Help! New Puppy Parent and So Confused on Diet! (allergic, goldendoodle, labradoodles)
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My husband and I will be picking up our goldendoodle puppy next weekend and even though we have both grown up with pets, this will be the first one we will take on by ourselves. The thing that is really confusing me is the food/diet the puppy needs to be on. Many of my friends are telling me to not go with brands such as Purina or Iams. Quite a few have suggested Taste of the Wild.
So my questions are:
1. What is the best dry food for a goldendoodle puppy? And how often should he be eating?
2. Should we mix in wet food?
3. Should he be given treats, and if so, what kind?
4. Are there any bones/chews that he should not be given or would be bad for his health?
He will be 15 weeks when we pick him up, and he will grow to be about 55 pounds.
Any other helpful advice would be appreciated! My friends also suggested I should look at pet insurance and stay away from companies like 1-800-Pet Meds and get his medications right from the vet. So any suggestions like those would be great as well!
Grocery store dog food brands are full of corn and wheat and other things that aren't that good for your dog nutritionally, and can cause allergies in some dogs. You don't need a puppy food if you buy a food labeled "for all life stages". There are choices that are good and are reasonable pricewise. This is a good reference.
You don't need to feed wet mixed in unless you choose to. At this age, 3 meals during the day is best. Two meals is good for adults.
Stay away from treats from China. It's hard finding good commercially available treats that aren't, and often hard to figure out where they are made. For things you really want your puppy to learn, like housebreaking, special extra-delicious treats that are only used to teach that behavior, like bits of cheese or hot dogs, will be invaluable.
NO cooked bones of any kind. The raw bones they sell in stores are controversial. I'm not qualified to say whether they're safe or not! Rawhide is controversial too, and for dogs that swallow large pieces whole, it really is dangerous. Toys like Kongs are good for chewing.
1-800 pet meds has the vet-vipps seal at the bottom, meaning it's been certified and is safe to use. Should your dog ever need a human medicine, you can get it at regular human pharmacies as well, at lower cost than the vet.
Enjoy your pup!
The last puppy I fostered came to us with severe skin issues. So my goal was to find out if she had food allergies.
The best way was feeding a "Limited Ingredient Diet" using a single source of protein and avoid all grains. This is a very common way to start out feeding.
I bought Natural Balance all stages Potato & Duck formula. It was too rich for the puppy; her stools were soft and looked like chocolate pudding. But, I continued to use this food bag as the treat source. And, she would get a kibble or 2 when she sat or went potty outside. I think if you use something that is not the regular food, it becomes a treat. So you can get another small bag of premium food as the treat source because that's an economical solution and less likely to contain junk. Must admit, once I know a dog's food tolerances by going slow with new food introductions, I am a hot dog and cheese reward trainer, too; I also use banana slices, frozen green beans, carrots, apples and the occasional McDonald's french fry.
For her regular meals, I moved to a lamb & rice puppy food (lamb is also a common choice) and she was doing great. I was very careful to select a food that has no corn products and no other source of protein than lamb. If you read the labels, a lot of foods that are said to be "Lamb" or "Beef" have chicken or poultry included too. If a dog is not allergic, there's not anything terribly wrong with any protein source. Fish or lamb tend to be least likely for dogs to be allergic to. So I prefer to keep dogs on a fish or lamb protein source and gradually introduce other protein sources just to be sure if/when allergies crop up I can track back.
My husband and I will be picking up our goldendoodle puppy next weekend and even though we have both grown up with pets, this will be the first one we will take on by ourselves. The thing that is really confusing me is the food/diet the puppy needs to be on. Many of my friends are telling me to not go with brands such as Purina or Iams. Quite a few have suggested Taste of the Wild.
So my questions are:
1. What is the best dry food for a goldendoodle puppy? And how often should he be eating?
2. Should we mix in wet food?
3. Should he be given treats, and if so, what kind?
4. Are there any bones/chews that he should not be given or would be bad for his health?
He will be 15 weeks when we pick him up, and he will grow to be about 55 pounds.
Any other helpful advice would be appreciated! My friends also suggested I should look at pet insurance and stay away from companies like 1-800-Pet Meds and get his medications right from the vet. So any suggestions like those would be great as well!
I was a pet sitter for Labradoodles and puppies specifically. They may be slightly more sensitive in the stomach than a Goldendoodle. But just FYI...
Make sure you use the same food the breeder is using in the beginning - ask in advance. Any change in diet could cause a big problem. Then, as you decide what to switch to, make sure you do it VERY SLOWLY over a period of a week or two. Add just a bit to the existing food every day GRADUALLY increasing it until the new food overtakes the old food. Watch out for stool changes like a pudding texture stool. You don't want that.
I had one who developed intermittent pudding to loose diarrhea when the owner changed foods (but didn't tell me). I kept asking about it and warning them that something bad was on the way. The owners were a surgeon and nurse and dismissed it. Finally with watery diarrhea I left a note: This is NOT GOOD, he could get dehydrated and end up in the ER. The owner wrote back: "No, he's drinking fine".
The next day the wife's mother came and found the puppy lethargic unable to walk and rushed him to the ER where he was admitted.
It was the food.
The foods I see most of my clients using lately are Blue Buffalo, Taste of the Wild, Natural Balance and Evo. I've had people try other popular ones with success like Orijen and others when they used that had a negative reaction with the stool. It means they are not absorbing it properly - too rich. Some foods could have one ingredient that doesn't agree with the dog, too.
Lastly, pick something you are going to be able to get without driving far.
I'm not a big fan of treats - that's more for humans . For his chewing needs buy GUMABONES then NYLABONES as he gets older. Definitely NO chewable bone or processed animal body part "treats" like pigs ears, rawhide, bully sticks etc. This does not include if you ever decide to feed raw food and uncooked bones - a different story.
The BEST thing you can do is teach him to chew his Nylabones when he's excited, like when you walk in the house, or say, overnight, to get out tensions. It will become a life long habit and also help direct him away from human contraband like shoes. It's teaching him self discipline, a very valuable lesson and he'll do it instinctively once he understands. People always say "It's so cute he brings me his toys when I come home". Uh, not really, he's using the toys to calm down.
Doodle dogs, IME can be VERY persistant and you want to be CALM energy and also no tug of war type games. You wind them up and the brain has trouble getting back to a calm state without going out to exercise to get that excitement out. Then, when they go OUT like that they are bonkers and hard to direct. By CALM energy I mean don't get all hyper with him for no reason, like greeting him. Excitable energy is better off outside doing an activity. Like running and retrieving balls or if you have to be a cheerleader for a dog who doesn't want to walk or something. And even THEN, a well balanced dog wont act "excited" he'll be FOCUSED and intense. (another topic). Not including Fly Ball dogs LOL.
The NUMBER ONE thing is to understand he will be a high energy puppy, and get into a good routine of several daily long walks (appropriate to his age) and that means out in the neighborhood changing routes and letting him get "in the zone" walking not jumping up and down to "play", getting excitable when he sees bikes or the kids off the school bus, or sniffing at his own pace. Especially in the MORNING so his day starts off in balance. Feed AFTER not before. And not right away, wait awhile.
Every well balanced "Doodle" I know came from a home where the owners were athletic themselves enjoying walking and jogging in fact, 3 of them were runners - two military - and ran 5 miles or so routinely with their adult dogs. DON'T overdo it though, while he's young get your VET'S advise on length and distance and timing of the meals around the exercise.
The dog I mentioned lived in a $3000 per month condo rental. When they left the gorgeous lower KITCHEN CABINETS had been chewed by him when gated in there during alone time. You obviously don't want this, and plan on ways to help him not "be that way". The wife TRIED to walk him but she couldn't he was too hyper and powerful. The husband, who loved jogging, never took the dog, I'd see him on his iPhone outside on the half acre of grass waiting for the dog to eliminate. Walking in a 6 foot circle. Go figure.
Last edited by runswithscissors; 08-25-2013 at 08:51 AM..
We have been feeding Blue Buffalo puppy forumla (lamb and oatmeal) to our little guy, and he's is now 7 months and we're transitioning him to an adult food. Currentl;y, that's Natural Balance Duck and Potato, which we feed to our other adult dog, but we might just switch them both back to BB adult formula. Natural Balance and Blue Buffalo are both very good. Taste of the Wild is good, but it's grain-free, and after many years of feeding raw diets and grain-free food, I'm not so sure it's the best thing for a young pup.
There are SO many good foods available now, way more than when I first started researching dog foods back in 1999. I second what others have said here: IF IT CAN BE FOUND AT ANY GROCERY STORE -- NEVER BUY IT. That especially applies to Purina, Hill's (Science Diet), Iams, Eukanuba, and Pedigree, and anything else that is highly advertised. I hate to add this, but most vets recommend bad foods, too. Hill's wrote their nutrition textbook, and Hill's makes some really bad foods.
You can often get very good advice at independent pet food sellers, and I've found knowledgeable people at our local Petco store.
We have been feeding Blue Buffalo puppy forumla (lamb and oatmeal) to our little guy, and he's is now 7 months and we're transitioning him to an adult food. Currentl;y, that's Natural Balance Duck and Potato, which we feed to our other adult dog, but we might just switch them both back to BB adult formula. Natural Balance and Blue Buffalo are both very good. Taste of the Wild is good, but it's grain-free, and after many years of feeding raw diets and grain-free food, I'm not so sure it's the best thing for a young pup.
There are SO many good foods available now, way more than when I first started researching dog foods back in 1999. I second what others have said here: IF IT CAN BE FOUND AT ANY GROCERY STORE -- NEVER BUY IT. That especially applies to Purina, Hill's (Science Diet), Iams, Eukanuba, and Pedigree, and anything else that is highly advertised. I hate to add this, but most vets recommend bad foods, too. Hill's wrote their nutrition textbook, and Hill's makes some really bad foods.
You can often get very good advice at independent pet food sellers, and I've found knowledgeable people at our local Petco store.
OK but you know that Blue is crazy advertised, right? They are the original stalker of the internet, google it once and they follow you all over the place. For many years now.
And the foods vets are selling are Hills PRESCRIPTION not just normal diet. Very FEW vets sell dog food in normal business. HEre we go again with the vet food debate. Nobody is going to buy them there if they aren't "prescribed" for a reason.
1-800 pet meds has the vet-vipps seal at the bottom, meaning it's been certified and is safe to use. Should your dog ever need a human medicine, you can get it at regular human pharmacies as well, at lower cost than the vet.
Enjoy your pup!
Target now fills pet prescriptions. If you get generic, they're only $4. Name brands are more expensive. The pharmacy has a brochure listing all the meds they carry. If I can use Target for them, I do. AND if you have a Target pharmacy rewards card, they count toward your rewards, too.
My husband and I will be picking up our goldendoodle puppy next weekend and even though we have both grown up with pets, this will be the first one we will take on by ourselves. The thing that is really confusing me is the food/diet the puppy needs to be on. Many of my friends are telling me to not go with brands such as Purina or Iams. Quite a few have suggested Taste of the Wild.
So my questions are:
1. What is the best dry food for a goldendoodle puppy? And how often should he be eating?
2. Should we mix in wet food?
3. Should he be given treats, and if so, what kind?
4. Are there any bones/chews that he should not be given or would be bad for his health?
He will be 15 weeks when we pick him up, and he will grow to be about 55 pounds.
Any other helpful advice would be appreciated! My friends also suggested I should look at pet insurance and stay away from companies like 1-800-Pet Meds and get his medications right from the vet. So any suggestions like those would be great as well!
if your breeder is worth anything he should be able to guide you in all
these questions, that is what a good breeder does.
of course breeder might be one who is cashing in on this
new breed and does not care once puppy is gone.
you will have many more questions in the coming months and
same thing , your breeder and hopefully your new dog trainer is
who you go to with those. then come here for back up.
that said, keep him on whatever food the breeder will be sending home
with you and puppy, this is usually done for an easier transition to new home.
then over time you can gradually transition him over to what you prefer to feed.
I feed taste of the wild but it is not for every dog.
mixing with water is usually done while pups are a bit younger than
15 weeks so dry food should be fine. three meals day at this time.
of course he should be given treats, you will need to give a "paycheck " for potty training, coming on
command etc. treats can be small organic baked treats found at any decent pet store.
switch them up once in awhile to keep things interesting.
don't feed pigs ears , bacon looking treats etc.
good luck with your new pup!
Target now fills pet prescriptions. If you get generice, they're only $4. Name brands are more expensive. The pharmacy has a brochure listing all the meds they carry. If I can use Target for them, I do. AND if you have a Target pharmacy rewards card, they count toward your rewards, too.
Do you mean they carry medicine that's used only in cats and dogs? I do have a pharmacy rewards card.
Oh, and I do agree about transitioning slowly from whatever your puppy has been eating up until now. Some dogs have strong stomachs that adjust to changes easily and some don't.
Blue is a good food. The only objection I have is that a lot of the nutrients are concentrated in the "life source bits" that are mixed in with the kibble, and some dogs eat the kibble, leaving the "bits" behind. They say it preserves the nutritional value by not undergoing the same cooking process, I think, but it does no good if they don't eat it!
The problem with vets and food is that many new pet parents turn to vets for feeding advice, which would seem like the proper thing to do. But nutritional education is lacking in most vet schools. And large pet food makers are huge contributors to the schools, and underwrite nutritional studies. This really does make a lot of what the vets do learn suspect. Some younger vets do seem to be taking a more open minded look at pet food though.
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. For his chewing needs buy GUMABONES then NYLABONES as he gets older. Definitely NO chewable bone or processed animal body part "treats" like pigs ears, rawhide, bully sticks etc. This does not include if you ever decide to feed raw food and uncooked bones - a different story. 
