Feeding

I feed Nutro dog and puppy food products exclusively. For my puppies I use Nutro Natural Large Breed Formula, and for my adults I use Nutro Natural Lamb Meal and Rice. I have used many foods, and for me, the Nutro has performed the best. Second choice would be the Iams dog food brand, and third choice Eukanuba dog and puppy food. I am very leery of the pet food chain (not mentioning brand for obvious reasons) that recommends exactly the same formula for all ages, just adjusting the amount fed. I strongly feel that nutritional requirements vary greatly with age, and I am absolutely sure that the large breed formulas are necessary for healthy bone development in large breed dogs.

I use on demand feeding for my puppies. That is, the food is available all the time. I just keep the dish filled. I do this for 2 reasons, the first is that puppies need all the nutrition they can get. Everything is growing. The second reason is to avoid developing the habit of wolfing down the food. If you feed on a schedule, the puppy gets hungry between feedings, and when food becomes available, he will eat all of it, beyond the point of hunger satisfaction. I feel it is much better if when he gets hungry he can go to the bowl and eat anytime, and stop eating when the hunger is satisfied. It becomes a self limiting behaviour, and if properly exercised, weight control will be pretty much automatic.

If you have other animals in the house and feeding on demand can't be arranged, then 3 feedings per day until age 4 months, 2 feedings a day until 8 months, after which one feeding a day is adequate if necessary to fit your schedule, although 2 would be better. When puppy is about 10-12 months I recommend switching to the adult formula.

What about treats? Well, I don't feed my dogs treats from the hand. Anytime you do this you encourage a "mooching" pooch, one who may expect and beg for treats. If that behaviour is OK with you, then go ahead, but if it's not, then not ever doing it is the best approach to avoiding the behaviour. When I do feed a treat it is generally a hard chew, mostly for dental health, and I put it in the food dish with the kibble.

Most of the major pet stores carry these brands. You may not find them in your local supermarket. If you like, you can shop online and have your dog food delivered to your door. Sites that offer this service are Pet Food Express, Pet Food Direct, Petco, and ePetPals. I buy my Nutro locally, so I can't vouch for the prices and service, these links are just for your information.

Exercise

So what is good exercise? Those of you who have visited my kennel have watched my "Thundering Herd", and know exactly what good exercise is. I throw the tennis ball in the back yard, as hard and as far as I can, and all my dogs give chase. I keep it up until they start coming back slower. My "old man" Bud will go stick his whole head in the water bucket, a good sign that it's quitting time! That's good exercise. Twice a day.

Exercise is important, but should be done with care with large breed puppies. For the first 4 months playtime should happen 3-5 times a day. Some easy fetching, some rough and tumble, some gentle tug of war. Respect his energy level. When he tires, don't push. Babies still need lots of sleep. From 4-12 months, running, fetching, and if you can especially swimming is good. If you have water access, swimming (throw the ball in the pool) is great. It's a smooth motion exercise, good for both muscle tone and heart/lung (aerobic) exercise. Jogging is the next best. Start slow and short with a 4 month old puppy. He shouldn't go more than 2-3 minutes at a time, walking and playing between sessions. Keep it fun for both of you. Slowly work up to times and distances he is comfortable with, and when he's a year old it'll be you that stops first. Playing fetch is a natural to most of these puppies, just take it easy, don't throw hard and far, and again keep the sessions short and playful and as mellow as possible. And always remember with the little ones, they are still babies! Don't over do it.

During this period you need to be alert for lameness, soreness in shoulders or hips. Because these large dogs grow so fast, they can get uneven growth or damage to the soft growing layer of bone in the joints. Too vigorous exercise with sudden stops and starts can cause this damage, so use care. He will need the exercise, just be careful. Lameness, or limping for no obvious reason (like he got his toes stepped on), indicates a trip to the vet is in order.(This bone growth problem is also addressed by the dog food companies - hence the large breed formula to help regulate this growth.) After 12 months or so this should no longer be an issue.

David Swiggum, Owner 949-485-9361 or david@stargatekennels.com