# Poodle Munchies!



## sgeorge (Jul 31, 2011)

My baby girl Fleur is coming home on the 1st of January, and I'm trying to get myself organised in regards to what I'm going to feed her before everything shuts down for Christmas and the New Year. At the moment she is predominantly being fed raw with a little dry food mixed in.

When she comes home I'm planning on maybe 50/50 raw, as in chicken neck/wings, and dry food. I've done my research and am about to start collecting samples so she/I can see which she prefers and agrees with her the most. 

I was going to let her choose between  Canidae Grain Free Pure Sea and  Artemis Fresh Mix Maximal Dog. But as an 8 week toy poodle I'm concerned that the protein level may be too high, and therefore the  Fresh Mix Small Breed Puppy would be more appropriate until she was 6-12 months old. I am hoping someone could clarify that as I would prefer to feed her grain free as soon as possible.

_Also_, I was wondering what other, preferably natural, products I could use as training treats in addition to dried liver. I don't think liver will cut it when it comes to swapsies! I do have kangaroo tail chews and bully sticks coming, but I realise they aren't very practical as a training treat.


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## sgeorge (Jul 31, 2011)

Any suggestions/opinions would be much appreciated!


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## georgiapeach (Oct 9, 2009)

I would feed raw at a different meal than the kibble. They digest differently. I'm not sure what kibbles are available in your area, so I'm hesitant to make any suggestions. I agree to be careful on limiting the protein level for puppies. Here's a site that might be helpful: Dog Food Reviews - Main Index - Powered by ReviewPost. I would look at 5-6 star foods.


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## CT Girl (Nov 17, 2010)

I feed raw, Aunt Jeni. I don't know if it is available where you are. For training treats I usually use either cooked chicken breast or cooked pork tenderloin. I have a toy too and I cut it into very tiny pieces and then give only a tiny morsel. I treat often but if you look at the amount of food it is small. I like the chicken or pork because it is high value. I have a little purse I put it into. It is not a dog purse. I bought a small purse with a handle I can latch through the loops of my pants and it has a c latch like you have on the end of the leash (sorry I can't think of the appropriate term right now). The inside of the purse is plastic so it is easy to clean. It is about the size of a wallet and it works great for me. It has a zip so I can easily access the treats. I used a dog one first but it had a draw string and my treats would fall out. I agree with Georgiapeach - I would feed kibble and raw in different meals.


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## sgeorge (Jul 31, 2011)

I had planned to feed the raw in different meals so that's okay.  eg. dry food for breakfast (and lunch) and then raw for dinner, mind you I'll probably be pretty flexible with it. 

There isn't a lot of choice with food in Australia. I was specifically looking at Canidae and Artemis as I knew they were better brands and are reasonably easy to find, in the Dog food review they and 5 and 6 stars, respectively. We do have Innova and Evo, although it is very hard to find. I believe the majority of dog owners over feed the lower quality brands as there simply isn't a vast range to choose from, nor is there much quality information about dog foods. All of the vets recommend Science Diet even our very trusted vet.

Thanks CT Girl, I had forgotten about the simplest kinds of treats! My only concern would be that they would go off. Probably best to cook them in small amounts then. Or to perhaps dry them out in the oven?


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## CT Girl (Nov 17, 2010)

I just cook small amounts.


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## outwest (May 1, 2011)

training treats:
I cook up ground turkey with some garlic in it very firm. I can freeze the patties and use them as I like. They cut nicely in little squares, but can get crumbly. I have two favorite store bought training treats: Stella and Chewys freeze dried raw chunks (you can cut them even smaller than they come in the bag) and Natural Balance rolls. The rolls can be cut into tiny pieces. 

Bonnie's favorite treats are probably the Natural Balance rolls. You can buy them in tiny rolls for around a US dollar all the way up to giant rolls. The Stella and Chewys are expensive, but they are healthy freeze dried raw. Ground turkey is cheap here (I don't know about in Australia). 

Natural Balance dog rolls
**** Van Patten's Natural Balance Dog Food Rolls
Stella and Chewy's:
Stella & Chewy's - Carnivore Crunch Treats


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

I would not be concerned about high protein in kibble for your puppy. In fact, I would prefer to feed a high protein food to your toy puppy if you must feed a kibble.


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## afkar (Dec 9, 2011)

There is an excellent premium dry food available here in Australia that is produced here called Black Hawk. They can be found on line & I use it myself for treats for my raw fed dogs. It is reasonably priced & not subject to treatments etc to be allowed into the country like some imported versions.


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## sgeorge (Jul 31, 2011)

Oh I haven't seen that Black Hawk before. I shall have a look into that as well 

Those turkey patties are a good idea, turkey isn't everywhere but we do have some good 'markets' which stock all sorts of meat so I'm sure I could source that there.


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## Ladyscarletthawk (Dec 6, 2011)

I agree with feeding the higher protein as well with a toy pup. I feed Fromm's four star foods, but not sure if you would be able to find it there. I like looking at The Dog Food Project - How does your Dog Food Brand compare? to help learn how to pick dog food by looking at the ingredients and which ingredients to avoid and why. LOTS if good info!


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## afkar (Dec 9, 2011)

I don't know where you are in Melbourne but one of the reps works in the suburbs & is very helpful about making the Black Hawk easy to access. I would certainly recommend you checking it out if you want to feed a quality dry food. They are a fairly new company but are very helpful & very concerned about the product they make. If you want to PM me I can certainly give you some more details.


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## sgeorge (Jul 31, 2011)

Ok, so the higher protein shouldn't be a problem. Ladyscarletthawk, thanks for the link, it's always good to have more reviews. 

Afkar, I'll send you a PM now.


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