Kingspring Shepherds

Contact: Ella Kingston
Kingspring Shepherds
908-528-3174
21 Hewitt rd
Stockton, NJ 08559

Nutrition is very important to growing puppies!!!

One of the worst things that you can do for your puppy is feed them improperly. There are some puppy foods on the market that claim a higher protein diet encourages leaner muscle mass as an adult. The only way you can properly encourage leaner muscle mass is limiting the weight of your puppy by restricting their food and proper exercise.
A German Shepherd puppy should not be fed puppy food after 6 months of age at the latest. The food they are fed shuld not exceed 28% protein as puppy food, 26% as adult food. Anything over this can cause rapid growth and bone malformations.
   Always feed large breed puppy food to your puppy.
   You should be able to feel your puppies ribs when you run your    
    hands down their sides.
   You don't want them so thin you can see their ribs through their fur
   though. 
   Feeding a large dog elevated makes swallowing easier.
    It is a bit of a balancing act, but to attain optimal health it is necessary.
The best way to feed you growing puppy and adult dog is to look at them and touch them. if they look or feel too thin increase their food. if they look or feel too fat, increase exercise and reduce food. Increasing exercise is a better way of keeping the weight down as long as there are no structural problems such as hip or elbow displasia.
Research has shown that large breed puppies kept on commercial puppy food too long tend to be more likely to have problems such as hip dysplasia and pano (growing pains).
The foods that I recommend are Purina One, Nutro Natural Choice, Iams, Science Diet, Wellness, and Eukanuba.

My biggest rule is:
NEVER RESTRICT YOUR PUPPIES WATER INTAKE!!!!!!!
You can take it away 1/2 hour before bed time before taking them out the last time, that is it.
It doesn't help house breaking!