How Often Feed German Shepherd Puppy

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.

How Much To Feed A German Shepherd Puppy: Complete Feeding Guide

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One of the most loved breeds around the world is the German Shepherd, which is classified as a medium to large breed by the AKC. They are commonly found in big families and therefore, they need quality meals and a healthy diet to keep them strong.

Every big dog starts as a small puppy. With that in mind: how much should you feed German Shepherd puppies and how often? To make matters simpler for you, we wrote this guide to help you find out the kind of food, the amount, and the other considerations when you are feeding your German Shepherd puppy to ensure that they are healthy and strong when they grow up.

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Why Is My German Shepherd Always Hungry

German Shepherds tend to have a healthy appetite so it can feel like they eat a lot. If you ensure that the food you give is properly measured and that you have chosen food that is suitable for large breeds, then the following are reasons that your GSD could be showing signs of being hungry all the time.

• Lots of Exercise The more exercise your dog gets, the more energy they burn off, and the greater their requirement for food to replenish this energy source. One hour of moderate exercise per day is considered a minimum for this breed. Any more than this and your German Shepherd may require more food.
• Anxiety and Stress Anxiety and stress not only cause a lack of appetite but may lead to stress eating. Find out what is causing anxiety in your dog, and remove these stressors.
• Illness Diabetes, Cushings disease, malabsorption syndrome, and SIBO are some of the illnesses that can cause your dog to want to eat more. Look for other symptoms of illness and consult with your vet if your dog is showing any signs.
• Bad Habits Dogs are creatures of habit, and this means that they will benefit from having set meal times and routines. Try to feed your dog at the same time every day. If you feed a meal early, they may still expect food at their usual allotted time.

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We Call It The German Shepherd Puppy Feeding Chart Because Though Your Dog Appears To Be Fully Grown From The Age Of 6 Months Still They Are Puppies By Nature

The German Shepherd Dog, one of Americas popular breeds are intelligent and capable working dogs. Their devotion and courage are unmatched. And theyre amazingly versatile.

The German Shepherd puppy is a popular addition to many households and hence German shepherd Puppy feeding is also important. It was initially developed for herding and is now commonly used as a working dog or pet.

GSDs excel at most anything theyre trained to do: guide and assistance work for the handicapped, police and military service, herding, search and rescue, drug detection, competitive obedience, and last but not least faithful companion.

When such an endearing pet arrives home, its hard not to fall in love immediately. As a particularly affectionate breed, the German Shepherd will reciprocate this love in abundance.

Since they will grow up to be a medium to large dog breed and their diet is an essential way to ensure they develop properly.

There occurs few common mistakes in feeding the German Shepherd.

This is your guide to providing all the nutrients your new puppy needs.

Many types of food can be provided. However, when it comes to German shepherd Puppy feeding, we have to look for foods designed for large breed dogs that are essential for puppies.

This will help to avoid health problems caused by overly-rapid bone growth.

Then gradually include increasing proportions of the new food over a period of two to four weeks.

Diamond Naturals Premium Large Breed Formulas

Heres a power-packed meal to provide antioxidants, probiotics, essential vitamins, and added minerals. The superfoods in the meal promote a long and hearty life for your fluffball. Diamond Naturals formula is specifically for large breed puppies. They need more nourishment to sustain their bone development.

GSDs tend to suffer from elbow and hip dysplasia. So, it is imperative to fortify their immune systems as well as ossein buildout. That will make sure that your pooch does not suffer from joint pains in their adult life.

Furthermore, the antioxidants in the blend prevent cancer. The probiotics in the mix keep the gut flora flourishing, and the omega fatty-acids keep the skin, coat, and vision healthy.Diamond tops it all up with a great price tag to give you the ultimate value for your money.

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German Shepherds Poor Diets And Obesity

While the topic of obesity is ever-present in the lives of people, it is also an important consideration to take into account when it comes to your GSDs diet.

Obesity is defined by an excess in body fat for both humans and dogs. And the condition also poses similar health risks to both.

These risks are well documented in a number of studies conducted on the association between the life-span and body condition of dogs. That includes this study published in the Journal of Veterinary Medicine.

Change Of Food And Change Of Amount

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 To Feed A German Shepherd Puppy: Our Guide

Wondering how much to feed a German Shepherd puppy? Weve got the answers!

From the day you bring them home, to the time they move onto adult food.

After all, the typical GSD puppy feeding guide can change almost daily as your puppy grows bigger and stronger!

Puppyhood may be all too short, but it is a critically important time for your new puppys adult health and well-being.

In this article, we take an in-depth look at the German Shepherd puppy food diet.

Giving you trustworthy German Shepherd puppy feeding guidelines to supplement instructions given by your puppys breeder and veterinarian.

When To Switch From Puppy To Adult Food

Puppy foods tend to contain more nutrients and calories than adult food, to meet the nutritional requirements of your dog. As such, whether you feed a dry or wet variant, the puppy food you give will have higher levels of protein and fat. If you continue to feed this to an adult dog, they will be more prone to put on weight because of the high fat content. Moving over to adult food is an important stage in your dogs development.

Small breed dogs are usually fully mature by around 10 months, medium dogs by 14 months, but large breed dogs can take up to 24 months to fully mature.

With your German Shepherd, wait until he reaches around 80% of his anticipated adult weight before making the transition to adult food.

• Feed ¾ puppy food and ¼ adult food for the first week.
• Feed ½ puppy food and ½ adult food for the second week.
• Feed ¼ puppy food and ¾ adult food for the third and final week of the transition.

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German Shepherd Puppy Diet: Food Plan After 4 Months

Between 4 and 6 months of age, the number of meals should be reduced to 3 a day. The food quantity should be increased and an extra margin of 2 minutes to eat should be provided. The packaging of quality commercial dog food will detail the appropriate suggested amount of food for the puppy, depending on its age and weight. If you have any doubts, consult your veterinarian.

You should eventually start mixing fresh food, such as meat, fish or vegetables, with the commercial dry feed. Beware of forbidden foods for dogs. Some people ask about a raw diet for a German shepherd puppy, but we recommend these such foods should always be cooked and never given to a dog raw. Avoid chicken, rabbit and fish bones, as they can shatter and harm a dogs teeth.

Wet food should be given in moderation because given in excess, it can cause the development of plaque and cause the dogs feces to smell. Meanwhile, treats for dogs should only be used as positive reinforcement during their training and learning period, never as a food supplement.

Under no circumstances should you give your German Shepherd, or any dog, human food leftovers. Human food contains salt, sugar and seasoning contents which are very harmful to a dog’s health. In addition, if you do offer your dog your food, it will pester you during meals. For more, take a look at some of the harmful effects of treating a dog like a human.

Raw Diets Cooking For Dogs And Other Alternative Feeding

This article has been focusing mainly on commercially available dry kibble since that is what most pet parents ultimately choose for their dogs.

However, there are many dog owners that choose to feed alternative diets. These include raw diets and cooking regular people food for dogs.

There are many viable options for feeding your healthy German Shepherd, but there are just as many harmful fads, too.

As with commercial foods, be sure to speak with your vet before starting your dog on a raw diet or home-cooking her meals. Whats healthy for humans isnt usually healthy for dogs.

That means youll need to learn a lot about canine metabolism, life stages, and nutritional needs before you embark on that journey.

Weve covered the holistic diet approach right here if youre interested in learning more. Feeding your dog an alternative diet can be a fun way to bond with your pup and feel good about providing whole, nutritious, natural foods that support your GSDs health and wellness.

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Get The Right Size Kibble

German Shepherds are large dogs, which means they have big mouths. You can look into large breed-specific food, which has the appropriate-sized kibble. If the pieces are too small, your dog may swallow them too quickly or get a ton lodged in his teeth. If you are feeding a puppy kibble thats too large, then it will be very difficult for him to chew.

What Can German Shepherds Eat

So now we know what nutrients dogs need lets take a closer look at what exactly they can eat. These are the main foods German Shepherds can eat. However, they do come with some caveats, so read on!

These are the caveats to be aware of:

• If a fruit contains pits or seeds, these must be removed as they contain toxic cyanide.
• Most vegetables should be cooked first to help with digestion.
• Fruits, vegetables, dairy, and nuts should be fed in small amounts no more than 10% of daily calories.
• Although dogs can eat some nuts, they are not recommended due to their high-fat content, which can cause an upset stomach.
• Its not advisable to feed raw eggs or raw fish due to the risk of salmonella or listeria.
• Some dogs are lactose intolerant and can not eat certain dairy foods, depending on how much lactose they contain.

I wrote complete guides to all the fruits and vegetables your German Shepherd can eat where you can find a ton of helpful information. These articles also include the nasty ones to watch out for!

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German Shepherd Feeding General Guidelines

Most vets will tell you to watch the dog and not the bowl when deciding how much to feed a German Shepherd. What they mean by this is that you should always be aware of your dogs body size, shape, and condition, and not being too strict with charts and graphs of food measurements.

If your dog seems to be gaining weight, reduce the number of calories they consume. Start with reducing treats or any table scraps you may be feeding him.

If he is still gaining weight, you can slowly reduce the amount of food you give him during his regular meals.

On the other side of the spectrum, if your dog is overly thin, lethargic, and not doing well, you may be feeding her too little. Increase the amount of food in each meal by small increments. ¼ cup at a time is usually sufficient.

Do not make drastic changes to your dogs feeding schedule or the amount you give. Do not suddenly remove an entire meal. All changes to your dogs diet should be made gradually, ideally over the course of several weeks.

What Breeders Will Tell You

A breeder will advise you to keep your GSD pup on the same food the breeder was feeding it.

This is important for a few reasons

• The immune system of the German Shepherd puppy is still developing. They may not have the strength to fight off any pathogens contained in a new diet.
• Abrupt switching of the puppys diet can lead to stomach upsets, vomiting, and diarrhea.

As a rule of thumb, wait until the puppy is 12 weeks old before you start switching their diet.

Once this grace period is over, you have several options to choose from for your puppy food.

A German Shepherd puppy can thrive on four types of food

• Dry kibble

Also Check: How Much Do German Shepherds Weigh Full Grown

German Shepherd Puppies Vs Adults Guidelines

Our last topic involves the difference between a puppy and an adult.

This is an important subject as it will help you figure out the best way to take care of your dog depending on whether theyre an adult or a puppy.

The following are some of the facts that recent studies have proven:

• Puppies have higher energy levels than adults. This means they need to eat more than adult German shepherds.
• German shepherds will need higher protein and fat content in their early age. The amount of fat and protein will decrease as they grow older.
• Puppies cannot tolerate too many nutrients. Ingesting extra minerals and vitamins may lead to serious health disorders. Meanwhile, adults are only risking being overweight when taking in more than intended.

With this German shepherd feeding chart, you can now decide on your dogs feeding plan, However, Id suggest seeing your vet first so you can confirm if your plan is actually effective.

Many owners simply feed their German shepherds without second thoughts of the dogs needs. But since youve read this blog post, you are now aware of the needs of your German shepherd.

After talking about the feeding amount, frequency, and lengths of a German shepherd, you can now easily plan how much, how many times, and how long you feed your dog. You even learned how to hydrate your German shepherd the proper way.

Do You Have To Follow A German Shepherd Puppy Feeding Chart

While weve given you a German Shepherd puppy feeding chart, its important to note that this should only serve as a guideline and not as strict rules you should follow.

Weve mentioned several times already that there are several features you should consider when calculating the amount of food your GSD puppy needs. This includes their age, weight, growth rate, and overall health condition.

Also, active dogs might need more food than couch potatoes, so always make sure your dog gets enough energy to get them through the day.

A proper diet is of utmost importance when youve got a growing GSD puppy. If you dont feed them properly, you might end up with a dog with many orthopedic issues and other health problems.

Its also important to note that you should contact a vet before changing your dogs food. Always consult a professional, as they might know your dog has different nutritional needs that youre unaware of.

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