What is a large breed puppy?
Large breed puppies are those breeds that will weigh approximately 50+ as adults. Large breeds are prone to skeletal problems as they grow faster and remain puppies longer. Typically standard poodles will stop growing in height by 18-24 months of age. They will continue to fill out and mature mentally by 36 months (3 years).
Feeding a large breed puppy
Kibble feeders
If you plan to feed kibble, feed a large breed puppy food. I recommend feeding a “large breed puppy” food/kibble for 1-1.5 years of their life as it is formulated for puppies that will be 50+lbs when fully grown. Regular puppy food is for dogs under 50lb’s when fully grown. Regular puppy food is formulated with more calcium. More calcium could make your puppy grow to fast which puts pressure on their joints. This information I obtained from a nutritional veterinarian at the U of MN. I have been feeding large breed puppy kibble ever since that seminar.
Feeding a large breed puppy food and not over feeding your puppy can lower your dog’s risk of bone and joint disorders like; elbow dysplasia, canine hip dysplasia, osteochondrosis (OCD) and developmental orthopedic disease (DOD).
Dry kibble is hard for dogs to digest and absorb the nutrients from it. For your dog to get the most nutrients out of dry kibble, it is best to hydrate it with water prior to feeding. If I am feeding a 1/2 cup portion to my puppy, I add 1/4-1/2 cup of boiling water to the kibble. Let it cool 20 minutes before feeding it. Think of it this way, if you tried to eat a hand full of Ritz crackers you would need a sizable amount of water to rinse it down. But if you soaked your Ritz crackers first you would be able to chew and swallow them without having to drink a lot of water.
Raw feeders
A species appropriate diet for our dogs is a raw food diet. To get started on a raw diet there are many face book groups and books on raw feeding. I personally feed chicken with bone, turkey with bone, beef with and without bone, organ (liver, tongue, kidney, pancreas….) rabbit, venison, beaver, raw eggs, sardines and pheasant. I get my food from the grocery store, hunters and the local butchers shop. All the food I feed raw to my dogs is human consumable. I often get course ground beef & turkey with bone and organ (80 meat/10 organ/10 bone) from www.rawdeliverymn.com They can also help you navigate raw feeding with their feeding charts and you can set up 1:1 calls with them to learn more.
Combination Kibble & Raw feeders
I feed my dogs mostly raw, but feeding kibble now and then gives me some flexibility. If I have to board my dogs or bring in a dog sitter it makes it easy to tell them how much dog kibble to feed each dog vs making up multiple meals for my dogs, getting each container marked and in the freezer. When I feed kibble, I hydrate it with water and do not mix raw with it. You could also use freeze dried in place of the kibble when your dogs are going to be taken care of by someone.
How many times a day should you feed your dog?
There are many opinions out there and here is mine.
- 5 weeks – 6 months: Ideally growing pups should have their daily food portioned out to be fed four times a day. However, most people’s schedules can not accommodate this so feed your puppy 3 times a days. You can be creative with the times to fit your life style. Example; feed a morning meal, feed as soon as you are home from work and a meal about an hour before bed.
- 6 months +: Begin feeding twice daily.
I don’t recommend feeding once a day as the large amount of food in one sitting can increase the risk of bloat, also known as gastric dilatation and volvulus (GDV).
I do not like free feeding. If your dog is not feeling well you may not notice he/she has not eaten all day. Feeding on a set schedule is a quick way to know when your dog is not feeling well. You are also controlling their intake so they do not become obese.