Hi! Can‘t offer any advice on which companies to use I‘m afraid as I don‘t live in UK but having followed discussions on here, I‘m certain there are a lot of good suppliers who also offer advice to help you get started.
I believe some dogs can indeed by affected by certain foods and also the additives etc which are included in many of the manufactured dog food. Raw food is, for want of a better term, „cleaner“ it doesn‘t include extras, so you know what you‘re getting and you have more control over the diet. I only buy the meat and add fruit, vegetables, oil and cereals myself.
I initially changed my dog over to raw on the suggestion of a groomer, Humphrey was just starting to lose his puppy coat and his hair was dry and matt and looked dreadful. Although the advice is to change gradually, we just changed from one day to the next and had no problems, but its a good idea to start with just one sort of meat and introduce others gradually so if there is any reaction or intolerance to anything, its easier to single out.
I‘ve never had a problem with holidays and with a bit of planning can usually sort things out. You can check out suppliers online to see if you can purchase locally, I‘ve bought supermarket meat during short trips and if all else fails I‘ve bought tinned pure meat and just added vegetables - but I‘m pretty sure someone else on here can give you tips on that.
My personal experience has been positive, my dog‘s been raw fed for nearly 6 years, we‘ve very rarely had any stomach upsets (unless he’s found something disgusting on a walk!
), I have him checked regularly for worms and parasites but he‘s never had any since he‘s been raw fed, so I don‘t worm him and we‘ve had no problems with allergies etc so far. I wouldn’t want to argue that its healthier, there are lots of very good manufactured foods around but I like to know exactly what I‘m eating and the same goes for my dog.
As for behaviour, well that’s a tricky one and while I‘m not denying ADHD, (and don’t want to step on any toes here) I do suspect its often used to label humans and animals who are just trying to use up excess energy. Most young dogs can be pretty hyper and cocker puppies are probably more excitable than most, training classes can be quite challenging (I‘m in my sixties and Humphrey is my 3rd dog but I won’t deny having cried all the way home on more than one occasion!) but I doubt any change of diet would, except in rare cases, have any effect. Good lead walking is probably THE biggest issue with cockers, as you‘ll see from the puppy and behaviour boards, it needs consistency, patience and ongoing training. Mental stimulation is a great way to help them learn to focus and also use up excess energy. So, while I‘m a great fan of a raw diet, I don’t honestly believe it would have any effect at all in that regard, sorry!
I would suggest having a look at some of the websites of the leading raw food brands, most are more than willing to answer any questions and offer advice. Its no where near as complicated and mysterious as many would have you believe so please don’t be put off if it seems a bit daunting and if you need any advice, there are always lots of people on here who can help.
Hope that helps a bit!