Protein Levels for Adult dogs?

It has been mentioned to me a couple of times (by people who are quite "in the know" about dogs) that the reason my boys are so "hyper" isn't because they are Boxers, but because they are being fed wrongly.

Apparantly I feed them too much protein...

I feed CSJ "That'll Do!" and have been doing so for about a year (previously on CSJ "Champ!")

Currently, the stats for the CSJ are:
Protein 21%
Oil 12%
Ash 8.5%
Fibre 2.5%

Ingredients:
Chicken Meat Meal, Wheat, Rice, Chicken Fat, Unmolassed Beet Pulp, Wheat Feed, Full Fat Linseed, Prairie Meal, Yeast, EC permitted natural anti-oxidants, Mixed Tocopherols, Vitamin C and Rosemary Extract.

Now, if I fed a more "premium" brand, such as Arden Grange, the protein level would be around 24/25%, James Wellbeloved is approximately the same as CSJ (dependent on main ingredient).

I don't really want to swap and change the boys food (not least because of a) cost, and b) the fact I have 45kg of CSJ in my garage) because it does them no good.

With a very active breed like a Boxer, do protein levels make a difference? I'm not sure what I'd have to feed them to make them less hyper!

P.S. For me, raw feeding isn't an option. We have very little fridge and freezer space to store fresh/frozen foods.

21% is about normal for an adult dog I think.

I found that on Burns at 18.5% my two could not maintain their weight when they were younger. They are currently on Arden Grange, Star on the light version and Finn on Fish & Potato. Will need to check the protein levels but I think Finn is on 24%.

Just checked the bags of AG.

Finn is on 25% protein and Star is currently on 18% because its a light food and she had gained a bit too much weight on Wafcol Fish & Potato. Now she is back to normal she will be going back onto regular AG and 25% protein.

Unfortunately it is an old myth that protein and hyperactivity are linked. There is no scientific evidence that supports this theory. Dogs benefit from a high level of animal protein (meat such as chicken, or fish) as it is important for the growth and maintenance of the muscle tissue and also the immune system. As your Boxers are very active, reducing the protein intake may result in having tired (rather than calm) dogs simply because they do not have enough energy to be their usual selves. Boxers are full of life and energy; it does not necessarily mean that they are hyperactive. I got a very active Polish Lowland Sheepdog and I find that mental exercise sometimes tires her out more than physical exercise, so I try giving her little problem-solving tasks during the day as well.

Thanks for this guys, puts my mind at rest somewhat!

Of course, they aren't "hyper", they are Boxers! We do lots of mental and physical work with them (we have to, they'd be on the ceiling otherwise!), so I shall evaluate their "tasks"!

Most folk tend to overfeed, as they don't measure out the food - and that's why a lower energy food is often better because there's more room for error!
I feed my 4 year old working dog on PAH Senior because i think their adult food is too high in protein/oil for my dog, but I like the food and price - and she's fine, certainly not lacking in energy believe me!

After looking at he ingredients of CSJ food and Arden Grange in the past I have to say I prefer Arden Grange overall. I think the more protein the better.

IMO hyperactivity is more linked with food colourings and additives.

I have heard it said that hyperactivity can be linked to the amount of carbohydrates in dog food, as opposed to the protien. But don't have any links or info on it. May be worth looking into.

Additives and colourings seemed to be a big factor for my own wee jrt when he came to me wired to the moon being fed on Bakers.

I had heard that too and found that while feeding my 2 Timberwolf with a high meat content and less rice rice they were just as calm as on a low protein food. The Timberwolf was 28%.

Our 11 month old dog has always done extremely well on Burns mini bites which was 21% protein. She's extremely fit, muscular and always recovered quickly so 21% was clearly all she needed for growth and repair.

Recently we tried an experiment with raw feeding. We fed her half kibble and half raw for three weeks. Her speed and endurance dropped off quite significantly. We were advised to cut the kibble altogether and when we did that the drop in performance was shocking. She's now back on Burns, but as she's older she's now on the Active formula. We've got our old dog back - within a day her energy levels were back to normal.

Now I don't know for certain, but I suspect the problem was too much protein.

When I started raw feeding the experts told me that raw meat had the same amount of protein as kibble - about 20%. The explained that most of the meat was water. I accepted this at the time, but now realise that this is very wrong.

Think about it....

Burns is 21% kibble, so my pup would get 21grams of protein in her daily recommended quota of 100grams.

Many meats are around 21% protein. However, because meat is full of water the daily quota for my pup would be 250 grams. That's about 50 grams of protein.

The actual percentage of protein in an all meat, no carbs diet is close to 50%.

This high level of protein didn't cause hyperactivity in my dog. Quite the opposite. As I understand it, protein is needed for muscle growth and tissue repair. Any excess is discharged as waste via the kidneys. As far as I know this won't do any harm if your dog is healthy.

However, in a very active dog like mine, if you're putting 50% protein in the diet you aren't leaving as much room for fat and carbs. The body will use protein for energy in the absense of fat and carbs, but it's a very poor source of energy so performance will suffer.

The idea that 20% of protein is making your dog hyper doesn't really seem to fit my understanding of what protein is used for in the body. (But I'm no expert).

But if you want to experiment with less protein without going to the expense of changing their diet you could reduce the protein content of their food by cutting back a tiny bit on their portions and popping in some extra carbs (e.g. potatoe, rice, pasta).