This is obviously a puppy? How old is he?

I'm not a nutritionist but for Dobe (or any other medium to large sized dog) the protein level seems too high--that 30 % dry percentage of protein in the kibble is not recommended for the larger breeds--makes them tend to grow too rapidly and can affect bone structure. Do they have an adult formula with a lower protein level (26% or less is the recommendation for large breed puppies).

I stop feeding three meals when the puppy starts leaving part of (usually) the middle meal--probably because there isn't enough time between the morning meal and the mid day meal for them to get really hungry). At that point (and it's usually at around 3-1/2 to 4 months I divide the food into two meals which is what I feed for the life of the dog.

How much food is going to vary with each dog but generally I would be feeding about 3 cups (total) of the kibble when he is still getting three meals a day. And I increase it slowly so that by 5 months he's eating about 4 cups a day (so 2 cups per meal)--I don't feed a lot of canned food to puppies--the canned food looks pretty good though--it's mostly just meat. I also feed yogurt of cottage cheese (a spoonful for breakfast) and eggs--here eggs are generally pretty cheap and are very good for skin and coats as well as the white being pure protein and very easily digested. You could alternate a small amount of the wet food and an egg from one day to the next.

Well, your english is very good--and I apologize for not translating the cups--(that would be 8 oz cups--which are 240 grams I think) And it sound like you are getting your puppy off to a great start (if you can keep your mother from feeding him something every time he sqeaks.

Good luck with Griffin and send pictures--we love puppy pictures.

dobebug

 

Thank you for replying and yes Griffin is a puppy and just 9 weeks old, so a little over 2 months.

So, I just looked it up and it seems that all puppy food is above 28% protein. When I looked at adult food for large dogs it's still 27%, but for medium dogs, it's 26%. Does it make a difference if the food is for a large or medium dog and could I give adult food to a puppy (is it safe or does it make a big difference)? Here it is:

INGREDIENTS: Chicken meat (fresh 10%, dehydrated 30%), rice, corn, animal fat (chicken fat 99.5%), beet pulp, brewer's yeast (source of MOS and vitamin B12), corn gluten, hydrolyzed animal protein, fish (dehydrated salmon), fish oil (salmon oil), hydrolyzed cartilage (source of chondroitin sulfate), hydrolyzed crustaceans (source of glucosamine), methylsulfonylation, xylooligosaccharides, yucca schidigera, spirulina

ANALYTICAL COMPOSITION: Crude protein 26.00%, crude fats and oils 14.00%, crude fiber 2.50%, crude ash 6.00%, calcium 1.20%, phosphorus 0.80%, omega 6 essential fatty acids 6.40%, omega 3 essential fatty acids 0.70%

I try to make his meals as interesting and as healthy as possible, so I will definitely try to add yogurt occasionally too. Just wanted to ask you what do you think about the treats I mentioned in the previous post? I really tried to find good ones at pet shops, but they would either have really bad and processed ingredients or they would be expensive and you would get just 7-8 treats which are not even enough for one training session lol.

I also heard they really like peanut butter, so is there any treat recipe or anything that I could include that in?

 

Many of us here give adult food right away. My pup has been on it since he came home at 10.5 weeks and has grown wonderfully, not too fast, not too slow. I follow what bug does... food is 26% protein. We use the same brand but different formulas (purina pro plan) Bug and many others here successfully use the pro plan sensitive skin and stomach, and a few of us use what I use which is the complete pro plan shredded chicken and rice. I know Dobes are big to many people, but when you think of truly big breeds (mastiffs and bernese mountain dogs) and extra large breeds (great danes and wolf hounds) easy to see how Dobermans truly are medium sized dogs. This is what the standard says. "General Appearance: The appearance is that of a dog of medium size, with a body that is square. Compactly built, muscular and powerful, for great endurance and speed. Elegant in appearance, of proud carriage, reflecting great nobility and temperament. Energetic, watchful, determined, alert, fearless, loyal and obedient."

We always advise people feed the dog in front of them.. in other words if they are doing good on their food and they look skinnier one morning (they grow like weeds until 6 or 7 months and will wake up from a nap and legitimately be taller and thinner) up the food a 1/4 of a cup morning and night. If they start to look to heavy, cut it down the same amount. My 6 month old is now up to 3 cups morning and 3 cups night, along with small training bits though the day. I usually use single ingredient things most of the times like dehydrated lamb lung, chicken heart, beef liver, or whole mackerel dehydrated. Sometimes I do use pet store training treats or pieces of kibble. Depends what we are working on. I have jumped up a half cup even, under the advice of my handler or breeder and had no bad side effects other than slightly looser poop for a day.

Adult food is completely safe. I have heard many people refuse to use it because they think puppy food has extra things a puppy needs, but it's not been the case for countless people here.... in fact puppy food was too much for some dogs and can cause things like knuckling over. It is easily corrected with lower proteins food (around 26%) though.

Either way good luck and you know, we love pictures around here. Many of us have a thread for our pups that we update whenever we have time. It is really fun to read back through it as they grow too. I am always shocked at just how small mine was at first, and laugh about things we used to have to work hard at, that now comes with ease, or things I never thought we would get right, that we do with ease. Welcome to the forum!

 

As to your other question, you probably know, but just in case... yogurt and peanut butter... Make SURE it's unsweetened and that they do not contain xylitol. It is toxic to dogs. You need to make sure others in the house know about this because many things contain this ingredient. It may stop them giving things they shouldn't for fear of harming your puppy. Also remind them he is very likely to be over 80 or even 90 pounds and begging won't be so cute to them then when he is trying to bully them into giving him a taste of their meal then.

I don't know if these treats are available where you live, but the training treats from the store that are less ingredients and filler than many others are called Zukes mini training treats. I can link them for you.

Amazon.com

I have made home made treats with yogurt, bone broth, and canned salmon, with a little oat meal mix. Also I have substituted the yogurt for an organic peanut butter. I have used canned sardines. Cottage cheese. I just play around with amounts and some I freeze in molds that came with the Extra Large MyWoof Pupsicle, but I haven't perfected it just yet. I want something that lasts as long as what comes with the Mywoof and is as mess free as theirs.

I also make lick mats and freeze, you are probably familiar, but they are silicone molds like the one you have to bake treats but shallow and some have suctions on the bottom so they don't move all over the place while the dog is trying to enjoy them. You spoon peanut butter or cottage cheese or yogurt on and freeze. I mix and match and add a couple blueberries or pieces of kibble sometimes.

 

I've been feeding adult food to puppies for years now--I started because a vet told me to--and that was so far back that the puppy formulas were all meant for smaller breeds--and all formulas were actually to "hot" for puppies.

I'd choose a kibble for adults and if the protein is at or below the 26% recommended it really doesn't make any difference if it says medium or large. It looks like a complete enough diet that it'll work for a puppy--besides you are adding things that will increase the calorie count and you best way of telling is he's getting enough food at any point is to look at the dog--you should be to see a shadow of his last couple of ribs if he's standng still and you should be able to feel all his rib by running your hand along his rib cage. His spine should be covered, and his hip bones. I look daily and with puppies they go from fat little things just before they hit a growth spurt--then you look at him one morning and he looks like a colt--all legs and no body--this a normal growth pattern.

The treats you are making for him at almost identical to the ones I use for adult dogs when they are being shown--and I don't often buy commercial products--not sure what you have locally but I use a lot of the kibble the puppy is eating--handed to them a piece at a time they are excellent for training--I really want most of their calorie consumption to come from their meals.

Yes, I hear dogs like peanut butter--and I don't feed it or use it for treats--I suspect that dogs like the oil that peanut butter has--you could add it to the treats you are making as something special but for training--where you may be using lots of treats--I'd stick with using his own kibble.

And I think that by the time he's 6 month old you could probably go back to feeding the adult version of the kibble you started out with--if he likes it and his coat is shiny and he has energy to burn and solid poop and a good appetite that's kind of how I have always picked out food that my dogs eat.

And if you want a really super treat when he's a little older and being trained more you can buy heart or liver--simmer it until cooked through cut it in slices and then oven bake it at around 300 degrees (you'll have to translate that from Fahrenheit to Celsius--5/9(F-32) until you can still stick a fork in it. Cut it while still warm into very small pieces and freeze most of it--no preservatives even refrigerated it will get moldy in a matter of 4 or 5 day. Then just take a small number out to thaw for each day. Use that for super treats.

Hope this helps...

dobebug

 

@Allforblitz @dobebug

Sorry for replying to both at once, but it was a lot easier because you both had similar points.

I didn't know but thank you for explaining. I had dogs before and never gave them adult food straight away, but it is indeed too much protein in this puppy & junior kind of food I'm using, so I'll switch to adult one. I was confused when I was buying it before getting my puppy because there was extra mini, mini, medium, and maxi food, so I just figured he would fit with maxi, but when you consider all the way larger breeds, they are indeed medium. He is a little chubby for now, but nothing major, just a little puppy stomach. Thank you also for telling me about them getting skinnier so fast, I didn't know, probably would freak out, honestly, and get on the nerves of my vet with all the questions (as I do regularly lol). I think the guy will start to hate us with me bothering him every now and then lol.

Also so sorry for not posting any pics, but he is really not a big fan and keeps moving all the time, so I'm waiting until we have all the necessary commands figured out and learned so that I can take him for a professional photo shoot with me. I would like to do some solo pics of him as a puppy and then later again as he grows more and more, as well as some with me. I will share those for sure once we do it.

Another question how much exactly is 1 cup, you can say it in ounces if it's easier and I will convert it to grams. I googled it, but different sites say different measurements, so I just wanted to make sure.

I did just warn my parents about it, and they got a little freaked out and said that they would stop thank God, and thank you for the tip. I thought I was gonna go crazy with my mom acting like it's a grandchild lol.

Unfortunately, those treats aren't available here, but I did read the ingredients and the percentage of everything, so I will try to find/make something similar. Also, I didn't know so many various things could be put into treats, I will definitely be trying them one by one (Griffin will be thrilled because I noticed he really likes trying new stuff out), so thank you both for the ideas.

I ordered one of those licking silicone molds online, should be arriving in a few days or so. I'm sure he will love it because I can see he is pretty tired and non-energetic these days due to the heat. It's been around 35-38C every day for a week now (around 95-100F). So we do walks pretty early, around 7 am, or late around 9 pm when the temperature is at least a little better when it's around 25-27C (around 77-80F) it's still hot but at least the sun is not up, and I keep him very hydrated during those walks (bought that bottle that you can fill up with water and then give them a little every few mins). Also, I kept all the training sessions inside, because of the heat and I take him out for a few minutes to pee every 45 mins now. I also tried a trick that a friend recommended; I took a big thing, kind of like a blanket, but thin and put it in a freezer for about 15-20 mins and let him lie down on it and cool himself at least a bit. He seemed to like it, but he kept coming to me for cuddles, he even took his blanket with his teeth and moved it really close to my bed, while I was studying on my laptop, I laughed so hard and made a break to play with him. He likes to remind me of breaks by throwing something across the room when he is really really bored and he gives me the look "Mom you are supposed to throw that come on". He did get a hang of "wait"/"not now", which I do when I have to finish something, he whines a little, but he is a really good boy and of course, he knows that if he waits just a little, I will come and play a lot with him, like he wanted.

 

@Allforblitz @dobebug

Sorry for replying to both at once, but it was a lot easier because you both had similar points.

I didn't know but thank you for explaining. I had dogs before and never gave them adult food straight away, but it is indeed too much protein in this puppy & junior kind of food I'm using, so I'll switch to adult one. I was confused when I was buying it before getting my puppy because there was extra mini, mini, medium, and maxi food, so I just figured he would fit with maxi, but when you consider all the way larger breeds, they are indeed medium. He is a little chubby for now, but nothing major, just a little puppy stomach. Thank you also for telling me about them getting skinnier so fast, I didn't know, probably would freak out, honestly, and get on the nerves of my vet with all the questions (as I do regularly lol). I think the guy will start to hate us with me bothering him every now and then lol.

Also so sorry for not posting any pics, but he is really not a big fan and keeps moving all the time, so I'm waiting until we have all the necessary commands figured out and learned so that I can take him for a professional photo shoot with me. I would like to do some solo pics of him as a puppy and then later again as he grows more and more, as well as some with me. I will share those for sure once we do it.

Another question how much exactly is 1 cup, you can say it in ounces if it's easier and I will convert it to grams. I googled it, but different sites say different measurements, so I just wanted to make sure.

I did just warn my parents about it, and they got a little freaked out and said that they would stop thank God, and thank you for the tip. I thought I was gonna go crazy with my mom acting like it's a grandchild lol.

Unfortunately, those treats aren't available here, but I did read the ingredients and the percentage of everything, so I will try to find/make something similar. Also, I didn't know so many various things could be put into treats, I will definitely be trying them one by one (Griffin will be thrilled because I noticed he really likes trying new stuff out), so thank you both for the ideas.

I ordered one of those licking silicone molds online, should be arriving in a few days or so. I'm sure he will love it because I can see he is pretty tired and non-energetic these days due to the heat. It's been around 35-38C every day for a week now (around 95-100F). So we do walks pretty early, around 7 am, or late around 9 pm when the temperature is at least a little better when it's around 25-27C (around 77-80F) it's still hot but at least the sun is not up, and I keep him very hydrated during those walks (bought that bottle that you can fill up with water and then give them a little every few mins). Also, I kept all the training sessions inside, because of the heat and I take him out for a few minutes to pee every 45 mins now. I also tried a trick that a friend recommended; I took a big thing, kind of like a blanket, but thin and put it in a freezer for about 15-20 mins and let him lie down on it and cool himself at least a bit. He seemed to like it, but he kept coming to me for cuddles, he even took his blanket with his teeth and moved it really close to my bed, while I was studying on my laptop, I laughed so hard and made a break to play with him. He likes to remind me of breaks by throwing something across the room when he is really really bored and he gives me the look "Mom you are supposed to throw that come on". He did get a hang of "wait"/"not now", which I do when I have to finish something, he whines a little, but he is a really good boy and of course, he knows that if he waits just a little, I will come and play a lot with him, like he wanted.

I am very glad about the xylitol information helping with the parents. That is sooooo important.

A measured cup is 8 ounces.

Yes they will be little chunky pups, then you blink and they are all legs. totally normal. It takes a couple days to see the changes from adjusting food in their body, so it's not a huge deal. For my male he started at 12 ounces kibble morning and again at night around 10.5 weeks, Then we went to 2 cups (16 ounces) morning and again at night, then 2.5 cups (20 ounces) morning and night and at 5 months and 2 weeks we went to 3 cups (24 ounces) morning and night and are still at that. I always did twice a day, but most people do 3 meals a day until they are 4-6 months old. There is absolutely no problem with 3 meals a day, just do the math to split the total amount into 3 portions versus two.

I think the lick mats will be great. I have been slacking on them lately, but heavily relied on them when my boy was very young and I was getting ready for work, or needed a few minutes to focus on something else. Make sure you look up your calories for your food per cup or per ounce whatever works for you. Figure out about how many calories per meal he has, and figure up what the lick mats contents is in calories, and feed an appropriate amount less when he has lick mats. My math was that 1 table spoon of yogurt, one of cottage cheese, and one of peanut butter, or wet dog food, equaled about a cup (or 8 ounces of food) so I took 4 ounces from morning meal and 4 ounces of evening meal so he wasn't eating too much. Loose poop is an indication of too much food, but new treats can also cause that, so just keep an eye on his poops. If they last for a couple days after introducing new things, then maybe he is eating too much if he doesn't have anything medically that would cause loose poop.

You're in good company here to learn a lot. I wouldn't have been 5% as successful as I have been without Doberman Talk.

 

Hi Since we’re talking about food. No one feeds their dog raw food? I’m still waiting for my dobie puppy and, thankfully heard from the breeder today. So if all goes well, I‘ll have him by the end of the year. In my contract I committed to feeding him what the breeder uses during the first year. She does have a few LCs so she’s doing something right. However, I have always fed my border collies 80% raw chicken, organs and crushed bones 20% produce and grains such as rolled oats or cooked white rice. I was hoping to feed the dobie the same when he was older. But seeing the replies, I may have to rethink that.

 

Hi rwac. There are a number of folks who successfully feed their Doberman's raw food.

If you type "Raw food" into the Search Community feature at the top of the page, you will get several hundred hits.

John L
Portland OR

 

Not sure if you mentioned it but I give my doby pumpkin seed supplements. One a day. Her coat was dry and she had dandruff ( common I’ve been told). After adding the pumpkin supplement to her food, she’s soooo shiny. My boxer too. My doby is still a pup at 4 months. My boxer is 3 years old. They’re best buds. Just thought I’d throw in the pumpkin supplement. In humans it helps with urinary health like incontinence. I give it to my chiweenie also, who is elderly and prone to accidents.

 

Generally I don't give oils (that's what the pumpkin seed supplements really give your puppy) I give fish oil and vitamin E instead. I started doing that many years ago before it started to being used as something that might help with the Doberman problem with cardio. The breeders of my Afghan Hound always fed fish oil and Vitamin E because it is a great skin and coat supplement. And because it was so helpful with Afghan's coat I kept giving it when I switched back to Dobermans.

Here's a tip for you. Often what appears to be dry skin or coat and dandruff isn't a dietary issue at all but a problem with how the puppy is getting bathed. When you bathe dogs (any breed really) do it in cold water--tepid doesn't mean skin temperature it means just barely off cold. Dog skin is not adapted to warm waters--it doesn't like them. And for a final rinse mix a gallon of cold water with 2 or 3 cups of white vinegar--pour that over your dog--it's remove any residual shampoo that the rinsing in water didn't take off and the other thing it will do is it'll leave your dog's skin at it's proper pH. The wipe most of the water off with your hands followed by a wipe down with a towel in the direction of the lay of the coat.--then let your dog shake--he'll only smell like a salad until he dries but his coat will be shiny will smell great. And no dandruff.

dobebug

 

A couple of my dogs flaked when they got kinda nervous--classically at the vet's office, where it always looked like they had skin problems.

 

I had one male that did that too--it was always a thrill if he did it at a show (which he tended to do as a puppy)--I loved picking big greasy looking flakes of dandruff off him just before they called his class.

dobebug

 

Ripley was a flake queen in stressful situations (the vet, dog shows).