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Most dogs used as guard dogs are German Shepherds , with an occasional Doberman Pinscher , Boxer , or Labrador Retriever. The average weight of an adult male guard dog is regarding 70 pounds. None should weigh less than 50 pounds. To desirably provide a guard dog with adequate amounts of force and nutrients every day , its feed should have the following three characteristics: 1) It should contain regarding 2000 calories in each pound. 2) It should have the nutrients balanced to be fed at regarding 40 available calories per pound of remains weight. 3) The overall digestibility of the feed should not be less than 80 percent.

No feed exists , in normal commercial feed channels , that will satisfy the characteristics apparently listed. While a few canned foods collide the digestibility requirements , no dry foods execute. Neither type meets the caloric density or nutrient balance requirements. Soft-moist foods collide the digestibility requirements , but have level pore caloric densities than the dry foods.

The addition of recent , or canned , meat and meat by-products to a dry feed normally improves the digestibility of the protein and plump in the diet. But , because of the high water content of meat foods , their addition veritably reduces the caloric density of the ultimate diet combination.

Caloric density can be increased by the addition of corn oil. This process works desirably apparently when increased force needs are minimal. With a guard dog's force requirements , nevertheless , desirably much corn oil is needed that it , too , will dilute the feed and nutrient deficiencies are adroit to occur.

All guard dogs should be fed by strict portion control. How each dog's weight , usual condition , and performance are affected by its diet can be much more desirably compared when feeding by portion control. Guard dogs whom are from a self-feeder are adroit to become overweight , dull or unresponsive. The final two are especially deadly to a guard dog and its mission.

Guard dogs should be fed no less than three hours , before or after , their jaunt of duty. To feed any closer to the jaunt is an invitation to bloat , torsion or other gastric distress. The hazard of these diseases is further increased if the dogs are eating low-quality foods containing poorly-digested nutrients.

Feeding guard dogs is an exception to the rule that all dogs should be fed at the same hour every day. A guard dog's jaunt hours are subject field to usual adjust. Also , its meal hours must changed because feeding three hours before duty tours is more indispensable than steady feeding hours. Actually , once their feeding routine is sagacious , most guard dogs will become accustomed to being fed three hours before going on duty and will adapt their behavior to cue on their feeding time the same way any dog does that is fed at the same time every day.