Dog Food for my German Shepherd Puppy?

Question

Hey,

In about 2 weeks from now I will be getting a 6 week German Shepherd puppy. I am starting to do all the planning right now but I am not 100% sure on what I am doing is correct. Yes I have done a lot of research on this dog. I am just unaware on what food, how big of a dog crate, health care and all. Can you please answer the following question.

1. What exact food should I give my 6 week GSD pup, and for training what type of training treat "reward" should i feed him.

2. Before I get this dog, I want it to get checked up by a vet to see if he is healthy and doesn't have rabbies etc. Do I go to a vet clinic and just ask them if they can check my dog? how much do they charge(Canada, Scarborough Ontario).

3. What size of a dog crate should I get. He will grow fast, so I want to get a dog crate that he will fit once he is at least 1-2 years of age. What size would the dog be at 1-2 years of age and is it OKAY to get that big crate when he is just a pup?

4. He is a mixed breed of a GSD, beagle, and a cocker spaniel. The father is the 100% GSD and the mother is 50-50 cocker spaniel and beagle. What is the dog going to look like once it grows? more like the GSD?

Answer 1

1. Don't get your dog at SIX WEEK! NO. Bad idea. It MUST stay with the litter and the mother until 8 weeks old. No responsible breeder would give up pups at this early of an age so make sure you really look into the breeder again or tell them you want your dog to stay there an extra two weeks. Yes, a very young puppy is cuter but the damage you are doing to your dogs mental and emotional development by getting it at 6 weeks old DOES NOT make up for it. When you do get him at EIGHT WEEKS, most GSD breeders I know have been using Canidae All Life Stages with their dogs. Make sure the food is All Life Stages or Large Breed Puppy food as Adult Only food contains too high concentrations of chemicals for your developing dog. Avoid the common grocery store treats like 'Beggin strips' or those soft things shaped like meat. They are really hard on a puppies digestive system. Charlee Bear brand treats work great and are low calories. Also, Wellness or Nutro puppy biscuts are good.

2. Dogs can't get rabies until they are at least 4 months old - so no your puppy won't have rabies. He will need to get 3 rounds of puppy shots with the last one containing his rabies vaccine. You will need to pick out a vet clinic and call and say that you want a new puppy wellness checkup. Most vets charge $50 per office visit plus the costs of shots being anywhere from another $50 - $100 dollars every time you go. Don't forget you will also have to get them fixed which costs ~$150 for males and ~$250 for females. Obedience classes are also required which can be another $150 each - and with these questions you are asking and the size of the dog you are getting you really really need to go to obedeince classes and get familiar with a good dog trainer. This is going to be a larger, more powerful dog and you need to reconsider if you are really ready to handle such a dog.

3. I would get him a 42-46 inch wire crrate that has a divider that you can use to make it smaller and then expand out the space as he grows. MidWest Pet makes great crates like this.

4. There is no way any one can tell you what that dog is going to look like. it all depends on what genes it got from what parents. It will likely be smaller than a GSD and bigger than a beagle. other than that there is nothing anyone can ACCURATELY tell you about it.

I'm not sure this is the right mix of a dog for you but no matter what you decide just make sure you have good resources (friends, family, trainers) around you that can help raise the dog right. Get the book Puppies for Dummies and read that while you wait for your new dog. And REALLLY listen to what it has to say and AT LEAST follow those guidelines.

EDIT: Please do not feed Purina, Iams, or Pedigree unless that is all you can afford. These are terribly made dog foods with very poor ingredients that use a mass marketing campaign to try to convince people otherwise. Check out dogfoodanalysis.com and look at the reviews of the 5 and 6 star dog foods as these are the best ones to feed to your puppy. (Purina, Iams, and Pedigree often get 1/2 star or 1 star to give you some prospective).

Answer 2

Hey, getting a puppy is an exciting time!  I worked at an animal shelter for two years, so I have a lot of experience.  I hope that I can help you out...  We always fed our puppies Purina Puppy Chow.  They grew up healthy and had beautiful coats.  You keep feeding the the puppy chow until they are one years old and then they can graduate to the Purina Dog Chow.  I am attaching a link that will help you determine how much to feed your puppy.  It also has some important information about the ingredients.



It is a great idea that you want to have the puppy checked out by a vet.  All you have to do is explain your situation to the vet.  Your puppy probably doesn't have rabies, but it may have other problems.  All you have to do is tell your vet you want a physical for your puppy.  They will run through random tests with the puppy.

I wish that I could help you with the size of the crate and the appearance for the dog.  But I am just not sure what the mother looks like.  But chances are your dog will be extra large.  

Good luck with your new puppy and have fun!

Answer 3

wow thats a hard qeustion well ummmm   if you mean dog food i feed my puppy pedigree and he is a boxer......................................

thats propbly the only question i can answer out of them and its probly not a good answer but still sorry i cant help

Answer 4

I agree with the last guy. Dont buy cheap food. For one it is bad for them... too many bi products.. which in turn lead to more waste for you to clean up.

Try a Nutro product or Royal Canin (they make a food specific to German Shepards)