hyper active collie kelpie cross

[JohnGalway 1,043]

Hi folks,

 

We have a 17 month old collie kelpie cross working sheep dog, great personality but hyper as f**k. He's out on the farm everyday as much as possible between myself and Dad. He's getting fed twice a day with feedwell dry dog food, I think that is the problem.

 

What's a good well balanced food for him that won't drive him daft?

 

Atb,

 

John.

[gnipper 5,972]

Meat. What's the protein percentage in the food he's on?

[Sirius 1,358]

With some of the herding breeds they really are designed/breed if you will 'to go all day' on not alot at all, they are tough creatures with basic needs.

Get him on a plain diet, low in protein, no colourings and additives if possible, ideally a plain fresh meat diet will be fine.

The diet may cahnge him slightly but be aware diet change may take upto 4-6 weeks to see a huge differnce, and he is the produce of two pretty active breeds so this maybe part of it.

Some dogs need a year for each leg before they chill out ;-)

Good luck

[JohnGalway 1,043]

Hi guys, thanks for the replies. I appreciate he's a young dog but he's gone fookin loola lately, I don't want bad habits to come out the end of it. Got that feed info now:

 

Ingredents : cereals, meat, meat derivatives, oils and fats.

 

23.5% protein, 10% ash, 9% oil, 3.5% fibre.

 

Vitamins 7500 iu/kg; D3 750 iu/kg;E. 65 iu/kg

[Neal 1,791]

Hi John! I've heard of lots of owners of kelpies and kelpie crosses with hyperactive dogs and in most cases, as mentioned above, it's down to too much protein via a complete dry dog food.

 

Many working breeds can survive on minimal diets and I believe the heeler is a good example of this (they can almost put on weight just by being in the same room as a bag of dog food!). My pure kelpies are fed on raw meat and bones etc and two of them are very easy going and will sleep all the time they're not out. The other is slightly more "excitable" but, at only four years old, she's still "the pup." She also sleeps and switches off nearly as well as the others but is just slightly more likely to follow me around the house if I'm doing something whereas the older two either walk/work or sleep.

[masmiffy 82]

As has been said cut down on the protein or, if you dont intend to breed, have his nuts off!! That works!

[Moll. 1,769]

Redmills tracker, i use it the odd time i give my dogs dry food, it is 20% protien

 

http://www.redmills.co.uk/uk/greyhound/products/product/?id=540&parent=439

Edited February 16, 2012 by Moll.

[stabba 10,745]

These dogs are bred to work from dawn till dusk. Sometimes the odd freak appears in a litter where no matter what you feed or however much you throw at it it will never alter the dogs makeup. Hopefully a lower protein food will calm him down but dont set your hopes on it..plus the dog needs a good amount of it if he,s programmed that way . It could be detrimental to the dogs health if you dont feed enough protein for the amount of work the dogs doing. But if the dogs just hyper without the work outlet then going down the route of cutting his protein is probably the right thing to do...atb stabba

[jigsaw 11,809]

I have a kelpie x and ive tried and failed to tire her,only being exhausted myself in the end.The breed are a dynamo of energy and even after 6 hours mountain walking the bitch is still jumping about the place.You just got to learn to live with it I reckon.

[doris 6]

Hi guys, thanks for the replies. I appreciate he's a young dog but he's gone fookin loola lately, I don't want bad habits to come out the end of it. Got that feed info now:

 

Ingredents : cereals, meat, meat derivatives, oils and fats.

 

23.5% protein, 10% ash, 9% oil, 3.5% fibre.

 

Vitamins 7500 iu/kg; D3 750 iu/kg;E. 65 iu/kg

that doesnt looka particularly high protein content , but what you havent quoted is the preservatives that are in the food, which in my opinion counts for a lot.

 

I agree with the raw food diet (barf), and can only tell of a woman I know that approached me about her springer that was 4 years old and still bouncing of the walls as she put it despite being put on a special diet by her vet. . . . James wellbeloved dry food, I told her of the raw food diet and despite her shock and horror, she decided to give it a go. 4 weks later she rang me to say she was concerned , in that when she came home instead of the hound doing the whirling dervish for 10 mins, he now greeted her with a wagging tail for all of 30 secs and then retired to his bed. Friends commented on how settled he had become, despite still being full of energy when out with the other dogs.

 

Give it a go you might be surprised!

[bird 9,596]

These dogs are bred to work from dawn till dusk. Sometimes the odd freak appears in a litter where no matter what you feed or however much you throw at it it will never alter the dogs makeup. Hopefully a lower protein food will calm him down but dont set your hopes on it..plus the dog needs a good amount of it if he,s programmed that way . It could be detrimental to the dogs health if you dont feed enough protein for the amount of work the dogs doing. But if the dogs just hyper without the work outlet then going down the route of cutting his protein is probably the right thing to do...atb stabba

 

spot on , i had a kellpie x collie x grey bitch years ago, and even though it was onl a 1/4 kellpie it really came through . She was on the feckin go 24/7 , would go nuts when left in the kennel , when not working. I feed all my dogs 1lb mince raw chicken, and 2 cups of dry meal (21% pro), and i think thats plenty enough protein made up with r/c . The bitch i had got sharp with people , was great with me but nobody else, had go at my mrs + son so that was the end of her, shame really as it was great working dog.!

[nottzhunter08 898]

i would reccomend no more then 22% protein in food

[doris 6]

how's yer mutt mate?