EVO, Orijen & Taste of the Wild - Page 3

Steve1 - Your kennel set up looks wonderful.  Are you the owner of that cute little sable pup (Heidi).  I remember seeing a photo of her on here and she looked full of herself carrying that tug around.

While we do have more than adequate space for a kennel set up I know my hubby wouldn't go for it for various reasons.  I did pick up some Alaskan Grizzly Salmon Oil today.  I really liked the ingredients in the Orijen but am still going to try TOTW to see if switching to a fish protein will be beneficial to some degree.  If so, then I'll introduce the Orijen because in the end I do think the Orijen is better quality.  Just didn't want to end up with an expensive bag of dog food if things don't go well.

Steve1

That's a very interesting theory and it makes sense.  I mean I know that for the humans in the house we have to add humidifiers, especially in the winter to keep the air moist and how much worse can that be with a fur coat!

My dogs are outside most of the time, the male particularly.  They have a 1/3 acre fenced, two dog loos with hay to get into with a windbreak of the house.  I feed a mixture of TOTW and Orijen large puppy with two squirts of salmon oil twice a day and here's what they look like.  They get to come in for a few hours in the evenings for some 'spending with time' and of course my female and I go out to the training field at least twice a week but other than that, they're happy outdoor dogs.

My male - Trying to get him to hold a platz for that picture was a joke, he's such a wiggle worm!

My female - She also wasn't keen on the holding still bit.

Not the greatest pictures I know but neither of them have had hot spots, skin allergies, food allergies or issues of any sort.  Maybe I'm just lucky but at the same time, an animal who was meant to be outside, does best outside.  Learned that with horses and it seems to transfer over to GSDs as well.

Shelley

The cost to make the outdoor pens and the Two Timber kennels cost me about 2,500 USA to build

Not cheap but they will last longer than i will

I am happy with the Dogs condition and as i have always kept my Dogs outside it seems to suit them and they stay well

Crazze4gsds

Try and talk your husband round the females coat will come right on its own if she stays outside

If you have a small shed for her to sleep in you can makea bit of a run for her with chain link fence that will do the job

Yes, Heidi is my Pup and she lives in the side where you see the White board that is to keep her in until she grows a bit bigger head

RLHAR

Your Pups look well and it is good they get no skin problems i never have in keeping dogs for about 60 years and everyone of them lived outside, and never one with any skin problem

fhe youngest one to die was just 14 years old, and all lived outside from 8 weeks old

I think keeping them in doors is a lot to do with the skin problems plus the damn grains they put in a lot of the foods

But not everone can put them outside even if they wanted to

Steve

Steve1

You're right about not everyone having the option of being able to keep their dogs outside a large amount of time.  In that I know I'm also lucky.  It was the point you brought up about what sort of 'internal' environmental challenges we give our dogs without realizing it that got me to thinking on the point and I'd never considered it before so thank you for that.

I honestly had never known about grain issues before I got into GSDs and the dogs I grew up with were all 'Purina' Pups. (Huskys and Labs, lab/mixes).  When I got my girl, she was on Canidae dry and she did very well on that food, I only changed her when I read about the formula switch that Canidae was undergoing.  That's when I started her on the Taste of the Wild, grain free with the Orijen large puppy mixed in for some extra 'carbs'.

Again, I recognize that I'm lucky with my pair.  They're healthy, happy, well tempered dogs.

Deeswolf--

What problems did you have with the Wetlands formula?