Shaggy

[Dean Mecham]

First I want to thank everyone who helped me navigate this site I'm sorry but I'm not very good at this .however I'll try again shaggy is our 3 and 1/2 month old labradoodle we are concerned about the way he attacks his food he will sit till we say OK then he goes after his food as if he is starving we tried changing to non filler foods and increasing the amounts no change the other concern we have is his poop habits he is potty trained except at nite I should add we have gone by the recommendation on the bags of food for amount and how often we feed him except a few experiments any way he poops a lot and by that I mean about 5times in the day and 4 or so at nite is this normal? I apologize for the lack of punctuation any input is appreciated .

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

If you are not already members of The Food Group here on DK, please join us there. We have a wealth of information on feeding and eating habits.

One thing that has helped many owners of dogs who bolt their food is the Slo-Bowl. It really makes a difference in slowing down their eating. Here's a discussion about which ones members have found to be the most effective: http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/thefoodgroup/forum/topics/which-s...

I would say that the number of times he poops per day (and night) is excessive. Has he gained the appropriate amount of weight for his age, as assessed by your vet? If so, you may want to take a look at our list of recommended food brands in The Food Group. Choosing a very nutrient dense, grain-free food can definitely reduce stool volume. One of the best choices for this is Orijen.  

If your vet has not checked him over for weight, body condition, and overall health, you might want to make an appointment to have that done. 

[Laurie, Wally & Charlotte]

Hi Dean. When my two labradoodles were young, we fed them Orijen for puppies, since it's grain-free and highly rated. When they got older, we switched to Acana (with a few years of feeding raw beforehand). I have never gone by the recommendations on the bag, finding that the amount suggested by the companies has always been way too much. My daughter's dog used to eat very quickly, and I remember that she put a ball in his bowl, right along with the kibble. He had to work around the ball, which slowed down his eating speed. 

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I lost a dog to bloat last summer, so I really am a huge proponent of the slo-bowl - NOT the cheap pet store ones - they do not slow the dogs down enough - trust me on this. I do urge you to purchase a good slo-bowl as part of the solution.  I agree that you need to have Shaggy looked at by a vet as to weight, parasites, etc., and to join the food group and make sure you are feeding him a high quality food.

[Bonnie and Kona]

I also advocate for the slo-bowl. Kona is 9 years old and scarfs his food like there is no tomorrow. He would finish his bowl in less than a minute. He is 90 pounds! That's a lot of food scarfing. He started out a scarfing dog and would still be without the slo-bowl. The bowl made all the difference for him. 

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

I have used the SloBowl as well and it makes a huge difference. As this doodle got older he slowed down on his own and I have since stopped using, however, whenever another dog is in the house he goes back to his scarfing habits and the bowl comes back out. Being as he is large chested, older male dog, bloat is always in the back of my mind. 

What kind of food are you feeding? Good quality food will help control the number of stools, and again, the amount on the bags is a suggestion. I have never given the recommended amount to my two doodles and they maintain a perfect weight.

The food group is very helpful