I tried searching about this but didn't find anything like this.

The changes happening with Acana have led me to just try something new for Mylo. I have started the transition to Fromm food, particularly the Surf & Turf recipe. Anyway, I noticed that Fromm doesn't have feeding recommendations on its bags or website.
I know feeding instructions are not to be strictly followed and are just an example BUT this got me thinking….Acana has suggestions on its bag for Active and Less Active dogs.
What is "Active" to you guys?
I know "less active" doesn't necessarily mean lazy couch potato haha.
      ***MAIN POINT OF POST***:
Would 1 hour at the park everyday consisting of walking/running/playing be considered "Active"?
By park I mean a normal park not dog park haha.
It's just me and my furry boy.

I have always followed Acanas recommendation of 1 1/2 per day though, but recently we have been walking more than before so I wonder if I need to make changes in portion size.
The Fromm food analysis is very similar to the Acana recipe Mylo has been eating (1% less crude protein, 2% more crude fat, and 2% less fiber).
{The Fromm having 30% protein and the Acana 31% protein}

Sorry if this post seems a bit ummm "dumb"

Nope...sorry

To figure equivalence in food brands, see if you can find the calorie count per cup of food.  Is sometimes difficult and usually involves some calculations but the info is out there.  First step, maybe try the manufacturer's websites and look for specifications.  Otherwise, some of the retailers are good about supplying the specifications.  Last thought - if you have the bag - look on there for calorie count.

EDIT: I actually discussed this with a Diamond vet when trying to pick a food. I was considering extreme athlete and he said no unless it was a sled dog doing miles upon miles daily. My 3-5 miles daily with additional playtime was considered "average activity"

It's not dumb at all Dave.....I think a better way of putting it is maintaining weight, need to gain weight, need to lose weight. Because your one hour probably is about the same as my 6 times a day for a half hour each time we are out. Since I do not know the exact flavors of each and sounds like you have both bags. I would figure out closely the KCALs of each. So example if you feed 2 cups a day of the Acana, it should say somewhere what the KCAL is. Then figure out what the cup KCAL is for the Fromm....so with acan it is about 400 KCAL per cup, say you feed 2 cups a day, he gets 800 KCAL. Fromm could be the same..........so if you need help tell me what exact ones you are going from and to.

Oh and yes Amy is right on....most of our dogs are average active levels. Not super high, and definitely not low active, haha.

amymeme wrote:

Nope...sorry

To figure equivalence in food brands, see if you can find the calorie count per cup of food.  Is sometimes difficult and usually involves some calculations but the info is out there.  First step, maybe try the manufacturer's websites and look for specifications.  Otherwise, some of the retailers are good about supplying the specifications.  Last thought - if you have the bag - look on there for calorie count.

EDIT:  I actually discussed this with a Diamond vet when trying to pick a food.  I was considering extreme athlete and he said no unless it was a sled dog doing miles upon miles daily.  My 3-5 miles daily with additional playtime was considered "average activity"

Ohh I didn't think of comparing calorie count per cup. I also really need to see how many miles me and Mylo walk. All I can say is we start with a walk that lasts about 30 minutes non stop and then after that we run a bit while playing with the rope on the field and then the final run back to the car.
And wow so 3-5 miles is average? interesting

MiyasMomma wrote:

It's not dumb at all Dave.....I think  a better way of putting it is maintaining weight, need to gain weight, need to lose weight. Because your one hour probably is about the same as my 6 times a day for a half hour each time we are out. Since I do not know the exact flavors of each and sounds like you have both bags. I would figure out closely the KCALs of each. So example if you feed 2 cups a day of the Acana, it should say somewhere what the KCAL is. Then figure out what the cup KCAL is for the Fromm....so with acan it is about 400 KCAL per cup, say you feed 2 cups a day, he gets 800 KCAL. Fromm could be the same..........so if you need help tell me what exact ones you are going from and to.

Yeah I just do one good hour of fun at around 11am. Thats about all he gets as far as exercise. I'm not counting the romping with his buddy Prince in the later afternoon. Yeah I do have both bags still, on purpose to compare. The Acana was already low so I got a 5lb bag dedicated to the transition to Fromm while also to having the bag to compare the numbers before those bags go away.
I will check out the KCALS, like I told amymeme, I didn't think about looking at that.
And yeah thats what I meant by I know less active doent mean lazy couch potato lol
Thanks MiyasMomma! I can't do these comparisons right now (its about to be time to head to school) but I will try later or tomorrow.

Specific recipes?
--New food is: Fromm Surf & Turf
-Transitioning away from Acana Wild Prarie

3-5 mile average sounds right to me. I'm doing about that of pure walking/running and then mine are getting around 2-3 hours of play a day on top of it. Kenzi has the good husky metabolism and it doesn't make her lose weight but she doesn't gain either. Keno has that bad lab metabolism and he could stand to trim a little but he isn't as broad as a bus. When I think active dog I'm thinking working dog. A service dog or a professional hunting dog or competition dog. Something that moves all day every day or puts in tons of miles. We used to put our hunting dogs on active dog food a few days before a hunt and we would feed it until we got back. We were putting massive miles on those dogs when we were hunting them and they were hard miles through thick brush and grass. When we weren't hunting the dogs during deep winter we didn't feed performance. Even though they stayed trained all year long if they weren't working they just weren't burning the calories.

I have also pondered the same question as "what is active". I feed my 7.5 month old Acana and he gets 1 cup am and 1 cup PM. Acana says for my dogs activity level (I do consider him active) and weight, he should be getting around 2 1/4 cups a day. I also spoke to vet and she says I am feeding the right amount. You can also google calorie calculator for dogs. I know mine is active. He gets 40 mins of off leash running in the AM ( we are lucky we have parks around my house) and close to one hour again of off leash running in the PM, sometimes he plays hard with another dog when they come to the park. I think the term "less active" on food labels means short walks, no running or senior dogs.

hah - knew I'd find it eventually! Here is a link to a chart that operationalizes activity levels:

http://www.nutro.com/natural-dog-food/dog-resources/dog-feeding-guidelines.aspx

Dave...The Fromm is 409 KCAL and the Acana is 434 KCAL...the calculators work great by plugging in numbers. Personally I keep things simple and adjust as needed, so for you you can use the calculator, or feed the same amount, if he seems hungry or you notice he is losing weight you could up it by a 1/4 cup.

@Twisterll
Today I tracked how many miles we walk and its a little over 3 miles then some play which ends with a zoomie. I know he's done when he starts to look towards the direction of the car and water fountain lol. Mylo has a good husky metabolism I suppose...he has been stable at 38.5-39 pounds for the past four months or so. And yeah a working dog is the epitome active dogness.

@Sarah20
Yay someone else that has been thinking about this hehe
Sounds like you are doing great with feeding your active pup. I wish I knew a little better back when Mylo was a younger pup cause I think I under fed him a little bit..he wasn't active at all back then..our vet never addressed anything about his eating so I guess it was okay. About the labels, when companies decide to do it I think they should have a in between suggestion like "average activity" with estimated numbers/description..but then again thats why its up to the owners to adjust.

@amymeme
Ohh this is neat, thanks Amy! Mylo is definitely Active Level 2 in between the 30-50 pound range (39 pounds). So the total KCALS I will be feeding with Fromm are 818 which looks good. Funny how I'm more concerned with the feeding of my dog than with myself lol On the other hand Mylo makes be be active, I would not be going to the park every day to walk and run if it wasn't for him.

@MiyasMomma
Cool! I finally get to do the calculations to adjust. Mylo seems to be transitioning well. It will be 100% Fromm on Monday. It helps that both foods are similar in specs. I will definitely have to increase the portion a little bit. I was shocked at the difference in kibble size of Fromm compared to Acana…Fromm's kibble is so tiny! But Mylo crunches away perfectly. Acana is flat-ish and wide.

wow 3-5 miles is active, then Leo is a couch potato lol.
he usually dose less then a mile(.7) on warm days on cool day its about a mile, and a few minutes of play time if hes in the mood to play and the longest he has ever walked was almost 2-3 miles lol.

I always start my dogs out on the amount recommended for average or typical activity and monitor their weight. If they're losing weight, I switch to the amount recommended for active dogs. If they're gaining weight, I switch to the amount recommend for inactive or neutered dogs. It's been working well for me. I've found that my neutered dogs (which is all of them except Suka) do well on the inactive amount but Suka does best on the active amount. It's all a matter of trial and error until you figure out what's best. It shouldn't take more than a few weeks.

I wont disagree Jessie, but with any change in diet, results will not be seen for at least 8 weeks, seems like a long time, however, that is the base to see, i.e. allergies, intolerance, and weight gain or loss all dependent on a minimum of 8 weeks, and many will say 12 weeks.

Yes, that's true. My dogs have been on the small side for the last six years (10-20 pound range) so they gain and lose weight quickly. I find out within two weeks if I need to make adjustments to the amount they're fed. A larger dog would take longer to gain or lose weight, so it would naturally take longer to determine if an adjustment needs to be made.