# Any users of Barking heads ?



## designsbyisis (Dec 27, 2011)

We've had Dexter on Barking Heads puppy food for a while now and its certainly been successful in terms of righting his 'loose' movements, but this last couple of days he's been a bit slow to eat it, whereas normally its all scoffed in seconds. I've even taken to letting him eat it out of my hand to encourage him to eat)

Is this normal for a 16 week dog to slow down on the speed he eats food ? Before this I've been wondering whether to increase his food (he is on 50g 3 times a day) but now I'm thinking not - but 150g per day doesn't seem very much. 

On the packet the recommended range for his age & current weight (if the weight guide is for the current weight of dog & not the projected adult weight) is quite a wide range. How do I know how much to give ?

He's not been weighed for a few weeks officially but he is certainly growing & seems bright & happy.


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## Sezra (May 20, 2011)

Daisy eats hers slowly. Sometimes she will take one piece of kibble in to her crate to eat it and then goes back for another one! I wouldn't worry to much. I weigh Daisy on my bathroom scales...I weigh myself first and then pick her up and weigh myself again so I can work out the difference! I think it helps if they are digital though


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## susanb (Jan 19, 2012)

Hi. I sometimes put on a couple of teaspoons of probiotic yoghurt if gisgo does not eat it all in one go. He does have days where he eats it all straight away & seems like he would eat more. Other days he eats less. He is now almost 18 weeks & I give him between 180 and 200g per day. I thought the recommendation on the bag was for projected adult weight but the range is so wide anyway!!!


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## JoJo (Mar 2, 2011)

I feed Barking Heads and my girls are not big eaters really but thriving on this food, both a good size and weight .. 

Yes natural or probiotic yoghurt may get him interested in it again, but as you said he is growing, bright and lively which all sounds good ...


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## designsbyisis (Dec 27, 2011)

susanb said:


> Hi. I sometimes put on a couple of teaspoons of probiotic yoghurt if gisgo does not eat it all in one go. He does have days where he eats it all straight away & seems like he would eat more. Other days he eats less. He is now almost 18 weeks & I give him between 180 and 200g per day. I thought the recommendation on the bag was for projected adult weight but the range is so wide anyway!!!


I emailed them to ask but no reply  !!!


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## M&M's mummy (Jul 12, 2011)

I can't remember how much I gave mine now as puppies, I aimed for an expected adult weight of 12kg for Monty. ( he is normally 10.4-11kg)

Milly went onto the Adult Barking Heads at 10 months as she stopped eating her puppy and kept wanting Monty's so I switched her over then.

Monty went through a funny stage with his but as an adult. Kept taking one kibble out of the bowl at a time!!! and not fussed about eating it some days. All I did was ensure I got all the flavours and rotated them so once one bag finished of Tender loving care then had Bad hair days etc... and also added a dollop of pro biotic yoghurt on which soon stopped the fussiness. You could try adding a dollop of probiotic yoghurt to his puppy food and see if that gets him eating again? Sure they do get bored to be honest, but you don't want to encourage fussiness by keep changing brands if you can help it.

Now they have both Barking Heads ( breakie) and Raw ( evening) so no more of the fuss stage. Milly has never been fussy - she just gobbles it all down!!

Mine are on adult Barking Heads - Monty has 60g and Milly 50g per meal - ( twice a day at weekends as no raw usually at weekends)
They also have a carrot a day or an apple/ banana. Plus occasional treats.


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## flounder_1 (May 12, 2011)

designsbyisis said:


> I've even taken to letting him eat it out of my hand to encourage him to eat)
> 
> He's not been weighed for a few weeks officially but he is certainly growing & seems bright & happy.


Dogs aren't daft! Eating out of your hand means he is getting attention and that's nice. Maybe, thinks Dexter, if I don't eat tomorrow you might add a bit of chicken to encourage me!!!  
If he is growing and has plenty of energy then please stop worrying. Missing or not finishing the odd meal won't hurt him! Maybe he's having a few more treats at the mo during this training stage? How many meals a day is he on? Maybe he's telling you he's ready to drop a meal. Lolly did this - she stopped being so eager to eat her midday meal so we dropped to just 2 meals a day and that's what she's stayed on since.

Lolly is on Barking Heads and loves it. She eats it all every meal. I only weighed out the amount when we first put her on it, looked at how full the bowl should be and have never weighed since. So I'm sure she gets more some days than others (especially if the kids are feeding her!) But I too look at the amount in the bowl and think it doesn't look much but remember that dried food swells in the stomach.


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## zed (Jan 20, 2012)

I am so glad this is not just me... Jarvis doesn't eat much somedays and I too resorted to hand feeding then he eats the whole lot... Or occasionally he will lean forward shakily take a mouthful and walk off to eat it!!?? I even thought he was scare of his bowl as when I scattered it on the floor he'd eat it!! I don't give him any other food and don't really want to resort to it to temp him to eat as I dot want him to expect it all the time and really become fussy. However I will try the yogurt... He does get reward treats and a cream cheese filled kong. 

I do take it up his feed after about 45 min as I don't want him to graze as his toileting is like clockwork.

He's growing ok so I guess if he was hungry he would eat it....

I seem to remember going through the exact thing with my son (now 8) when he was a baby he would hardly eat enough to keep a sparrow alive then some days he would eat non stop... I think it's a growth spurt thing  x


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Janev1000 (Oct 4, 2011)

We've been on Barking Heads for just over 2 weeks now and Biscuit goes crazy for it! He has approx 130g a day over two meals but he is older and his growth is slowing. 

At 16 weeks, Dexter has hit the teething age and this might be having an affect if his mouth is more uncomfortable as the kibble is quite hard to crunch.

I also do the bathroom scales thing with both of us on and then just me!


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## Janev1000 (Oct 4, 2011)

We've been on Barking Heads for just over 2 weeks now and Biscuit goes crazy for it! He has approx 130g a day over two meals but he is older and his growth is slowing. 

At 16 weeks, Dexter has hit the teething age and this might be having an affect if his mouth is more uncomfortable as the kibble is quite hard to crunch.

I also do the bathroom scales thing with both of us on and then just me!


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## JoJo (Mar 2, 2011)

Morning Jane, great to hear Biscuit is enjoying Barking Heads too  

Oh dear the bathroom scales, my cockapoos sit on the scales each month, oh no mummy not the big weigh in


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## Janev1000 (Oct 4, 2011)

Ha ha! we weigh each week! I now weigh us both together before just weighing myself as otherwise he does a runner! The tape measure has the same effect too! x


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## JoJo (Mar 2, 2011)

Yes the tape measure time, Honey has not changed in height since approx 8 months old but she did continue to put on weight and fill out for a few further months ... I do like to keep an eye on her weight seen she has been an adult as she is not a big eater really, but her weight alwasy seems quite stable.

Picnic is coming up 8 months so it will be interesting to see if she continues to grow in height after 8 months, she looks slightly bigger than Honey .. cant wait to get the tape out ...


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## tessybear (May 1, 2011)

Dexter has always been a fusspot and is far too lazy to eat kibble, which is why he has NI.


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## susanb (Jan 19, 2012)

Lisa - I just looked at my bag of barking heads. The feeding guide is for expected adult weight & I go for the medium (12 - 25kg) range. Our vet reckons gisgo will be 15kg. The medium seems about right.


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## designsbyisis (Dec 27, 2011)

I wonder why it doesn't say it on my pack then ? Weird !!


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## susanb (Jan 19, 2012)

designsbyisis said:


> I wonder why it doesn't say it on my pack then ? Weird !!


I have the 12kg sack. There is a little table on the side. Funny yours would not have it. Anyway for expected adult weight 12 - 25 kg it says feed 140 - 375g per day for puppy 3-6 months old. I feed around 200g per day.


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## designsbyisis (Dec 27, 2011)

Mine is 2kg pack of Puppy Days so I wonder if that's why it's different. It does have a table but it clearly says Weight of dog. 


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Sent from my iPhone 
Lisa - mum of 3 boys, Dexter Cockapoo & 4 hens !


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## Kirsty (Sep 9, 2011)

I'm in the process of getting Cara off nature diet and onto barking heads. At the moment she's 10.4kg and 10 months old. She gets 195g nature diet and 100g BH. For adults of her weight it's expected to be between 100-200g per day. She still likes it on a mat on the floor rather than n a bowl.

So far we are on day 4 so fingers crossed. I hope the works as it will be a lot cheaper to feed BH when Poo II comes along in October.

Kxx


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## DB1 (Jan 20, 2012)

designsbyisis said:


> Mine is 2kg pack of Puppy Days so I wonder if that's why it's different. It does have a table but it clearly says Weight of dog.
> 
> 
> ---
> ...


I have same bag, I'm sure on this pack it is the weight of the puppy now and not adult weight - but will have to check later as Dudley napping in crate and I don't want to wake him yet! - i'm just changing over to it now and its quite tricky working out how much of each to do as there are different amounts recommended on the different foods - daft thing is Dudley had his first soft'ish poo tonight when everyone says Barking heads makes them firmer, perhaps its just having a change, or maybe because he had a worming tablet yesterday, can that give runny poo's?


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## Hfd (Aug 19, 2011)

Billy is currently on a Royal Canin and has recently changed from puppy to adult food of the same type. After recommendations on here I am considering changing to Barking Heads. Has anyone had any probs changing? And as there are different types of adult food do you usually just feed one flavour till the bag runs out or chop and change? 
H x


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## designsbyisis (Dec 27, 2011)

I have had a reply from Barking Heads which I will try & load up when I'm on my computer (I've hijacked husbands while he is at golf !)
Basically, the guides on the Puppy Days is based on CURRENT weight of puppy & they recommend 15g per day per kilo of dog weight, so I'm possibly overfeeding but they did say to go on your gut instinct too.


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## designsbyisis (Dec 27, 2011)

And now I've looked again at the bag I can see that's total rubbish !!! Very confused - so have emailed them again !!!!


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I am here: http://tapatalk.com/map.php?aj0p0s
Sent from my iPhone 
Lisa - mum of 3 boys, Dexter Cockapoo & 4 hens !


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## designsbyisis (Dec 27, 2011)

So here are the Barking Heads reply & my reply (you need to go to the end & read up if that makes sense !)

Good afternoon Lisa

I’ve spoken to our nutritionist about the feeding guide on the packaging of Puppy Days and he can confirm the advice I gave you about feeding approximately 15grams for every kilo of dog weight is correct. However I must stress this is an approximate starting point for feeding your puppy. As I said yesterday each dog is different and requires different amounts of food and the owner is the best judge of whether the amount is correct and whether it needs to be increased or reduced.

The information on our packaging is the recommended feeding guide which we are required to display by FEDIEF. This information gives a very broad guide to feeding amounts which is why it appears to be contradictory to the advice I gave you and we recognise this, but again I must point out we can only offer a guide to feeding and the only true way to gauge whether the amount is correct is the owners eye watching the dogs tummy!

I realise this isn’t a clean cut answer but I hope it helps you.
Have a nice weekend.
Wanda Turner 

Pet Food (UK) Ltd
Unit 17 Mark Road, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, HP2 7BN
Tel: 01442 212392
Fax: 0844 443 2413
www.barkingheads.co.uk

From: Lisa Agnew [mailto:[email protected]] 
Sent: 12 April 2012 17:38
To: Wanda Turner
Subject: Re: Query re dog weights

Sorry but why does it therefore say for dogs 5-10kg to feed 215-420g and yet you say 90g ? 

Lisa Agnew 

On 12 Apr 2012, at 16:22, Wanda Turner <[email protected]> wrote:

Good afternoon Lisa
Please accept my apologies for not receiving a reply to your original email. I will look into this to find out what happened.

I can confirm our guides are based on the current weight of the puppy and we recommend approximately 15 grams per day for each kilo of dog weight. Therefore we would suggest feeding 90 grams of food per day. Don’t be alarmed as you are feeding a little more than that – each dog is different and has different needs and the best judge of whether he is overfed is the owner! If you want to cut his feed down a little but he’s still hungry you can bulk up the food with vegetables as this will add volume without adding calories.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you need any further assistance.
Kind regards

Wanda Turner 

Pet Food (UK) Ltd
Unit 17 Mark Road, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, HP2 7BN
Tel: 01442 212392
Fax: 0844 443 2413
www.barkingheads.co.uk

From: Lisa Agnew [mailto:[email protected]] 
Sent: 12 April 2012 09:40
To: Enquiries
Subject: Query re dog weights

Hi, I did email last week but no reply received unfortunately.

My Cockapoo puppy (currently weighing 6kg) is on your Puppy Days food. On the 2kg bag it doesn't make it clear on the feeding table whether the weight guides are actual weight of puppy or projected adult weight. The last food we were on was based on estimated adult weight, so I wanted confirmation.

I’m currently feeding 3 times a day of 50g each (he’s 4 months old) – does this sound ok ?

Thank you
Lisa Agnew


So anyway, I am now confused & think I'll just stick to what I feed ie 150g per day !!!!!


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## Hfd (Aug 19, 2011)

I am a bit surprised at their response. Confusing!
H.


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## susanb (Jan 19, 2012)

Good grief - it makes no sense at all & there is such a big difference between what it says on the packet to what they have told you. Based on 15 g per kg of puppy per day, I am feeding gisgo his daily allowance at each meal (3 times a day)!!! He is not at all getting fat & I think he would be horrified if I cut back on his food that much. Very odd indeed!!! I will stick to what I feed now also (although it'd certainly save money to feed him much less!!).


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## Janev1000 (Oct 4, 2011)

I have just started on the BH a couple of weeks ago have worked out that the 15g per kilo is exactly the amount I decided to feed based on the guidelines. Biscuit is around 9Kg and I'm feeding approx 130g per day spread over two meals. However, his growth is slowing considerably now so I think those guidelines would not reflect the needs of a younger faster growing puppy, so I would definitely feed more up until around 6 months of age when their weight should start to slow down.


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## DB1 (Jan 20, 2012)

Maybe its different as pups get older, Dudley was only just 2kg when I started him on it and I felt he was a little underweight, as pack says puppy weight 2-5kg feed 130-240g (? know the 130 is right) I've been giving him about 150g a day to increase his weight but according to their reply he should have only had 30g - i'm suprised he hasn't exploded!!! looks like he is putting on weight though! seeing vet thurs so will see if he's putting on too much, I use some for treats as well so he doesn't get any hidden extras.


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## susanb (Jan 19, 2012)

DB1 said:


> Maybe its different as pups get older, Dudley was only just 2kg when I started him on it and I felt he was a little underweight, as pack says puppy weight 2-5kg feed 130-240g (? know the 130 is right) I've been giving him about 150g a day to increase his weight but according to their reply he should have only had 30g - i'm suprised he hasn't exploded!!! looks like he is putting on weight though! seeing vet thurs so will see if he's putting on too much, I use some for treats as well so he doesn't get any hidden extras.


It will be interesting to see what your vet says. 30g a day would not have been much for him.


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## mrsmac (May 10, 2011)

Maisie has just gone onto Barking Heads adult food ( love the chicken one and the salmon one but not fussed on the lamb!) i currently feed her one cupful a day ( i think it's about 75g but cant remember when i weighed it!) twice a day. she is quite happy and clears the bowl some days and leaves some others. I also use the kibble for her treats whilst we're out in the park and she loves the chicken one


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## DB1 (Jan 20, 2012)

Vet happy with Dudley's weight, said putting on at a good rate, so going to keep giving between 130 - 150 which is pretty much what it says on the puppy bag anyway, I guess they can have less as they grow. Still not convinced what they wrote to you was right for a young puppy.


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## designsbyisis (Dec 27, 2011)

DB1 said:


> Vet happy with Dudley's weight, said putting on at a good rate, so going to keep giving between 130 - 150 which is pretty much what it says on the puppy bag anyway, I guess they can have less as they grow. Still not convinced what they wrote to you was right for a young puppy.


No I agree - love the food but made me feel a bit uneasy about their advice. I'm giving 150g per day & Dexter seems to be growing well & happy so I'll stick with it.


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## Carolyne (Mar 13, 2012)

Starting to read about feeding now we have chosen Mollie ..... 
A little confusing to understand; am I right inthinking we should be starting on about 4 meals a day, even spaced through the day. Start with the food the breeder used and then slowly start to change if we want to (Barking Head sounds good as most use it on here I think)?
If we feed lots of treats whilst toilet training etc and kongs filled with cream cheese and treats do these count as a meal or are they extra? For example - 3 meals a day with treats to make up the fourth meal?


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