Kingspring Shepherds

Contact: Ella Kingston
Kingspring Shepherds
908-238-1107
11 Beaver Ave
Annandale, NJ 08801

Feeding your Puppy and Adult Dog

Nutrition is as important as breeding in Large Breed dogs.
German Shepherds need a proper nutritional balance to grow properly. With the proper nutrition some common ailments can be avoided.

There are many quality commercial foods that meet all of the needs of a growing puppy. If you buy a large breed dog, you should feed it a quality large breed dog food. Cheap store brands do not usualy meet all of the needs of a dog. Most dog owners notice when they move from a cheap brand to a more expensive name brand dog food their dogs will eat less, poop less, and tend to have a shinier coat.
The other thing you should know is just because a food is more expensive, does not mean that is better. I do not recommend any food that is higher than 28% protein for my puppies.  This causes a higher growth rate, and can cause growing pains or other joint issues. I also recommend putting the puppy on adult food at 4-6 months of age. That will reduce the growth rate just a little more by lowering the protein levels.
Certain puppy foods are labled to help with attaining a leaner muscle mass. My personal opinon of attaining leaner muscle mass is with exercise, not higher protein. I have found that the foods that I recommend when you purchase one of my puppies meet all of the needs of growing puppies, while not being too expensive.