The health of the pwd, like many other breeds, has been very much affected badly by three things that major companies have tried to convince us are of benefit. These are:

• Diet - as discussed on this page
• Vaccines - please click here to find out a considerable amount about the negative effects of vaccines
• Poisons - such as worming treatments, and flea treatments

It is critical to understand that not only is the health of your pet a result of genetics, but also of their environment. And some of the environmental factors, including the three listed above, can go on to affect generations of your pets. Indeed I would argue that unless you ensure you are taking care of the environmental issues around your dog, then I wonder why you would waste the money on any genetic testing at all!

They MUST go hand in hand.

You will not find out this information from pet food companies, pharmaceutical companies, nor most vets. Remember, a healthy pet is not a profitable commodity for these industries.

When I first started with PWD's, at the time, it seemed the majority of people did not feed a raw diet. There is evidence that many of the health problems in the PWD are directly caused by the very health care procedures being used to try and reduce health problems. (eg: de-worming strategies) Over time this has changed dramatically. Now there are less and less people who are prepared to risk the health of their dog through an incorrect diet, and people are also understanding the detrimental impact of vaccines and other poisons.

And we won't even place puppies with people who won't feed a raw diet. Check out the application form here with our list of requirements, because the health and well being of our dogs is too important. In addition, we will not allow our dogs to be used at stud unless the owners of the bitch feed their bitch raw, and commit to only placing puppies in raw fed homes. Check out our link here for more info on our stud dog rules.

Whilst it is up to pet owners to really do their own research, below is the tips I give people when they ask me how I feed my dogs. Importantly, people who won't feed raw will not get one of my puppies. If they break their commitment to feeding raw, they lose their health guarantee.

Tips to feeding my dogs

1. Keep the diet simple. There are no prizes for feeding a complex diet, and in fact a correct raw diet is not complicated at all
2. Start with something simple. Most people start with chicken because it is easily available.
3. Avoid chicken necks and chicken wings by themselves, unless they are attached the bigger parts of the bird. We prefer to feed bigger pieces where ever possible
4. We feed fish at least twice a week, and sometimes daily
5. Where ever we can, we feed "whole" foods such as eggs, whole rabbit, whole fish (yes, this includes the head, fins, scales, and guts), pigeon, etc.
6. Variety is necessary as part of the diet. Do not just feed chicken, for example.
7. Feed organ meat - such as liver, heart, etc, once a week - approximately half a kilo a week is plenty.
8. Feed meat on the bone, but don't make the mistake of feeding large bare bones. There must be plenty of meat on the bone. Don't make the mistake of just feeding meat.
9. There are no prizes for feeding the most expensive food types. Source what is available locally. Feeding a raw diet should be less expensive then feeding an artificial diet.
10. Avoid ground food.
11. Do not feed veggies, nor supplements, nor grains, nor fruit.
12. Avoid pre-made raw food. Never ever buy pre-made raw. It's expensive, it's quality is poor, and it is not an appropriate diet for any dog I have bred.
13. Don't get hooked into the concept of "menu plans". Simply feed a range of foods over a week.

Food my dogs eat

On this plate you'll find sliced horse meat at the top, sliced beef kidney on the right, and sliced sheep tongue on the left. This is the sort of meal I'll feed to pups, smaller dogs (like toy poodles), and to the cats, as demonstrated in the picture below. You can click on these images to enlarge.

This is a small shark. This cost me $1.50, and the dogs and cats love it!

$110 bought me all this stuff below, which included two young calves (one born dead and the other with broken leg), and the pups then getting in and having a go at eating it. The added benefit of all this food is that it is all raised on grass, and none is from feed lots. In one package, there's 5 cow tails, which my guys just love! The shopping list also included tongue, liver, heart, and horse meat.

Further Links

• The PWD for feeding raw
• General raw feeding list - the most comprehensive on the web
• Vaccines - and the dangers of these and other poisons
• General information on feeding raw, including some investigation into dodgy practices

  Books we recommend

  Essential Reading! This will fundamentally change the way you look at dogs

  This is Jan's latest book. Be sure to get your hands on it!

  Get this book too! Humans need to learn how to treat dogs they way they need to be treated, and stop treating them like furry humans.

More Questions?

If you have any more questions, you'd like to ask, please click here to contact us directly. We are more than happy to help you.