
AM: 1 cup of Timberwolk Elk & Salmon dry in her dish. 2 to 4 large Old Mother Hubbard dog bones. Toast crusts and the remains of what ever fruit the Gremlin doesn't finish.
PM: 1.5 cups of Timberwolf Elk & Salmon mixed with at least 3/4 to 1 cup of table scraps which are usually meat, the fat from the meat (sometimes cooked, sometimes raw) left over colored vegetables (no potatoes) or rice.
Plus training bait which is at least 1/2 to 3/4 cup daily of one of the following lamb lung, cooked liver, american cheese, chedder cheese, steak cubes, or cubed chicken breast.
She also earns treats from the kids for being good which amounts to about 8 of the Old Mother Hubbard puppy bones, but is probably more.
Birdie is almost two years old, she weighs 56 lbs now. She is at the perfect weight for her build, she is lean & muscular.
She is not food aggressive, but always looks for the opportunity to earn a food treat. For example Birdie has learned that if she plays with the Gremlin without jumping around like a lunatic while we're cooking dinner, she earns a small piece of meat before dinner (Keeps both of them out from under our feet).
We put an end the begging habit and she is well behaved enough to take her into Dakota Steak House
I'm not sure if I should feed her more or keep her a little hungry so she works better.
What do you think?