New Puppy needs forum wisdom

[Skink]

adding to ccit, do you have a good vet?

 

as to food, our GSD likes Muehle Black Angus Senior - make up your own mind but the pup food looks decent, even though a bag that big will last a long time:

http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/dogs/dry_dog_food/markus_muehle/markus_muehle_black_angus/380166

[Mordant]

Thanks everyone.

 

Yes to clicker training!

 

Thanks for the book recommendations, I bought "The Happy Puppy Handbook" a few weeks ago and have read it cover to cover a few times. I'll take a look at the Davies and Stilwell books too.

 

Harness recommendation very welcome thank you, it's a bewildering array out there.

 

We'll register him with Highfield vets as we've been with them for 17 years and they've always served us very well indeed.

 

The puppy is currently on Purina Beta Puppy complete food, no immediate plans to change that unless advised otherwise...

[ccit]

Well done for trying to support local pet supplies companies if possible. As well as the one recommended by Skink I use Cookes and find the company to be good with competitive prices. They have a wide range of dog food, some good and some not so good but they have to cater for all budgets. Supermarket food is usually at the low end of quality with the exception of one or two products.

 

Regarding the Beta it is a poor quality food - link. You are right not to change it immediately but long term I would advise you to look for something better.

Edited November 1, 2016 by ccit

[Skink]

second Cookes - forgot about them - they have been very helpful with food samples and the like. Very friendly helpful staff, even when our GSD was barking his socks off last time we were there . . .

[ccit]

Mordant - as you are new to dog ownership, here is a quick list of what to look for in choosing a suitable food product:

 

* Look at the ingredient list - it should be clearly labelled and you should be able to understand exactly what the food contains.

* The named meat source should be at the top of the list.

* Multiple meat sources can be good because they give the dog a variety of nutrients.

* Avoid anything with the word 'derivative' in it. It is not possible to know what that contains.

* Avoid 'cereals' because again, there is no knowing what this includes.

* Most products are reviewed on the website in the link - makes it much easier to choose a good one.

* Puppies need protein so look for a product with circa 30% or more.

* The better products are all lifestage which means that you will not need to change food as puppy grows.

 

Dry food (kibble) is highly processed and extruded at high temperatures. However, there are some good ones on the market. They usually achieve 4 or more on the website that I mentioned.

 

If you are minded to consider the type that Skink mentions they differ in that they are cold pressed so retain more of the nutrients. Those Markus Muhle products on Zooplus are good quality and excellent value for money. They are also for all lifestage. Explanation about the differences can be found on the Gentle and Guru website/Facebook page and for more information on Markus Muhle (Zooplus) contact Gentle.

 

A good diet can make the world of difference to a dog's health and behaviour. It really is worth taking time to do a bit of research and choosing the best you can afford.

[Mordant]

That's great, detailed advice - thank you - and a very useful link to the food comparison site.

 

I'll follow the recommended procedure for moving puppy onto better food ASAP.

 

I'll also walk down to Cookes on Queens/London Road and check it out - it's helpfully quite local to me.

 

Thanks forum!

[ccit]

Glad that you found the post helpful and I hope you find something suitable. Let puppy settle down then change over to the new product gradually. A good habit to get into is to weigh the food using digital scales in 1g divisions. Argos sell some for about £6. I'm no good at guessing and use mine every day so for me they have been a good buy. It is particularly important with cold pressed food because it is quite dense and therefore heavy so it is very easy to overfeed.

[Mordant]

Just booked a puppy course with Boney Fido in Sheffield, starting on the 11th.

 

Got some decent digital scales, and will do some more reading on food. Not sure I'm ready to deal with BARF diets yet - sounds more like my reaction to preparing raw food. Yech.

 

I'll be sure to pop a picture in once he's home and settled.

[Skink]

I'll follow the recommended procedure for moving puppy onto better food ASAP

 

Its only a few months since we took on our rescue dog and I remember being slightly overwhelmed with the food options - and dozens of different brands - at the beginning

 

When doing the food research the thing I was amazed by is how many of the "popular" dog foods are made by massive corporations with strange ingredients and really vague ingredient lists. The way their products are agressively promoted through vets, veterinary training etc was unsettling too

 

fwiw ours was settled on Burns when we got him (okay stuff, hot processed with rice but no "bad" grains) and we moved him over to Simpsons Sensitive on recommendation from Bradway Petshop - it suited him really well but was quite high in fat. Being a German Shepherd we wanted to avoid and Pancreatitus issues and tried Muehle cold pressed which again he adapted to very nicely

 

My only other "wisdom", if it is that, would be puppy proofing the house - they get everywhere! Our rescue managed to open the kitchen bin (its a "dog proof" push button one) and helped himself to some salmon skins on tin foil, he had a proper upset tummy for a couple of days until the shiny "gift wrapped" poo came out again

[Daisydoo!]

some doggy bags to clean up after it when you take it out