JulesP

The way I see it if the company used the same bags say as pro plan etc the food wouldn't be afordable for most people. I think its good that they aren't wasting money on packaging as the bag gets thrown away anyway. If people are complaining about where this food is made etc why not complain about pro plan etc i bet they don't have on there packet made at 506 harry street nsw 2680 (example there) The most of read on there packet is made in _____ then the date. If your worried about where it is made etc how about asking your supermarket/butcher where they get there meat from. If your that worried try making your own dog food, I'm only new to black hawk but I find the food very good and i don't care where it is made as the food specks for itself with the dogs eg coat etc. You don't want to know, fine. Why is it a problem if I want to know? Because your constant harping on and on an on has become tiredsome. How about you stop talking to me then and I might stop having to defend myself.

The way I see it if the company used the same bags say as pro plan etc the food wouldn't be afordable for most people. I think its good that they aren't wasting money on packaging as the bag gets thrown away anyway. If people are complaining about where this food is made etc why not complain about pro plan etc i bet they don't have on there packet made at 506 harry street nsw 2680 (example there) The most of read on there packet is made in _____ then the date. If your worried about where it is made etc how about asking your supermarket/butcher where they get there meat from. If your that worried try making your own dog food, I'm only new to black hawk but I find the food very good and i don't care where it is made as the food specks for itself with the dogs eg coat etc. You don't want to know, fine. Why is it a problem if I want to know?

It was the whole white bag/no name thing that originally had people asking were this food is from. It wasn't called Black Hawk then, it was called Holistic Lamb & Rice. I and I guess other people wanted more assurances. It was a simple question that was never answered on the board. There were other threads that asked this too. Had it come out as 'Black Hawk' I doubt any questions would have been asked. Had someone simply said "It was originally an export food made by APFE" that would have been the end of the questions. I doubt greatly that anyone has been nasty via PM etc.

Dale said on THIS thread that he makes the food. The only conclusion I can make is that everyone involved with this food are crap at communication.

I fail to see how asking questions can be called 'nastiness' and 'backstabbing'.

For the record I have not sent one abusive phone call, email or PM to Sherel or APFE. I had a very cordial phone call with APFE maybe a year ago. I have not said one negative thing about the food and have actually recommended it many times. I have no idea why Sherel refuses to say that APFE make the damn food and I simply don't care anymore.

And why exactly do you think any of that has happened?

Bum bag. I find that novice handlers that have the food in their pockets can never get the treats out in a timely fashion and are fumbling around too much.

My 3 border collies pretty much spend all day under the house veranda. They are hardly ever running around their acre garden. The youngest one might struggle in a townhouse, the oldest would be fine and I think the middle one would be ok as well. The 2 girls are pretty small too, not a heap bigger than a sheltie. I would suggest 2 walks a day though and training.

If I have a pupil with a pup that is very out of control I do ask about diet. Mainly about preservatives and colours. My little allergy dog is actually very flat when she is showing symptoms. She is very bouncy when she feels good. I would view symptoms coming and going in a day as an allergy not an intolerance.

I googled human saliva tests and it said not to eat for an hour before the test and to rinse the mouth with water before collecting. Don't know if that helps at all.

Don't give puppy breakfast either Hunny. That way those treats will be even more yummy!

Good luck best4koda! Happy to report Amber is back eating the kibble. Even happier to report that after a couple of weeks on the kibble she has not a rash in sight. Happy days. She is feeling very very good too. She is a bit flat when she is rashy.

I have a sneaky suspicion that she isn't actually going when I put her out. I also have to say that I don't think the crate house training has worked half as well as the watch pup and put out when sniffing method. I honestly don't think she is actually house trained. She just never got to have accidents in the house. She did woof at me the other night though when they were all in the house. I wouldn't hear her in her crate.

My dogs have normally been quite happy to sleep outside. They have a nice sheltered area and a kennel. Amber likes sleeping inside. That is fine and I've been letting her sleep in the crate. BUT she wees in the crate. I have been staying up later (11-11.30pm) and getting up earlier (6.30am) to accommodate this. Last night I let her out at 12.30 for a wee. At 4.30 she showed no interest in going out and this morning the crate was wet. The crate is a medium size and I don't think I could go smaller. She doesn't have water in there. She has about 30 mins outside to do her business before I get her in. Not sure what else to do??

I have beds rather than blankets and throw them out when they get grotty.

I would love to go too but have too many animals to go away. Wish it was closer to Melbourne so I didn't need to stay away.

I was embarrassed buying the Supercoat in MegaPet!! Coles it isn't so bad. The thing with grain free feeds is is you take the grain out then you have to fill it with something else, hence the higher protein levels. The higher protein levels haven't really bothered me in feeds as dogs are well carnivorous. I would be slightly concerned with pumping a lot of a high protein diet into a pup as I don't want fast growth. (I believe fast growth can lead to OCD type problems). I feed kibble as only 50% of the dogs diet anyhow. For me the problem with BH was the brewers yeast. (Disclaimer - I fed Holistic Lamb & Rice which is pretty much the same recipe as BH). And wheat is a problem, which I ran into in other kibbles.

The kibble isn't causing any skin problems in any of the dogs. Maybe the poos are a little more but not to an 'omg' extent. I've actually thought they were a little too hard on some of the premium kibbles/bones. Madam did agree to eat it this morning. The other 2 dogs are scoffing it happily, they are so easy though. Will need a couple of weeks to see if they drop coat condition. To manage weight I imagine you would need to feed more cups as against Artemis. The 2 older ones needed to drop a bit of weight. I am still struggling with snob feelings about feeding it!!

I've bonded immediately with every dog I've owned. Most before I had even seen them! I didn't see Brock or Amber before I went and picked them up. But it didn't occur to me that I wouldn't. I had no expectations of how things were going to be. No high hopes, dreams etc. They were just cute fluffy pups. The puppies have never overwhelmed me, I love having puppies! The cats have been a different story. I've only really bonded with my first cat and she sort of broke my heart with her cat behavior. I've bonded with most of my horses too. I think you are over thinking things.

Ok I just went back and found this as I was sure that Sherel had said that APFE didn't make Black Hawk. I am now really confused. This dog food is doing my head in.

Dale there are actually 2 'Holistic Lamb and Rice' products available in Melbourne. Both in plain white bags. One is pretty much identical to Black Hawk (the emu oil is sometimes in it and sometimes not). The second product has cereals as a first ingredient. Do you make both these products?

Unless you get your added bits of food balanced correctly then yes you can unbalance a complete dog food. I wouldn't fuss too much about it though as long as the dog looks good and is healthy.

She ate the kibble tonight when I mixed it with meat.

Amber totally refused to eat Nutro.