New Puppy, Help with nutrition. - Page 3

Qman. 👍👏
This has been a great thread so far. A lot of helpful information to the OP.

So Refreshing too ..

Hi again,

I was wondering if you could help me again :-).

My question is, when is a suitable time to switch from puppy food to regular (adult) food? I don't know if there is a general rule for this? My puppy is currently in the final steps of teething (5 months old).


Thanks again for the great support!. Have a nice day!

Richie...That's a very easy question for me to answer...I DON'T use puppy foods...I start my puppies off on a good quality Adult Dog Food...
Large breeds of dogs don't need to grow fast...in fact we'd like to see their physical beings grow slowly...Because when an animal's body grows very fast...the skeletal system can't keep up with it very well and their bones begin having a problem...
I have NEVER used puppy foods on any of my puppies or litters of puppies...I've had good luck with the way my puppies grow...

~Bob~

I so agree even though I use a raw diet.

My pups grow slow with solid dense bone yet mature into large dogs the equal or surpass litter mates raise on age specific and breed specific foods.

I also have not had a bad hip score on raw which I think is because of the slower growth and a heaveir bone development.

Using a good qualityl dry food  but not a super high protien I woulld stay in the neighborhood of 25-  27% for his age now and the rest of his life

Carbohydrate rich dog foods are not good for puppies. Animal protein and animal fats are the building blocks that a puppy needs for proper growth. Rapid growth and development using cheap or expensive carbohydrate rich dog foods is what leads to uneven growth and development. Unfortunately for a three month old puppy the ship sailed during gestation and the first three months of life. Before buying from a breeder ask what the sire and dam eat every day and what the dam or mother eats during gestation. A breeder who feeds poor quality food and who sells a puppy at six weeks is to be avoided.

I suggest including all animal protein and fat in the diet,  plenty of exercise daily ( if they need to eat 3 times a day then they need exercise three times or more per day ), and lots of mind and personality building education.  Puppies need to play, exercise, and learn from other dogs and humans.  Simple obedience exercises and play with tugs, balls, and food will build trust with humans if done properly.  Check out free videos on Leerburg featuring Michael Ellis explaining early puppyhood development.  Your puppy was taken away from it's mother and litter mates much too early ( 6 weeks is too early ) and socialization and trust building with other dogs is a must for puppies raised in "human" households without other dogs to teach a dog how to be a dog.

Here is a picture of Maya who just turned 7 months old :-). She's doing great and has lots of energy!!! Thank you all again for your help and tips.