What to feed a shepherd puppy for 1 month. How to feed a German Shepherd? Proper diet for puppies and adult dogs

There are some dog breeds that will always be in demand. One of them is the German Shepherd. This breed is unique in its own way and requires special training from the future owner.

In addition to the fact that you must provide a sleeping place for the puppy, you will have to purchase a number of dog care accessories - brushes, bathing shampoo, toys and a special bowl for feeding. Particular attention should be paid to the issue of nutrition of the German Shepherd. If you want your puppy to grow into a healthy and strong animal, then you need to find out what you can feed him at different periods of his life.

Preparing for the arrival of a baby in the house

Before moving on to considering the food that can be given to a German Shepherd puppy, you should resolve the issue of dishes for the baby. It is best if these are metal or enamel bowls. The best option- double products in which you can give your dog both water and food at the same time. When choosing a bowl for your puppy, make sure it has the optimal stand height for him. It should be located no lower than the animal's chest.

Please note that if from early childhood a puppy eats from incorrectly selected dishes, then as he grows up he may develop defects that are dangerous to his health. The most common among them are hunchback and high-ass. We cannot exclude such a pathology as weakness of the front legs, which is a serious problem for a German shepherd. In order not to constantly spend money on new bowls, it is best to immediately buy one on a stand with a height adjuster.

Now you know which bowls are best for a German Shepherd puppy, you can move on to the main question - what kind of food you can give your puppy.

Feed selection

Each baby must be fed mother's milk for the first two months of its life. Taking this into account, experts recommend buying a puppy German Shepherd when he can already eat regular dog food. Most often, dogs of this breed are given two types of food:

Traditional. This includes food that the owner can prepare himself for his pet.
Dry food. In this case, we are talking about all canned products that are offered to dog owners in specialized stores.

Feeding frequency

When thinking about what food to buy for a German Shepherd puppy, you should first know that depending on the age of the dog, it needs to be given special food of a certain composition, energy value and in a certain quantity.

Until the dog is 1.5 months old, he needs to be given food 6 times a day. Moreover, meals should be at regular intervals. Upon reaching the specified age, the interval between feeding a German Shepherd puppy increase. Thus, at the age of 3 months, the puppy should eat every 4 hours. When he is 6 months old, you will have to feed your pet 3 times a day. Starting from the 7th month, the dog can be given food twice a day. Your four-legged friend's body will function correctly if you give him food at the same time, following a diet that takes into account his age.

As a rule, German Shepherd puppies begin to switch from mother's milk to regular food at the age of 6 weeks, not earlier. But not all novice dog breeders know what can be given to a dog at this age. Pay great attention to the choice of food during the 1.5 month period, since depending on what will your pet eat? depends on how he grows up. To ensure that a young dog’s transition to adult food does not lead to health complications, you must find out in advance what nutrients and vitamins your four-legged friend should receive with the food that you select for him.

Squirrels

According to current standards, their share in a puppy’s diet should be at least 30%. Protein deficiency can cause various diseases in dogs. The fact is that if there is a lack of proteins, the dog’s immune system will stop functioning normally. In addition to this, the growth of his joints and muscles will slow down.

Fats and carbohydrates

These substances must be present in the diet of any dog. For normal development proportion of fat should be 2.5 g per 1 kg of animal weight. As for carbohydrates, the amount that the puppy will receive every day with food should be 16 g per kg of weight.

Vitamins

Vitamins also play a big role in a dog’s development, and they need to be selected especially carefully. If you make a mistake with the choice of the appropriate ones or the dosage, then significant harm will be caused to the puppy’s body. Eg, with excessively large the amount of calcium, vitamins A and D can damage the skeletal system, which, given the dog’s age, can be fraught with serious consequences.

Now is the time to learn more about what you can give your German Shepherd puppy at different ages.

One month

Until the puppies are 2 months old, they feed only on their mother's milk. With it, animals receive not only all the substances necessary for normal development, but also antibodies. Therefore, it is important to choose the right moment of dog transfer for adult food. Breeders advise starting to introduce adult food into the puppies' diet at the age of 2 weeks. For complementary feeding, take milk and mix it with an egg, observing the proportions of 1 egg: 1 liter of milk. Also at this age, puppies can begin to be fed thinly sliced beef.

After a while, new products can be introduced into the diet - porridge from semolina, buckwheat and rolled oatmeal, cooked in milk. It is also allowed to give small quantities of wheat bread soaked in milk to animals. At the age of 3 weeks, the diet can be dilute with meat broth and thin soups. Adult complementary foods should be given to babies 4 times a day, but only after they have received their allotted portion of mother's milk. Starting from the age of 1 month, a variety of foods can be introduced into the puppy’s diet.

If you decide to get a German Shepherd puppy at the age of 2 weeks, we advise you to refrain from introducing new foods into its diet. Wait 2 months, and until then, feed him the same as the breeder.

How much food should there be?

The puppy should receive 100 g of meat and 200 g of dairy products per day. When deciding on food for a puppy aged 2 months, you should be weighed regularly it - if the nutrition is chosen correctly, then every day the dog’s weight gain will be about 150-170 g.

At the age of 1 month, German Shepherd puppies can be given not only home-cooked food, but also dry food. This is a very convenient option for owners, as it saves a lot of time and effort. Although many owners and breeders still try to give puppies at this age natural food.

But if you decide to dilute the diet with dry food, then we advise you to start introducing it in small portions no earlier than the puppy turns 2 months old, diluting it with natural products.

1.5 months

Now the puppy is a little older, he can be given soft bones once a week. They contain many useful minerals that a young dog’s body needs. However, keep it in moderation.

You should give your pet this treat no earlier than he has eaten his main food.

At the age of 1.5 months, fish oil can be introduced into the diet to prevent rickets. Add it needed in small quantities. At first, 2-3 drops will be enough, and later it can be increased. There are also other feeding rules that must be followed:

Try to give your dog food at room temperature;
Ideally, the portion prepared for the puppy should be eaten completely. If the puppy is underfed, then under no circumstances leave the bowl.
Make sure your pet has constant access to fresh water.
From the moment your dog arrives in your home, choose a place for him where you will constantly feed him.

2 months

When the puppy turns 2 months old, some changes are made to his diet. You can decide for yourself what products to add on the menu, but still try to stick to the basic line. To ensure that your puppy grows normally and does not have health problems, make sure that his menu includes the following products.

The main rule that you must follow is that your pet at this age should eat at least 5 times a day. His diet should look like this:

4 months

At this age, the puppy has become even stronger, stronger and more resilient. Now he spends more time playing games, and you need to understand, what his food should be at 4 months. There are special parameters that a puppy at this age must meet - weight approximately 20 kg, height about 55 cm, chest volume - 65 cm.

It doesn’t matter if your puppy doesn’t meet the above parameters. Still, each animal is individual in its own way and has its own characteristics, including in development. It is quite possible that after some time he will reach these standards, and perhaps even surpass them.

At this age, German Shepherd puppies undergo a change of teeth and shedding, during which real fur grows instead of puppy fluff. Also, at four months young dogs experience active growth. That's why you need to provide your pet with everything he needs - vitamins, proteins and minerals. If there is a deficiency of certain nutrients, the dog may experience developmental abnormalities.

At this age, the baby should be given finely chopped meat, raw or boiled. He should also receive enough cottage cheese and dairy products. Make sure that on your baby's menu There were also vegetables - add them to each portion of food, preferably boiled. For normal development, try to regularly introduce one chicken egg per day into the food.

5 months

Your baby is already 5 months old. At this age, it is also necessary to carefully approach the issue of choosing food for a German Shepherd puppy. Now he can be fed 3 times a day. With every appointment your baby should receive no more than 500 g of food. The number of eggs can be reduced to 2 per week. Here is a detailed menu for a puppy aged 5 months:

Cottage cheese mixed with kefir (350 g), a mineral supplement calculated taking into account the dog’s weight;
Porridge from millet, rice or buckwheat (200 g), meat of any kind (250 g), one egg;
A small portion of porridge (200 g), meat (250 g) and some vegetables;
Each portion of food must be supplemented with not only mineral supplements, but also vitamins.

6 months

When your baby turns 6 months old, the number of meals is reduced to 3 days. Your dog's menu will look like this at this age:

500 g meat;
1 chicken egg;
250 g cereals;
300 g cottage cheese;
250 g vegetables;
500 ml milk;
1 tbsp. l. any vegetable oil.

In the future, the dog’s diet should include two feedings a day. At the same time, you need to increase your portion sizes.

Conclusion

Proper care of a German Shepherd puppy requires knowledge of the specifics of this breed. But there are also general rules that must be respected every owner who wants his puppy to grow up healthy and strong.

A special role here is given to nutrition, with the choice of which many novice dog breeders have many problems. Not everyone knows what to feed dogs at an early age, because the menu at 1 and 6 months will be significantly different. That's why, if you care your four-legged friend, find out in advance what exactly and in what quantities you can give your German Shepherd puppy, and follow this feeding schedule exactly.

Do you know how to care for a German Shepherd puppy? What to feed him in what month of life so that the baby develops properly, looks good and grows up to be an excellent dog? You must understand that your pet is not a toy, and prepare for all the various difficulties that you will have to face.

Caring for and maintaining your pet includes the following basic points:

habitat;
walks;
hygiene.

Content area

It should not be located in a passage where a draft is possible, near doors and heating appliances. The dog should not sleep in the bathroom or kitchen either. Having chosen a decent corner, you need to lay a special rug or mattress there, which, ideally, is best covered with a pillowcase. This is very convenient for keeping the sleeping area clean. Prepare several pillowcases so you can change and wash them on time.

Prepare for the fact that at first your beloved baby will do his dirty deeds at home, because he still can’t stand it. Gradually, it is necessary to teach him to relieve himself while walking, immediately after feeding or sleeping. Always reward your dog with a tasty bite of his favorite treat as soon as he does the wet thing. Thanks to your efforts, by six months the shepherd will learn to relieve itself only in the yard.

During the first days, the puppy may whine loudly, missing his mother and his former home. Therefore, you should not leave him in a dark enclosed area or tie him up. Try to calm him down with gentle words, give him a toy. But it will be unnecessary to constantly stroke or squeeze the baby: this risks instilling unnecessary qualities.

Going outside

The Shepherd simply needs stable ones. You can start walking your pet only after everything has been done. As mentioned above, the best option for a dog is to live on the street, where there is a constant opportunity to run freely in the open air. If this option is not available and you live in an apartment, then you need to take your pet for a walk every day, gradually increasing the walking time. It's best to take walks during the daytime to take advantage of the sun's natural ultraviolet rays.

The first walks should be short, five minutes will be enough. At the age of two months, hikes increase to half an hour, while at 6–10 months it is necessary to spend two to three hours walking. From two months you can accustom your dog to a leash. While the baby is small, physical activity is contraindicated for him; as he runs around, it will immediately become clear that it is time to go home. When your pet gets older, it will be very good for psychological development if he interacts with other purebred dogs in specially designated areas. But you shouldn’t let stray dogs near them - the risk of disease is high.

Now let's look at German Shepherd hygiene.

Animal hygiene

The eyes are clean, without discharge, with a clear gaze. You need to worry when your dog experiences inflammation or redness, or unnatural watery eyes; if he blinks frequently. If these symptoms occur, you should immediately contact your veterinarian or use special eye drops. You can also soak a cotton swab in chamomile infusion and rinse your eyes with it.

Teeth should be brushed once every three months with a special tooth powder. In pet stores you can also purchase special fluoride-based bones. Also suitable for this purpose are artificial bones made of leather, which will cope with cleaning fangs and massage your pet’s jaw.

Ears are cleaned once a month. This can be done either with a tampon or with special-purpose means. Be careful when observing your baby's ears. They contain a small amount of odorless sulfur. If redness, wet discharge are visible, a bad odor is felt; A pet scratches its ear and shakes its head, which means inflammation is occurring. Don't hesitate and consult a doctor.

Now let’s take a closer look at what to feed a purebred German Shepherd puppy.

Basics of proper nutrition

With regular and normal feeding, you can raise a healthy dog. A diet containing all and micronutrients will help keep your pet in good physical condition and longevity. The puppy's metabolism is much faster than that of the puppy, but the ventricle is small. Therefore, it is worth feeding the baby often, but in small portions.

German Shepherd puppies eat from a dish attached to a special dog stand. The bowls are at chest level, the dog lowers only its muzzle while eating. As your pet grows, it is necessary to raise the height of the stand. This is necessary so that the spine, joints of the front legs and neck do not bend during feeding.

While the pet is eating, try to fix its stance: place the hind legs so that the hock joints form an angle of 90 degrees, and the front legs should be parallel to each other. It is advisable to have nickel-plated bowls, one of which, with water, should always be kept and the drink in it should be changed about three times a day. Keep the food temperature barely warm. When your baby finishes eating, wipe his face with a clean cloth.

There are two types of dog feeding:

traditional;
canned food, dry complementary foods.

The first year in a puppy’s life, proper nutrition plays a huge role; keep an eye on the balance of the diet. Follow the weight gain procedure correctly. Of course, preparing your puppy’s food yourself is much better than buying ready-made food, but whatever feeding system you choose, remember that each dog is individual, with its own preferences. It is possible to switch from feed to fresh products and vice versa, but you should not mix them. Before making the final diet, monitor your pet.

There are several rules when creating a proper diet:

follow your diet;
Meat alone is not complete nutrition;
an overdose of vitamins A, D, calcium leads to intestinal volvulus;
the daily protein intake should be 30% of the main complementary foods in order for muscles and skeleton to develop;
Do not overfeed the puppy.

During the first week of living in your house, the puppy must be fed the same complementary foods that he ate from his former owner, otherwise his stomach may become upset. One serving is necessary so that the baby eats everything and licks the bowl. If he continues to stand near the dishes, it means there was not enough food. You don’t need to give an increase right away, your pet may get used to begging for snacks, it’s better to wait until next time. Depending on the time of your rise, the first feeding should be carried out, but no later than 7 am. The last feeding should be given at 10 pm.

From birth to six months, the development of the puppy occurs more intensively, and accordingly, the high calorie content of daily food also increases. At two months, it is advisable to give the baby a small amount of cartilage or raw bones, because a purebred German is still a predator. In order not to interrupt the appetite, bones should be given after the main feeding. This dish contains a large amount of minerals. If your pet doesn’t eat bones well, it means they are of poor quality or your baby has toothache. After six months, over the next 10 months, development levels out, and the need for complementary feeding increases. At 16 months, the shepherd becomes an adult, the amount of food provided per day, and the regime remains this way until the end.

The puppy should be fed frequently, with the following frequency:

up to 2 months – 6 times a day;
from 2 to 4 months – 5 times;
from 4 to 6 months – 4 times;
from 6 to 10 months – 3 times;
after 10 months – 2 times.

Traditional food

By choosing natural products, you are choosing the right approach to your diet. Let's look in more detail at what is best to feed your baby.

As mentioned above, a third of the food should consist of protein foods. This includes meat, mostly raw, eggs, and dairy products. It is impossible to raise a good dog by feeding a puppy only cereal. In addition to protein, the diet also includes carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, fiber and minerals.

Meat must be given in raw form daily, finely chopped in advance. Giving minced meat is a bad option; if the baby eats it, the stomach will not digest it. Thanks to this meat, the pet grows healthy and strong; it is the best material for building muscles and bones. It is necessary to start feeding with meat from 50 grams to a month, in a month they already give 100 grams, in two - 200 grams, in three - 300 grams, etc. The daily norm is best divided into three to four times. The following meat options are recommended: veal, beef, horse meat. It is best to cut off fat; it can cause indigestion. No pork!

By-products begin to be given to the puppy at four months, three times a week. Although the baby eats them well, they are not a substitute for meat. The liver is given only in boiled form, in order to prevent worms from entering the dog’s body. In addition to the fact that it is easily digestible and rich in vitamins A, B2, B12, nicotinic acid, iron, zinc, copper, liver also has high dietary properties. The udder, lungs, heart, kidneys, rumen, spleen begin to produce from six months. May contain useful elements such as vitamins A, B, calcium, and minerals.

Poultry by-products such as skin and entrails have high energy value. Tubular pork and poultry bones should not be given to shepherd dogs at all - the dog may choke. In addition, sharp fragments of such bones can injure the esophagus.

Eggs are a nutritious product; it is enough to give them once a week in the amount of two pieces. Only raw yolks, which can be mixed with porridge, are eaten. Raw proteins are not digestible. They can also be served as an omelet.

Dairy products. First place will be given to cottage cheese with a high calcium content. 350 grams daily will be enough. Chilled cottage cheese is mixed with whey and served in a porridge form. Then come yogurt and kefir, which have a good effect on digestion. It is best to give your puppy unboiled goat or cow milk daily.

Fish is rich in substances such as vitamins, trace elements and minerals. Serve only boiled, without bones, twice a week. But you need to be extremely careful when giving fish to your puppy, as freshwater species can be infected with tapeworms. We recommend giving fish after a year. Squids are very useful, helping to improve the properties of wool, containing vitamins B6, PP, B12, B2.

Dairy, animal, and vegetable fats are an integral part of a pet’s diet. They are based on vitamins and fatty acids, thanks to which the baby grows healthy and immunity increases. If you have prepared lean food, be sure to add butter or fat to it. Daily norm: 2 grams per kilogram of weight. Up to three months, 10 - 15 grams will be enough, from 3 to a year of months it is necessary to give 20 - 30 grams.

Carbohydrates in some cases can replace fats, giving the puppy energy for growth and proper bowel function. They are found in sugar, plant fiber, and starch. 10 - 15 grams of carbohydrates per 1 kilogram of weight is enough.

Bread and cereals are not the main food, so they are used in small quantities. For cereals, give preference to rice, millet, buckwheat, boiling them in the form of porridge with the addition of vegetables. "Hercules" is given after six months. 250 – 300 grams is enough to give daily. Gray or rye bread is given in small portions in the form of crackers soaked in low-fat broth.

It is better not to give legumes to your shepherd; she does not eat them well.

Vegetables can be given in grated form, making salads with a small addition of vegetable oil. Boiled pumpkin with porridge is a good choice for vitamin food. Stewed vegetables are easily digested by the stomach. It is advisable to periodically give your baby tomatoes, which he eats with pleasure, especially in winter; they do an excellent job of cleaning teeth from plaque. To prevent worms, add a clove of garlic to your pet's food. But potatoes are best eaten raw.

Herbs are an excellent vitamin supplement. Of all the herbs, it is better to avoid sorrel - it causes acute gastritis.

Fruits and berries are perfect for the diet, the introduction to which must begin at an early age. But avoid grapes and citrus fruits.

Mineral nutrition should be included in the diet every day so that the baby looks good. Pharmaceutical sulfur can be given a pinch along with meat to improve the quality of wool; Seaweed has a good effect on color due to its high iodine content. Eggshells contain calcium; they must be fed in powder form from 1.5 months with 0.5 teaspoon per day, increasing the dose to one teaspoon three times a day by four months. Meat and bone meal should be added to the puppy’s soup 2 times a week. When the shepherd grows up, this flour is placed in a separate bowl next to the water so that she can eat it whenever she wants.

It is not advisable to give sweets, because they make the baby eat poorly. If you want to pamper your puppy, it’s better to give him cheese or raw potatoes.

Follow a proper diet. Be careful when caring for your pet. When introducing new complementary foods, monitor the state of the digestive system and possible allergic reactions. Snacks between main feedings are not advisable. The puppy should eat in a quiet, calm environment so that nothing distracts him from eating. This is necessary for excellent feed absorption.

Did you like this article? Leave your comments.

According to the rules of domestic cynology, the transfer of a German Shepherd puppy is advisable at the age of 80-90 days.

However, there are cases when the baby ends up in new hands much earlier: the milk has run out, the bitch herself is sick, there will be no opportunity to come for the puppy later, etc.

In any case, until the baby is 45-50 days old, while the bitch is still able to feed him, you should not take a puppy from a mother shepherd dog - there is a high risk of “disrupting” the developing work of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT).

Why is it worth replacing milk with cottage cheese at this age?

From the age of 3 months, the gastrointestinal tract in dogs is sufficiently formed, and the baby’s body no longer needs milk sugar (lactose) in the amount it needed from birth.

A two-month-old German Shepherd puppy also practically does not need “pure” milk, as such. At this age, casein, a fermented milk protein found in yogurt and cottage cheese, is more important for him. The nutritional value of casein is significantly higher than that of lactose.

This means that a puppy’s diet at 2 months must necessarily include fermented milk products that can provide the growing body with minerals for the timely strengthening and further formation of bone tissue.

There is more casein in cottage cheese than in milk

In addition to casein and minerals, fermented milk products contain a number of amino acids that support healthy liver cells.

There is especially a lot of casein, amino acids and microelements in cottage cheese!

Lactic acid bacteria improve and normalize the activity of the gastrointestinal tract of a German shepherd puppy left without mother's care.

Please note! For the younger generation of German Shepherds, proper functioning of the gastrointestinal tract is the basis for the puppy’s full development into an excellent working dog.

And this foundation is extremely susceptible to disruptions during the growth process if the baby has not received additional immunity through mother’s milk. A weak gastrointestinal tract is an almost guaranteed lagging puppy BUT in the main characteristics of HEIGHT-WEIGHT, which will inevitably affect its further development and health.

What to do if your “German” is only 8 weeks old and you have the responsibility to nurture this miracle? First of all, ensure proper feeding!

Feeding a 2 month old German Shepherd puppy

A conscientious breeder will definitely tell you how complementary feeding was provided and what quantities of which products were used. High cost or complex diets are not popular with German Shepherd puppy breeders or owners. Complex diets are fraught with the fact that they are observed by the new owner only for a short time, and then “fade to nothing,” which can adversely affect the development of the shepherd dog.

An optimal diet should be simple to implement, not intimidating with an abundance of hard-to-find or super expensive ingredients, and at the same time be balanced and nutritious.

It is best to take the breeder’s diet as a basis (for at least 2 weeks!), and gradually transfer the puppy to a food that is more convenient for you, so that from two to six months he completely switches to the new diet, bypassing stressful situations with the gastrointestinal tract.

Separation from littermates, an unusual environment and a new person nearby are sufficiently traumatic circumstances for a tailed baby to be aggravated by an upset stomach from unusual food.

Principle of nutrition for a 2-month-old German Shepherd puppy

Currently, there are several methods on how and what to feed a German Shepherd puppy 2 months and older:

Natural products.
Dry and canned food.

Natural products

When eating natural products, the owner himself selects the set that seems most rational to him for a properly balanced diet.

Meat and offal

The German Shepherd is a carnivorous animal, so meat protein components should make up the bulk of the diet. An adult should eat at least 600-800 g of meat per day, and a puppy should eat at least 160 g if it weighs 8 kg. The calculation is simple: at least 20 g per 1 kg of the shepherd’s “live” weight.

However, in reality, a puppy at 2 months needs more meat.

By-products must undergo heat treatment

The German Shepherd's body's need for protein directly depends on its stage of development and physical activity. If an adult dog leading a sedentary lifestyle (an enclosure, a city apartment where free walking is limited) will need 18-20% of meat from the daily diet, then a puppy of such a large breed as a “German”, growing and developing very rapidly, the percentage of meat protein should be increased by 2 times. With a complete refusal of milk after 8 weeks - at 2.5 months.

Fortunately for owners, puppies willingly eat tripe (tripe, heart, lung, liver, kidneys, throat). Feeding conditions: mandatory heat treatment of chopped offal. There is no need to cook them; just scald the pre-washed parts of the offal with boiling water.

Be careful with your liver! It should be given no more than once a week and no more than 50 g per day - a strong laxative effect.

A third more by-products are required than meat, and the meat itself is easily replaced by flank and trimmings with a small amount of animal fat.

A few words about meat and bone broth

There have been a lot of complaints about broths as a maintenance food for dogs (from 2 months and later). Apparently, this is due to the inability to make a useful decoction from the bones. You cannot refuse such a useful product for a growing shepherd! Boiling over low heat from bones and connective tissues contains:

calcium and potassium;
magnesium and phosphorus;
zinc and iron;
manganese and selenium;
boron and bromides;
vitamins K-2 and A;
omega acids;
glycine, proline and arginine;
chondroitin and glucosamine.

Collagen, massively contained in raw bones, passes into the broth during long cooking and saturates it with animal gelatin. Gelatin is the most important building material for bones, joints and tendons. The weight of a German Shepherd puppy increases every day, and if there is a lack of building substances, the baby’s skeleton can become deformed.

The body of a 2-month-old puppy happily uses the remaining beneficial substances to build connective tissue, and arginine and chondroitin will protect and heal the gastrointestinal mucosa.

The healing liquid must be cooked correctly: for 2 kg of meat and bone product - 4 liters of water.

Don't let the broth boil! It should simmer for at least 4-6 hours under the lid. After which it must be cooled and be sure to remove the layer of fat that has formed from the surface of the broth.

The ready-made broth is used for soaking biscuits, diluting steep porridges, and simply for feeding the puppy if the traditional diet is not enough. Shelf life in the refrigerator is 5 days.

Attempts to replace meat protein with cottage cheese or eggs will have catastrophic consequences for the puppy’s body BUT, but feeding a German shepherd and its children exclusively with meat is also a crime.

The diet of German Shepherd puppies should include meat, offal, cereals and dairy products

Cereals and carbohydrates

Without carbohydrates entering the body, a proper diet for a 2-month-old German Shepherd will not work, since carbohydrates are the main product for a balanced metabolism of fats and proteins. Thanks to this exchange, enzymes and secretions, mucus and hormones are formed in the body:

Up to 3 months, buckwheat is prohibited for babies, so porridge will have to be cooked from two or three cereals. And the main grain will be rice;
from 2.5 months, shepherd dogs can gradually add buckwheat (crushed buckwheat grain) or buckwheat flakes to the rice;
by 4 months, the main composition of cereals for a German Shepherd will be this pair of cereals: rice + buckwheat;
semolina can harm a puppy only if he loves to eat and is prone to overeating;
oatmeal is a traditional cereal for maintaining health, but it should only be fed in compressed form - Hercules;
pearl barley will be useful for the diet when the puppy has gained excessive weight at 2-3 months;
corn, pasta, bread made from white flour are not included in the diet of puppies, both 2 months old and older;
rye bread crackers are fine.

Fiber is a complex carbohydrate that is also necessary for German Shepherd puppies, although it is only absorbed by their body by 15-20%. It is necessary to enhance gastrointestinal motility and normalize digestion.

Present in all vegetables and fruits.

While it’s too early to talk about cabbage and potatoes in the puppy’s menu, the most affordable healthy fiber is raw carrots, apples and raspberries. In addition, such fiber contains many fat-soluble vitamins that are easily accessible to the body.

Dry and canned food

The exact nutritional value of natural food at home is difficult to determine, no matter how hard you try. The owner of a German Shepherd puppy will benefit from canned and ready-made dry food, specially designed for different breeds and ages of dogs. This food is complete nutrition for a German Shepherd puppy, balanced and excluding the introduction of additional products or vitamin and mineral supplements into the puppy’s menu. Ready-made rations of premium food and semi-moistened holistic food fully meet the needs of puppies of different ages, although they are not cheap.

Premium dry food contains all the necessary vitamins and minerals

Most kids willingly eat dry food, and they also like ready-made canned dog food. Freeze-dried food is often called “dry food for the lazy.” Once properly selected, the diet saves owners from the hassle of cooking.

When feeding BUT dry and canned food, you should first of all be guided by the puppy’s behavior before and after meals and his appearance, and not by the table of the approximate amount of food given by the manufacturer. Not enough food or too much food can have a detrimental effect on your pet's health. Is your puppy losing weight? - Add ration! Getting fat? - Cut it! The number of daily feedings should remain the same – 4.

Change of feed

Many owners practice periodic replacement of dry and wet food with natural food: giving completely natural food one day, and the next from a bag. The explanation is simple: “This way the puppy eats better and his appetite does not decrease!”
Others advise mixing canned food into your puppy’s porridge...

There are many options for combining “drying” and natural products, but such a diet can only be used under the supervision of an experienced dog handler, if there are medical conditions for such nutrition.

What should be the diet, sample menu for the day

Since from two months the puppy is transferred to 4 meals a day, the approximate daily diet (how much a puppy should eat per day) on natural products will be as follows.

Morning

Cereal porridge + milk mixture or broth + cottage cheese (kefir, yogurt, etc.) + peeled apple, chopped in a mixer, finely grated raw carrots + 1 tsp. brewer's or nutritional yeast. Total – 2 coffee cups.

Noon

Meat products, cut into pieces (useful for the development of jaws, chewing muscles and neck muscles) + broth with 1 tsp. seaweed flour or calcium carbonate (chalk). Total - no more than 250 g.

Afternoon

2 coffee cups broth-soaked puppy biscuits.

Evening

Raw meat products (the puppy will sleep better) + broth or mixture. Total – 1.5-2 coffee cups.

To be sure of a sufficient amount of necessary substances, it is enough to inject the drug Gamavit (a complex effect on biological processes with a wide content of vitamins and minerals) once every 10 days or give Fitocalcevit.

What not to give to a puppy

Bypassing the old postulate about the negative impact of food from the human table, we can once again note that a shepherd dog at both two months and two years is not allowed to:

Smoked, salted, spicy, pickled, flavored with seasonings.
Additional medications not prescribed by a veterinarian (especially calcium!).
Various sweets and baked goods. Chocolate is poison for the liver and pancreas.
Over-salting or under-salting food. The amount of salt for a puppy at 2 months is 3 g per day.
Pork and fatty lamb. Later, lean lamb will be available.
Legumes and raw vegetables (except carrots).
Tubular bones.
Coffee and alcohol (including medicines).
Raisins and grapes.
Spoiled products.

How many times your pet eats and what it eats literally determines its future. A healthy German Shepherd puppy should gain at least 5 kg in a month, while remaining active, curious and ready to happily carry out the owner’s tasks.

It is difficult to achieve obedience from a starving, sick or obese German Shepherd child!

Feeding German Shepherd Puppies

Only with proper feeding of the puppy can you raise a healthy dog with high exterior qualities. When feeding a small puppy, you need to remember that its metabolic processes are much more accelerated than those of an adult dog, and the size of its stomach is small. Therefore, a small puppy should eat often, but in small doses. Food should not be bulky, but nutritious, with a porridge-like consistency. The relationship between the puppy’s age and the number of feedings and the approximate amount of food at each feeding:
1-2 months - 6 times a day - up to a glass
2-3 months - 5 times a day - up to 1.5 glasses
3-6 months - 4 times a day - 0.75-1 liter
6-12 months - 3 times a day - 1-1.5 liters

The correct ratio of different types of food in a dog’s food is an important point in the proper raising of a puppy. If the balance of nutrients is disturbed, the puppy may develop hypovitaminosis (a disease associated with a lack of vitamins), for example, such as rickets, and eczema may appear.

The difficulty of feeding a puppy in its first days in a new home is understandable. We can recommend the following approximate diet for a one-month-old puppy.

8 o'clock - porridge (buckwheat, rolled oats) with milk, with 1/2 egg
11 o'clock - raw minced meat for the first 5-7 days, then switch to finely chopped raw meat with grated carrots and 1/3 teaspoon of butter.
2 p.m. - meat soup with boiled vegetables and finely chopped meat
17 o'clock - milk porridge (see feeding at 8 o'clock) with 1/2 egg
20 o'clock - raw meat (or minced meat) with stewed mashed carrots and butter.
11 p.m. - cottage cheese, kefir or milk porridge.

When giving meat, it is necessary to remember that the dog’s body is adapted mainly for digesting raw meat. Raw meat contains a large amount of B vitamins, which contributes to the better development of the puppy. At the same time, boiled meat is better absorbed. Therefore, out of the total amount of meat, 3/4 should be given raw. Twice a day, mineral supplements should be added to any of the feedings in the following composition:
Calcium glycerophosphate or calcium phosphate:
1 – 2 months 2 gr.
2 – 4 months 3 gr.
4 – 6 months 4 gr.
6 – 12 months 5 gr.
or

Calcium gluconate: 1 – 2 months. 5 gr.
2 – 4 months 8 gr.
4 – 12 months 10 gr.

To prevent rickets in the autumn-winter period, it is necessary to give the puppy fish oil, starting with a few drops and gradually increasing the amount of fish oil to 1 tablespoon per day. In the absence of fish oil, you can give trivitamin A, D, E. In case of diarrhea, stop giving fish oil for 1-2 days. Fish oil can also replace vitamins A and D in oil. Vitamin A up to 2 months, 1 drop 2 times a day, from 2 months, 3 drops once a day. Vitamin D up to 2 months, 2-3 drops per day, up to 4 months, 3-4 drops, from 4 to 6 months, 6 drops per day. Vitamins A and D or fish oil or trivitamin are consumed regardless of the season. Considering that with constant use of vitamin D, undesirable substances accumulate in the body, it is necessary to take it with a break: give it for two weeks, then take a break for one week, and so on. The exact dosage of vitamins and fish oil in the event of a puppy illness should be clarified by a veterinarian.

After 3 months, meat soups should predominate in the puppy’s diet. Raw and cooked meat, fish, vegetables. Milk feedings at this age are done no more than 2 times a day. After 4 months, milk feedings can be given no more than once a day.

What and how to feed a German Shepherd? After reading this article, you will clarify this issue for yourself. The German Shepherd is the most common breed in the world. They are smart, easy to train and people-loving animals.

When feeding a German Shepherd, you need to take into account some features of this breed.

So, in comparison, shepherd dogs are more likely to suffer from diarrhea and have problems with the pancreas. They also often have allergies, which appear between the ages of one and three. Therefore, many veterinarians advocate feeding German shepherds with dry food, which provides for the prevention of such diseases.

Feeding a German Shepherd dry food

Dry food has its advantages: it doesn’t take long to prepare, it doesn’t spoil, and it’s easy to travel with. In addition, it is balanced taking into account the physiological characteristics and age of the dog.

But to be sure that your German Shepherd gets all the necessary substances with dry food, you need to choose not the cheapest ones - premium and super premium. They are well digestible and have a high calorie content. And some manufacturers have special food designed for German shepherds, which takes into account the specific characteristics of this breed. This food especially protects joints and bones, supports the digestive and immune systems, and healthy skin and coat.

The dog must be fed food suitable for its health and age. It's better to take a little sample first. If the dog eats the food reluctantly, you can add a little kefir or grated cheese to it, or soak it in water.

Features of feeding a German Shepherd with natural food

Feeding your German Shepherd natural food has its obvious advantages and disadvantages. It has complete nutritional value, but its preparation is labor-intensive, and without proper experience it is difficult to properly balance the diet.

Your dog's diet should include the following foods:

Fresh meat in the diet should make up at least 30% of the total food. Beef is better, but lean lamb and horse meat are also suitable. It's better to cut it into pieces.
An adult dog can be given boiled offal: heart, stomach, liver, udder, lungs.
Dogs are not fed bones, but from the age of two months they are given a large sugar bone to train the muscles of the jaws.
The fish must be sea fish, raw, cleaned of bones. Give it instead of meat once or twice a week. River fish can only be boiled.
Give only boiled eggs no more than 1-2 times a week

Dairy products - cottage cheese, kefir, yogurt - are fed to dogs of any age. It is better to exclude whole milk from the diet of adult dogs (over six months).
Cereals in the form of thick porridges should also be included in the diet. It is better to cook buckwheat, rice and rolled oats. It is better to give bread (gray or rye) in the form of crackers as a treat during training.
Vegetables are given grated or finely chopped in the form of salads with vegetable oil or sour cream.
The most useful for shepherd dogs are carrots, rutabaga, beets, cabbage, pumpkin, zucchini, as well as raw greens - lettuce, parsley, dill, green onions, celery.
Fruits and dried fruits (dried apricots, raisins) are given not as food, but as a treat in small quantities.

You should not feed your German Shepherd the following foods:

flour products (bread, vermicelli),
legumes (peas, beans),
potatoes, sweets,
any smoked meats,
salted and pickled foods,
tubular bones and sausages.

No spices other than a small amount of salt should be added to food.

Feeding German Shepherd puppies

It is not particularly different from an adult dog except for the dosage and frequency of feeding. Here's how many times and in what volume you need to feed a puppy at a certain age:

up to 2 months - up to a glass of food divided 6 times a day;
up to 3 months – up to one and a half glasses 5 times a day;
up to 6 months – up to a liter four times a day;
up to 12 months – up to one and a half liters three times a day.
An adult dog eats at the same time in the morning and evening.

Many German Shepherd owners use combination feeding, although dry food manufacturers consider this unacceptable. With this feeding option, you can give your dog dry food in the morning, and cottage cheese or meat with vegetables in the evening. In this case, a single serving is halved, both dry and natural food. But this type of feeding is only permissible if the quality of dry food is very high. And there should always be a bowl of fresh water, no matter what food the dog eats.