Feeding your new puppy

8 - 12 weeks            12 weeks - 6 months            6 months            Feeding tips
 

 
 

8 - 12 weeks: (4 meals a day)

Breakfast

4 times a week:
¼ cup Quick oats cooked with ½ cup milk and ¼ cup water 1 teaspoon desiccated coconut
1 teaspoon of chopped dried fruit or any overripe fruit
1 teaspoon of crushed vegetables
1 teaspoon of Brewer's Yeast.
 

Twice a week:
1 cup of *fortified milk  + 1 weetbix

Lunch

Raw meaty bones - feed mainly chicken wings, carcasses or lamb offcuts (approximately 200g ),

Occasionally give beef marrow bones and veal knuckles.

Tea

¼ cup dry puppy food (Supercoat) soaked in ¼ cup of warm water until water is absorbed
150 - 200g diced raw meat
Add: ½ teaspoon calcium - IMPORTANT - DO NOT GIVE MORE THAN THIS AMOUNT! Calcium should only be added if feeding raw meat. DO NOT add calcium if you are feeding dry or canned dog food only as this is already heavily supplemented. Too much calcium will cause bone problems.
¼ teaspoon calcium ascorbate (Vitamin C powder)
½ teaspoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon yoghurt
½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Once a week add a ½ tin of sardines
 

Supper

½ - 1 cup *fortified milk.

 **ALL FOOD SHOULD BE GIVEN AT ROOM TEMPERATURE**

FORTIFIED MILK RECIPE:

3 cups whole milk
1 whole raw egg - beaten
This can be mixed together in advance and stored in the refrigerator for a few days.
To 1 teaspoon of honey, add just enough hot water to melt the honey,
then add ½ teaspoon of vegetable oil and 1 cup of the above mixture.
*Give to the puppy slightly warm - NOT hot and DEFINITELY NOT straight from the fridge.

CRUSHED VEGETABLES:

Vegetables, which include spinach, carrot, celery, zucchini, parsley, garlic etc., must be crushed or finely chopped in order to be digested by your dog. This can be done in a food processor or juicer. A cupful prepared in advance will keep in the fridge for a few days.

12 weeks - 6 months (3 meals a day)

Breakfast

4 times a week
½ cup Quick oats cooked with ½ cup milk and 1 cup water
Add to this: 1 teaspoon desiccated coconut
1 dessertspoon of chopped dried fruit or any overripe fruit
1 dessertspoon of crushed vegetables
1 teaspoon of Brewer's Yeast.
Twice a week
1½ cups of fortified milk + 2 weetbix
Once a week
1 cup boiled rice + ½ cup creamed corn

Lunch

Raw meaty bones - feed mainly chicken wings, carcasses or lamb offcuts (approximately 200-300g) and occasionally give beef marrowbones and veal knuckles.

Tea

¼ cup adult dry food (Supercoat) soaked in ¼ cup of warm water until water is absorbed
300 - 400g diced raw meat
Add: 1 teaspoon calcium - IMPORTANT - DO NOT GIVE MORE THAN THIS AMOUNT!
½ teaspoon calcium ascorbate (Vitamin C powder), 1 dessertspoon vegetable oil,
1 tablespoon yoghurt, 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Once a week add a tin of sardines
Once or twice a week add a whole raw egg
Once a week feed a small amount of raw offal - approximately 200g in place of 200g of raw meat (heart, liver or kidney - alternate each week)
 

6 months - (2 meals a day)

Breakfast

5 times a week
½ cup Quick oats cooked with 1½ cup water
Add to this: 1 teaspoon desiccated coconut
1 dessertspoon of chopped dried fruit or any overripe fruit
1 dessertspoon of crushed vegetables
1 teaspoon of Brewer's Yeast.

Twice a week
1 cup boiled rice + ½ cup creamed corn

Tea

½ cup adult dry food (Supercoat) soaked in ½ cup of warm water until water is absorbed.
400 - 500g diced raw meat
Add: 1-teaspoon calcium until 12 months - IMPORTANT - DO NOT GIVE MORE THAN THIS AMOUNT!
½ teaspoon calcium ascorbate (Vitamin C powder) until 12 months,
1 dessertspoon vegetable oil, 1 tablespoon yoghurt, 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Once a week add a tin of sardines
Once or twice a week add a whole raw egg
Once a week feed a small amount of raw offal - approximately 200g in place of 200g of raw meat (heart, liver or kidney - alternate each week)
Alternate the above meal with the following - in other words, every other day feed only raw meaty bones - feed mainly chicken wings, carcasses or lamb offcuts (approximately 500g) and occasionally give beef marrow bones and veal knuckles.
 

Feeding Tips:

1. Mix your diet around, all measures are given as a rough guide only. Learn to look at your puppy and decide if it is overfed or underfed. Feed your dog what it needs and no more.

2. Try to give your dog a balanced diet. You should aim to do this over say 14 days, not just in one meal.

3. Additives such as Apple Cider Vinegar, Brewers Yeast, Kelp Powder, Eggs, Honey, and Oils, as well as Fish and Organ meats are very beneficial to your dog's diet. These should occasionally be added to suitable meals.

4. NEVER feed your dog cooked bones, although I have found all types of raw bones to be excellent food for my dogs.

5. A lean dog is a healthy dog. Overfeeding a puppy can put unnecessary strain on its muscular and skeletal development and cause bone problems in later life. Your dog should have a good covering of flesh over its ribs, but you should be able to feel the ribs and see a waistline.

6. A dog does not need to be fed at the same time every day, nor does it need to be fed the same food every day. Feed your dog to suit you as well. Leftovers will do fine

7. By the time your dog reaches six months of age he or she should do nicely on two meals a day. By two years your GSD will have reached maturity and you can regulate their food intake to keep them trim and fit. As a guide an average sized dog should weigh 30-40kg and a bitch 22-28kg. Remember this is a rough guide only, and I have not yet seen an 'average' dog.

8. As a rule a dog will only become a fussy eater if you allow it. If your dog will not eat what you have given them within ten minutes ore so then take it away and try again later. Most dogs can be fasted for a couple of days with no ill effects.

9. Organ meats such as Hearts, Kidneys, etc. are an important source of nutritional requirements for your dog. Unfortunately there is a small risk of the Hydatid parasite being ingested and passed along to humans. This easily controllable and should be discussed with your Vet.

10. Cooking your dog's food will destroy much of the nutritional contents, and it is therefore advisable to feed your dog mostly raw meat.

11. Basically, feeding your dog lots of raw meaty bones and a wide variety of other foods in the best way I have found to ensure they stay happy and healthy. Commonsense and the ability to judge your dogs weight are all that is required to safely and properly feeding your dog.