Small Dog Big Appetite

I love big dogs. When I was growing up we had a border collie who grew to a massive 63 lbs. Granted, that's huge for the breed, but I was hoping for similar when I got Jax. I have never met Jax's parents, so I really didnt have a good idea of what size he may grow to. I fed him well as a pup: vitamins, omegas, you name it.... all in hopes of getting a big boned working dog.

Well, Jax is 42 lbs soaking wet. And if I'm not careful he'll drop down to 37lbs in a weekend. He hasnt grown much more than when he was 6 months old. My hopes for a big dog didnt work out, but what I did get was a dog with a big appetite. Most people feed their larger dogs around 2.5 cups of adult dog food a day. Jax is a special case... he gets double that on a normal day. More on a working day. At 5 cups a day Jax is a challenge to keep weight on. Not only does he get a larger quantity of food, he is also on High Endurance dog food (not to mention his joint supplement and omegas). This food has 50% more fat and protein than adult dog foods! He eats the same amount as a dog twice his size.

Naturally there is a border collie on the bag. I certainly recognize the association with "active". I see the breed and think, "This is for a dog that is busy ALL the time, like my dog." They have a metabolism I would kill for (or at least steal an expensive car, maybe death is a bit extreme). So when his coonhound buddy TJ is on diet dog food to get him ready for bathing suit season, Jax is getting packed full of calories at every opportunity.  So in essence, I have my big dog. Or at least the same caloric requirements.