Hi, I'm new to the forum and to the world of GSH's.  I just got an 8 mo male, Beau.  I was wondering what brand of food you all recomend....His previous owner was feeding him Purina Puppy Chow...i know my parents feed our Lab Proplan? is this a better choice? or what is recomended for this breed?

Thanks,

Jake

Welcome to the forum, and don't forget to post pictures. 

With regard to the food, a good high quality puppy food 3 times a day will work.  Later when she is ready for adult food, again a good high quality food.  Sometimes you need a high protein food as GSPs are very high energy and burn off the calories.  I am getting another GSP puppy in abouit 5 weeks and I am looking at the Innova puppy food.  I feed my two adult GSPS a combo of EVO beef large bite kibble and Wellness lamb or venison canned.  I feed puppies three times a day, and my adults twice a day (kibble only in the AM and canned mixed with kibble, yogury and salmon in the PM). I think the important thing is high quality.  You will have to adjust the amount based on your pup. 

I also use good high quality treats like Mother Hubbard, California Natural, etc.  I also make my own treats as I know the ingredients and it is cheaper.

Good luck with your puppy and have fun.

The best bang for your buck in dog food by far is Diamond Premium adult.  There's no reason at all to feed a GSP a "large breed" specialized feed.

There are at least twenty quality feeds on the market.  Pro Plan in my opinion is way over priced for what you are getting, purina dog chow is somewhere between low and poor quality.

I've raised a couple of hundred GSP's on nothing but diamond and it's what all my client dogs eat when they are here for training.  Never had a problem, and the longevity and overall health of my own dogs could not be better. CR

Believe it or not, we have a very sensitive  digestive tract GSP If we give Rocky any meat Pork, beef , sausage, beef bones ect he developes instant diarrhea. So the poor boy cannot have any of those kind of treats. Last week a friend gave Rocky 3 high value protein chicken treats from an exclusive pet store and shortly Rocky had the runs. So on that note, after trying different brands of dog food, found Canidae dry dog food mixed with 2 table spoons of canned Canidae is the best for Rocky. Rocky loves his Canidea and circles 3 times before we set the dish down Welcome to our forum and best wishes with your new GSP

From everything I've heard and the research I've done...the most expensive food is not always the best.  The first 4-6 ingredients are supposed to be the most important.  You want to find quality, protien rich ingredients instead of fillers.  You are going to hear good and bad experiences from people on almost any brand of dog food.  Listen to the adivice of a feed store you trust or use what your vet suggests.  I would ask your vet what he feeds his dog...probably couldn't go wrong there.

I agree with Phyllis on the vet.  I have a great vet, but they carry Science Diet and that is what they typically suggest.  None of my dogs have ever liked Science Diet, and it really isn't a very good food if you look at the ingredients.  All are right about the ingredients list. Here is a link to a good rating system for dog foods and also has some brands already rated (www.ddgnevada.com/HOWTORATEYOURDOGFOOD.pdf).

I do not know if there is a formula for changing foods, but I normally start with 3/4 of current food to 1/4 new food and gradually over about a week switch over completely.  Of course, there are some dogs, like my Belle, who have stomachs made of cast iron and can eat anything or switch with no problem.  Halo is my picky eater. She eats really slow and has a hard time switching to anything.  My hubby was worried one day  because she wouldn't eat and I was out of town.  So, he started adding sprinkles to her food (shredded cheese) and guess what, now she waits for her sprinkles before she will eat.  If I had been home, I would have picked up the food after about 15 minutes. 

On second thought you guys are probably right about the vet.  They are probably going to push/promote whatever it is they sell/have a contract w/.  http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/index.php is another good site to compare foods.  Just be mindful what you read in reviews.  There are some crazies out there that are convinced a certain brand killed their dog (while some of these claims can be substantiated w/ all the recalls).  There is also the other end of the spectrum...people that think they know what they're talking about but don't.  The numerous bad reviews on Nutro (even though it came highly recommended from almost everyone I talked to) has been enough to scare me into switching brands.

We feed all of our dogs ProPlan Performance, even the pups, and have had no problems. We feed a lot less of it then I see others say what they feed. Our 63# male and 50# female get 1/4 cup in the morning when the pups get fed and about 1 3/4 cup in the evening. The 6 month old pup gets 1 3/4 cup in the morning and in the evening. The 10 month old gets 1 cup in the morning and 1 3/4 cup in the evening. We like to feed once a day in the evening when the dogs are over 1 year old, but since they are all house dogs we spoil the 2 older ones. They have good firm stools and not a lot! They were all just at the vets for their shots and are where they should be weight wise. During hunting season they will be fed more as need for the extra work. BTW corn is not a filler!!! There are a lot of good dog foods out there and a lot of myths.

I think when you look at what to feed your dog, you have to look at the entire picture, not just some of the ingredients, and compare that to the breed, in this case a GSP.  GSPs are high energy dogs that need, in most cases the protein, to keep the weight on when they are working.  I also believe they need the fruits, vegetables and carbs as well as vitamins and minerals to get a well balanced diet. In addition, I want my dogs eating human grade food that has been cooked/processed and packed in a sanitary and consistent manner.  There are lot's of reputable dog food manufacturerers that do that (Innova, ProPlan, Mother Hubbard, California Natural, Canidae, Royal Canin, etc.) and there are others that aren't as good like Purina, Pet Gold and, yes, even Science Diet.  So, do your research and look at the various information that you can find on the net, talk to breeders and vets, and make the decision.  The ultimate test though is your dog.  If your dog is healthy, energetic, with a nice shiny coat, etc. I would say the food you are feeding is fine.  Could it be improved? Maybe, but if my dog is healthy and happy, etc. I wouldn't fix what isn't broke.

By the way, I add things like salmon, yogurt, cottage cheese, green beans, spinach, sweet potatoes, cod liver oil, brewers yeast, etc to my regular dog feed periodically as it is good for the dogs and they love it.  The yogurt and cottage cheese are really good for adding weight .  The salmon and cod liver oil are great for the coat.  Brewer's yeast is a natural flea fighter and good for the coat.  The rest are just good healthy things to add that my dogs like.

okay i may have jumped the gun about switching Ruger off of pro plan. He is very healthy, active, has just the right amount of weight on him, has a nice soft and shiny coat (so soft everyone comments about his coat which is almost as soft as rabbit fur) and he has plenty of energy. His stools are as they should be for a healthy dog. So i guess if is not broke..... by the way I work for a company out of England that makes probiotics and fish oils for humans and i have been giving him probiotics and fish oil as well and some anti- microbials too!! Fish oil is great for so many things and i am sure it helps him a lot.