Re: dog food / dog treats

[Michaela Simmons]

Food:
My dogs get either a homemade BARF diet or " Burn's Real food for pets"
http://www.burns-pet-nutrition.com/index.htm when we are travelling or I'm
too busy to make the homemade version. Burn's is the only dried food that
Harvey, my fickle boy eats, with gusto. The ingredients are top-notch, it
doesn't contain any genetically modified ingredients and doesn't use battery
chickens ( very important for me since I insist on ethical farming methods).
And the dogs love it. It's available in the UK and the US, and I could
highly recommend it. My only complaint is that it's a little low in protein
( 18.5 %) which would be perfect for a less active or older dog, but I
simply add some tinned fish or cooked chicken for my boys.

Treats/Chews
Dried lambs liver ( you can easily dry your own in the oven, too!), James
Wellbeloved's "Crackerjacks" ( yummy, crunchy and they brake into small
pieces), raw marrow bones ( entire knuckle ones) and something I think you
call "macho sticks" in the US. Here they go under the fetching name "bulls
pizzles" since they are dried bulls penises ( you guys in the States are a
bashful bunch!). They are completely natural, will keep the dogs chewing
happily for a long time and are the only chew I have found which doesn't get
soggy ( when darling doggy drags it out in the garden and leaves it there in
the rain for a while), the dog can't bite of chunks as with rawhide (
thereby minimising choking) and they are HUGE. I kid you not, I buy mine 5'
long and either chop them in halve or just give them entire. The only
problem is, you'll never walk past another bull without scrutinising his
privates and smirking.

Oh , and cubes of cheese! Cheese is medicine for a Berner.

Michaela, Harvey & Rupert
Devon/UK

PS I have no affiliation with Burn's - I just like their food.

Re: dog food / dog treats

[Mary-Ann Bowman]

My dogs love raw marrow bones, and I give those out for chewing. I train
with a variety of treats -- usually string cheese but also about anything
else. I like using bananas for tracking because they smell and are easy for
the dog to eat and move. In general, training treats should be soft so that
one does not spend a lot of time waiting for the treat to be chewed up --
pasta, cut up meat, cheese, cereal, whatever. I rarely use "real" dog
treats -- too expensive and usually not as healthy as "human" food.

Mary-Ann Bowman
Utah
Emma, Abra, Maize and Halo

dog food / dog treats

[Terry & Cathy Bering]

Dear Members,
What dog food/dog treats do Berner List readers use? At a recent dog
show in Chicago there were numerous booths set up advertising allergy
free and other natural foods/treats. Unfortunately, what you see of the
small manufacturers of dog food/treats at the AKC events are not
available in the regular food stores or large pet stores like Petsmart
or Petco. We are trying Wellness and Innova brands that we found in a
smaller store far from us. 
We found Old Mother Hubbard treats there also but we were disappointed
with the lack of healthy variety brands at this small pet boutique.
Unfortunately, our 7 month old pup tried raw hides and of course loves
them. With her recent bout of diarrhea we have restricted her diet. Is
it ever OK to give rawhides that contain no chemicals or preservatives
to dogs if you supervise them closely? I know once the raw hide gets
chewed and becomes gooey it becomes extremely dangerous to the dogs and
cause choking as they try to swallow it. Any comments on the Berner-L
list are appreciated. Terry