UnsworthTangerine 1 Posted May 15, 2015 Report Share Posted May 15, 2015 I will be collecting a new pup in three weeks that will (hopefully) be trained and used for picking up. I fancy giving the BARF diet a go but wondered if it will be suitable for a working Lab? I assume that if I fed rabbit and game birds as part of the diet they have to be skinned? Would the dog associate picking up a rabbit or pheasant as food if that's what he is fed on; i.e will he start feeding whilst hes working? Am I looking too deeply into this? Any advice would be great. Thanks. Gary. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
beast 1,884 Posted May 15, 2015 Report Share Posted May 15, 2015 I do skin rabbits etc before feeding, but to be honest I don't think you will have any problems, I have never experienced any with the lurchers and I don't see why a lab would be any different Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Donna Wildwood 288 Posted May 16, 2015 Report Share Posted May 16, 2015 If it's any help i feed my border collie raw, and when he gets rabbits, it is with the skin on. He will catch a bunster but not kill it. If i try to feed him once of my domestic meat rabbits he won't eat it skinned or not. If i have a rabbit get out he won't even look at it! Weirdo. He also wont eat any of my own reared chickens or lamb but will eat it if i get it somewhere else Quote Link to post Share on other sites
baz 463 Posted May 16, 2015 Report Share Posted May 16, 2015 My lab is fed and brought up exactly the same as my lurchers, terrier were, he gets mainly barf, once a week I feed eukanuba , only thing he won't eat is duck, which is what I use him for.. I think dogs look great when fed raw, and would never go back to complete dry feed, 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
fabiomilitello 37 Posted May 22, 2015 Report Share Posted May 22, 2015 I made this post a few months ago on the Gundogs and Retriever section of the forum, as I was worried that it would potentially make the dog go hard mouthed. The general consensus for everyone that replied was that they will not make your dog go hard mouthed. They are smart enough to know what a retrieve is, and what eating meat is. They will be soft with the retrieve because they understand that they are performing a retrieve, but when they are tearing into meaty bones and flesh, they'll know they are doing it because they are eating. Feeding raw has so many benefits and keeps dogs looking lean and well muscled, but I've converted from that mentality and now feed my working lab Skinners, because with raw food are only giving them protein from the meat and then other macronutrients through offal and organs - it's easier to just give them a bowl of dry dog food, knowing that everything they need is already in there. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jäger 8 Posted November 4, 2015 Report Share Posted November 4, 2015 I made this post a few months ago on the Gundogs and Retriever section of the forum, as I was worried that it would potentially make the dog go hard mouthed. The general consensus for everyone that replied was that they will not make your dog go hard mouthed. They are smart enough to know what a retrieve is, and what eating meat is. They will be soft with the retrieve because they understand that they are performing a retrieve, but when they are tearing into meaty bones and flesh, they'll know they are doing it because they are eating. Feeding raw has so many benefits and keeps dogs looking lean and well muscled, but I've converted from that mentality and now feed my working lab Skinners, because with raw food are only giving them protein from the meat and then other macronutrients through offal and organs - it's easier to just give them a bowl of dry dog food, knowing that everything they need is already in there. I am in this same debate at the minute, I am about to pick my pup up in afew weeks and can't decide wether to go for a BARF diet or get skinners working dog mix. How have you found your dog/dogs have change if at all with the change? Atb Jäger Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sandymere 8,263 Posted November 5, 2015 Report Share Posted November 5, 2015 Why not use both, I feed a base of complete but give meat and bones, lot of rabbit/game through the winter and more butchers scraps in the summer, along with cooked veg, table scraps etc and my dogs work hard and look good. BARF would have one believe that you cant give anything cooked and that is plain silly. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rapson73 61 Posted November 16, 2015 Report Share Posted November 16, 2015 I have been reading a lot about this barf feeding and I am tjinkkng about putting my 2 Labradors and my whippet cross lurcher into this diet I will probably still feed a small amount of my dry food alongside Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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