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How Much Food To Feed A German Shepherd

Final Thoughts The Importance Of Nutrition

Right amount to feed a German Shepherd puppy with GSM & Big Don

You now know what the best diet is for your German Shepherd. Theres certainly a lot to consider in this giant guide, but I hope Ive given you enough food for thought!

The best advice I could give you is

  • Choose a type of food that suits your dogs life stage and your lifestyle
  • Invest in the best quality dog food you can afford

What Are The Best Brands Of Dog Food To Feed German Shepherds

Rather than looking for a particular brand, you might make sure the brand or product you end up choosing fits in with your vets recommendation, and is adequate and balanced nutritionally.

This way you are picking based on professional advice and also health based criteria, rather than looking for a brand first.;

Nutritional Requirements For German Shepherd

As your puppy grows into adolescence, his nutritional needs will change. He no longer needs as many nutrients as when he was a puppy. At this age, your dog needs to eat adult formula food, and ideally, the food should also contain joint supplements to keep his arthritis under control.

Check at the dog food bag and see if there is wording such as Complete and balanced nutrition based on AAFCO guidelines for adult maintenance. Most German shepherds that are primarily pets will be fine eating an adult maintenance dog food formula.;

But suppose your German shepherd is a competition dog that actively participates in recreational or competitive canine sports. In that case, he will be better off with a formula for all life stages.

What if your dog is underweight? Consuming a high-calorie dog food together with some additional calories and protein such as cheese and egg might be the best answer. What if your dog is overweight? Then his diet should probably consist of food that provides good nutrition but with more fill so that he can meet all his nutritional needs and lose weight.

Read Also: How Many Breeds Of German Shepherds Are There

Finding The Best Dog Food For Your German Shepherd

The day has long gone when choosing a dog food as simple as picking one available in the pet section of your local supermarket or pet supply store. Today there are a myriad of pet food brands available, and each brand can have multiple formulas. Enough for every dog owner, even the most experienced ones, to get confused.

The good news is pet food producers have done an excellent job of creating products that help a dog thrive. They have created a precise formula for each life stage and every breed of dogs. This actually makes your job easier when you think about it.

In general, you just need to pick a dog food that is breed and age-appropriate. In the case of our German shepherds, we are going to pick a food made for medium to large dogs according to our dogs current life stage.

Of course, youll still need to do a bit of analysis, which I described in detail in my best German shepherd foods review and buying here. As long as you follow my guidelines there, you should be able to choose which food works best for your German shepherd dog.

Interested In Training Your German Shepherd The Right Way

German Shepherd

If you havent trained your German Shepherd properly, then this is the perfect time to start. Whatever bad behavior your shepherd has, whether its barking at night or other bad behaviors, using the right training program is the key to having an obedient and happy pup.

The training program I love and highly recommend is Brain Training For Dogs.

With Brain Training For Dogs youll save yourself a ton of time and effort. Instead of banging your head against the wall trying to figure out why your dog wont listen, youll follow a path that has been tried, tested, and most importantly, thats given proven results. Not to mention the fact, youll be able to fit the course around your schedule, not fit your schedule around a trainer or obedience class.

So instead of worrying about whether theyre going to be well-behaved or not, youll only have to worry about how much fun youll have with them!

And in most cases its still going to be:

  • Cheaper than hiring a professional.
  • Cheaper than replacing everything they might break.
  • And definitely cheaper than a lawsuit against you, if they decide to bite someone.

Just imagine how great it will feel to finally be able to trust your German Shepherd completely and never worry whether theyll be naughty or not. Instead, youll have the peace of mind that you have a well-behaved pup, and the boundaries you set for them, will always be there, EVEN IF YOURE NOT.;

Recommended Reading: How Much Exercise Does A German Shepherd Need Each Day

How Much To Feed A German Shepherd Puppy Per Day:

If you are having a puppy dog and you have no idea about its feeding method? Then under this topic, we can see how much to feed a German shepherd puppy per day in detail. The puppy stage is more important because the correct proportion of nutrients only helps in the growth of the puppy.

There are four types of puppy food available such as dry kibble, wet food, homemade food, and raw food. The important things you need to know before feeding your puppy are as follows:

  • The puppies should be provided with more amount of food than the adult dog because it only helps you to grow healthier in their adult stage.
  • The food you provide to your pet should have 26 percent fat and 15-18 percent proteins which makes their bones stronger.
  • You should not provide extra vitamins or proteins to your puppy unless and until the veterinarian advises you to give.
  • You should give your puppy fresh and plenty of water between the meals.
  • Apart from all these points, you will also have a doubt that how much to feed a German shepherd puppy per day? The answer is a puppy can eat three times per day.
  • And you can give puppy food for your pet from birth to 12 weeks after that you need to provide adult food to them.

These are the important things you should consider before feeding your puppy. Now we can see about the frequency of feeding you should provide to your pet at different weeks. The feeding frequency you should maintain for your puppy is:

The When: How Often Should You Feed Your German Shepherd

If you have the added challenge of acquiring your Shepherd pup when theyre under six weeks of age, it may be worth preparing a mash of kibbles that can be given every few hours.

Once your puppy reaches six weeks old, you may still have to feed it a mash but can decrease meals to four per day.

German Shepherd puppies between the ages of 12 and 16 weeks can eat three to four times daily, while most dogs over four months of age decrease to a frequency of two to three times daily.

Although many owners are eager to decrease their pups mealtimes to one or two times daily for convenience, there are a couple of important reasons not to do this.

Bathroom Schedule

Itll require a few months to completely housetrain your puppy. Young puppies need to go to the potty pretty frequently. Centering a few potty breaks around meals that stimulate their intestinal tracts helps develop consistent habits.

GDV

Your German Shepherd puppy will begin to develop a deeper chest combined with significant size by four to six months of age. Both physical characteristics put your puppy at additional risk of gastric dilatation and volvulus compared to smaller breeds.

Four months is the age at which most pups will see a significant increase in their meal sizes. Studies have linked large meals with GDV, or bloat, life-threatening distension, and rotation of the stomach.

Recommended Reading: What Is A Good Companion Dog For A German Shepherd

What Is A Gsds Nutritional Requirement

You can find more information about specific GSD nutritional requirements by

GSDs are carnivores, which mean they require a higher content of protein in their diet. This protein is what provides them energy and keeps them strong and healthy.

Protein also plays a vital role in your GSDs growth and it is recommended that a GSD get at least 22% of protein in its diet. It is best to feed pure protein to your GS instead of buying poor quality dog food that has corn syrup added as a;filler which is extremely harmful to;a dog.

The other nutritional requirement for a GS is fat.

Fat comes from protein and gives taste to a dogs meal. However, feeding too much fatty foods to your dog will be harmful to;its health. While on the other hand, if you feed too less fat, it will create a lot of skin problems for your German Shepherd.

Feeding a raw diet starting at an early age will help your pup grow faster. A raw meat diet is also helpful in strengthening the bones and fights several diseases in GSDs. If meat shops are hard to find in your area, US Wellness Meats menu selection offers free shipping for online orders across the state.

Fat content in a dogs diet also keeps its fur healthy. As a GS sheds a lot of fur throughout the year, it is extremely important that it is given the right amount of fat in its food. AAFCO recommended fat content for German Shepherd is 5%-8%.

That is what the science says, and in our experience, you should obey it.

Feeding A German Shepherd Puppy Raw

How Much to Feed My German Shepherd?

BARF stands for biologically appropriate raw foods. These diets do not include cooked or otherwise processed foods.

There is some evidence that German Shepherds fed a raw diet may have a reduced risk of hip dysplasia.

However, it may be more difficult to regulate a BARF diet to ensure a slow and steady growth rate in young puppies.

If you find this option intriguing, you can check out our article on feeding your dog a raw diet.

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What Do I Feed My German Shepherd Puppy What Do German Shepherd Puppies Eat

In terms of knowing what to feed your puppy, its always best to ask your vet and to make sure you ask the breeder or rescue shelter/adoption centre what they were feeding the puppy beforehand .;

Commercially available dog food suitable for puppies is usually labeled as puppy food somewhere on the label. It might be higher in calories and nutrients to cater to growing puppies, or have some type of formulation intended for the nutritional requirements of puppies.

Some All Stages dog food may also be ok.

Dog food that is specifically for puppies can include puppy milk, dry puppy food and canned puppy food.

When Should You Stop Feeding Your German Shepherd Puppy Food

Puppies can begin adult kibble when they are approximately 80 percent of their adult weight. This usually occurs around 8 to 10 months of age, but you can safely feed puppy food up to one year old as long as they are not putting on excess weight. German Shepherds usually dont reach their full growth until 18 months of age.

It isnt harmful to keep a German Shepherd on puppy formula until their growth plates have fused over, which is generally around 12 to 18 months of age .

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Eagle Pack Power Adult Dog Food

Rating:

Eagle Pack Power is one of 7 dry recipes included in our review of the Eagle Pack product line.

  • First 5 ingredients: Chicken meal, pork meal, ground brown rice, peas, chicken fat
  • Type: Grain-inclusive
  • Profile: Maintenance
  • Best for:Adult shepherds only

Power Adult derives the majority of its animal protein from fresh chicken and pork meal. Dry matter label analysis reveals the recipe contains 33% protein, 21% fat and 38% estimated carbs which results in a fat-to-protein ratio of about 63%.

A time-proven, grain-inclusive design free of any legume concentrates. Contains safe, natural antioxidant preservatives. No BHT or ethoxyquin. Highly recommended.

Sample buyer reviewIf you have a dog that is extremely active this is a GREAT dog food. My Shepherd and Retrievers were skinny because they are highly active dogs. I switched to this food because of the nutrition and calories that it intails. My dogs are bulked backed up and love the taste!

Change Of Food And Change Of Amount

The Best Dog Food for German Shepherd Puppy in 2020 ...

How much to feed a German Shepherd puppy may also change based on when you begin the transition from puppy food to adult dog food.

If you choose to keep your GSD puppy on puppy food for longer, you may want to slightly decrease portion sizes per meal as your puppy grows up.

Conversely, if you switch your puppy over to adult food earlier, you may want to slightly increase portion sizes.

Discuss this with your veterinarian if you are unsure which approach is best for your puppys health.

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How Much Food For German Shepherd Puppy

There are different types of dog foods, including dry, wet, raw, and homemade food. These are the imperative aspects you need to consider before feeding your pup.

  • You should provide them a clean and fresh supply of water between the mealtimes.
  • Dont feed him extra vitamins or protein without the recommendation of the vet.
  • There should be 18% protein and 26% fat in the food to make his bones stronger.
  • Puppies are more active than adult dogs, so you should feed them extra food than adult ones. The extra calories will help them stay healthier in their senior age.
  • How Much Should A German Shepherd Puppy Eat

    You need to be careful when feeding your German Shepherd puppy. They should not be left to their own devices when it comes to food. Instead, feed your puppy 3 meals a day.

    The amount of food your puppy needs depends on your puppys hunger, weight, and the type of food that you are feeding him. Stick to the German Shepherd puppy feeding chart below.

    Watch your puppys waistline to see if there seems to be any excess weight hanging out that will be hard to lose later.

    A puppy that is too thin will have visible ribs. If that is the case, monitor how much your puppy eats and, if concerning, call your veterinarian.

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    Best Diet For German Shepherds

    German Shepherds grow to a large size dog breed between 60 to 90 pounds that is well muscled, slightly tapered, angular and longer than deep chested when fed a breed appropriate diet. Adult German Shepherds require 1,300 to 1,600 calories per day of high quality dog food for senior or less active dogs, and from 1,700 to 2,400 calories daily for active or working dogs.

    If choosing a dry kibble diet, select a a quality formula like these Recommended Dog Food Brands with protein level around 24% and fat levels around 14%. Shepherds require quality protein which should come from a named meat source. Most premium kibble formulas work and Raw Dog Food is even better. Grain free kibble is another option but is very calorie dense and high in protein. We mention this with caution as some German shepherds seem to have difficulty tolerating grain free kibble and end up with soft and runny stool. For excellent insight on choosing a quality kibble to feed your German Shepherd, take a look at our Feeding Dry Dog Food section.

    Month Old German Shepherd Puppy Weight

    How much Should you Feed a German Shepherd Puppy in a day? | GSD Diet Plan |

    When your GS puppy is 2 months old, you can expect him or her to weigh between 16 and 20 pounds, depending on the sex of the puppy. Females will always be a little lower on the scale than their male counterparts.

    They are bigger dogs and do gain weight quicker than other breeds, but you still want to watch for signs of gaining too much too quickly or being underweight.

    Also Check: How Much Is A German Shepherd In The Philippines

    How To Know If Youre Not Feeding Them Enough

    Underfeeding is also a common concern. You might try to avoid overfeeding, but end up not giving your German Shephard puppy enough food.;;

    Looking out for signs of underfeeding is important. German Shepherds do have a lot of hair in general, which can make it more difficult to see the physical signs. If you do see that your puppy is not looking healthy and too skinny, then you are most likely not feeding them enough.

    Running your fingers through their coat can be another way of determining if you are feeding them enough. If you can feel the bones of their ribcage, then you are also likely not feeding them enough.;;

    Be sure to slowly adjust the diet if you find that your German Shepherd puppy looks too skinny. You do not want to suddenly introduce a lot of extra food into their daily diet. Rather increase the food slowly. Look at how the puppy responds to the increase in food. This will help you reach an appropriate amount of food without overfeeding your German Shepherd puppy in the process.;;

    Best Dog Food For A German Shepherd Mix

    The guidelines might not change much compared to what is mentioned above i.e. it depends on the individual variables of the dog, what your dogs vet says, etc.

    Some commercial dog food manufacturers specify that their dog food is for mixed breeds on the label.

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    Home » Health/Care » German Shepherd Feeding Guide: Best Dog Food For Puppies, Adults & Seniors, & Other FAQs

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