If you're the proud owner of a new Rottweiler puppy, choosing the best puppy food for your little one is going to be high on your list of priorities. The problem is that choosing the right puppy food can be a challenge.......
Dog food bag labels are confusing, and many of the ingredients impossible to pronounce let alone recognize, while each one claims to be the 'perfect' food for your precious pup.
The dog-food scares and recalls of the last year or two have made it even worse!
And of course, your puppy isn't too picky about what he eats at all. He's quite happy sinking his little teeth into your belongings - sneakers, rugs, table legs, cardboard boxes......they're all fair game. So, the responsibility of making sure he eats properly is all yours :o)
Luckily, there are some basic principles that can make choosing the best puppy food for your little guy or gal much simpler. Once you know what is best, and what to avoid, you'll be able to make sure that your puppy gets the sort of nutrition she needs to grow up healthy and strong.
(If you have a medium or small breed puppy click here to skip the large breed info and get links to some recommended puppy foods that will suit your little one.) Let's take a look............
I'll start off by saying that there is no 'one-size-fits-all' puppy food that will suit every puppy! Puppies of different breeds, different sizes and different ages have unique dietary requirements and your aim is to find the best puppy food for YOUR puppy.
A Rottweiler puppy is a large breed pup, and this means that she needs a food that gives her chubby little body everything it needs to grow and develop properly. A puppy food designed for a small breed pup won't fit the bill, neither will an adult dog food, or a generic 'low quality' food full of fillers and chemicals.
Researchers have spent a lot of time investigating the effects of specific nutrients on the growth and development of puppies. In particular, what happens when there is too much, or too little, of them. Unfortunately, not all the studies agree on all of their findings!
Rottweilers, like other large and giant breed puppies, grow very rapidly, but mature slowly, and this rate of development makes it very important that they get the right balance of nutrients in order to prevent growth-related problems from developing.
Many researchers believe that a diet too rich in protein can cause conditions such as 'knuckling over', hip dysplasia and various other musculo-skeletal problems. Others aren't convinced, and argue that too little protein has even more of an adverse effect on a growing puppy.
In the past, adding Calcium supplements to a large-breed puppy's diet was encouraged, but it has been fairly conclusively proven that this causes much more harm than good. Too much Calcium can result in abnormal skeletal development.
Another point that seems to be universally agreed upon is that overfeeding puppies can cause many of the bone/joint and hip problems seen in adult dogs. Perhaps more than an excess (or lack of) certain nutrients, the sheer stress of carrying too much weight due to overfeeding (sometimes combined with too little exercise) is what causes many growth-related problems in our big dogs.
These three simple steps will help you to make sure that your puppy gets what she needs to develop properly. Choose a puppy food that is formulated from premium natural ingredients, in the correct ratio.Feed the right amount of foodMake sure your pup has the right amount of daily exercise
Now you've got a grip of the basics, let look in more detail at the first point on this list.... the ingredients in the best puppy food choices.
This is where it can get confusing! There are literally hundreds of different dog and puppy food manufacturers, most of them with a huge range of different product lines.The choice can be quite overwhelming, and if you've spent hours wandering up and down the dog food aisle in your local petstore you'll know what I mean.
Of course, just because a food is advertised on TV, or is on the shelf at the local pet superstore, it doesn't mean that it's the best puppy food for your little guy or gal. In fact, most of the best puppy food and dog food choices, aren't found in regular petstores (and definitely not at the supermarket or big-chain giant).
Feed stores, veterinary offices and online retailers are actually the best places to find the best rated puppy food. But, there are also a few premium foods to be found at Petsmart or Petco etc., and you'll find them included in the list further down this page.
These are what you should be looking for in the puppy food you choose - A good source of identifiable animal-based protein as the first (or second) ingredient. Chicken, turkey, lamb or beef are the most common and should be identified as the source.More exotic animal-based protein choices such as duck, buffalo, rabbit, salmon and so on are a good choice for pups/dogs with dog food allergies.All-natural, organic, or human-grade ingredients are preferred.Not to many grains. These are difficult for dogs to digest and can trigger allergies. The most suitable ones are corn, maize, rice, buckwheat and oats.No artificial additives such as colors and preservatives like BHA, BHT or ethoxoquin. Also avoid foods with artificial sweeteners such as corn syrup or sucrose.No animal 'by-products' - most of these have no nutritional value and many are indigestible.
When it comes to the ratio of ingredients in the best puppy food choices for a Rottweiler or other large breed pup, there is some disagreement between professionals. But these figures are a good place to start... Protein (from clearly identified animal sources) - between 23 and 25%Fat (again from identifiable animal sources) - between 12 and 15%Calcium - between 1.2 and 1.5%
In terms of calorie intake, the best puppy food choices are likely to be within the 'moderate' range. Somewhere around 350 - 380 k/cal per cup (the terms 'calories per cup' and 'kilocalories per cup' mean basically the same thing, and are interchangable). But, due to conflicting evidence and opinion, many excellent large breed puppy foods have a higher caloric density.
By using the simply canine calorie-calculator (below) and the kcal/cup information found on your puppy food bag, you can estimate how much food your pup needs each day.
Just fill in your pups age and weight to get the answer....
Dog Calorie Calculator by TrainPetDogAs I said, there is no one 'best' puppy food, but there are several that 'fit' all, or most of, the criteria above. These are a great place to start when trying to find the perfect food for your Rottweiler pup.
These foods aren't available in grocery stores, and some of them aren't in pet superstores either. But I've included links to Amazon as they can all be bought quickly and easily online, and in some cases shipping is free.
Solid Gold WolfCub Puppy (Bison)
This is an excellent large breed puppy food, with the percentages of protein, fat, calories, and calcium falling close to the guidelines above.
Uses premium natural, holistic ingredients, and none of the dangerous additives/chemicals that you need to avoid. Special foil 'barrier' packaging keeps the food fresher for longer.
Good for puppies with food sensitivities or allergies, and Rottweilers can tend to suffer from these.
Blue Buffalo Puppy Large Breed Chicken and Brown Rice
This puppy food is made with human-grade, all natural ingredients. No by-products or artificial additives.
A unique ingredient, 'LifeSource Bits', add a beneficial blend of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that help strengthen your pups immune system.
The Blue Buffalo range is available at most large pet superstores too, making it convenient as well as healthy!
Canidae All Life Stage Formula Chicken, Turkey, Lamb, and Fish Meals Dry Dog Food
Although this food isn't specifically designed for large breed puppies alone, it still makes my 'best puppy food' shortlist as it's packed full of high quality, human-grade ingredients.
It's slightly higher in fat than the two foods above, but otherwise it's a great fit. No corn, fillers or artificial ingredients, and it's super digestibility makes it well tolerated by most puppies and dogs.
Orijen Large Breed Puppy Formula Dry Dog Food
This large breed puppy food is grain-free, low carbohydrate formula specifically designed for large and giant breed puppies. The grains are replaced by highly-digestible fruits and vegetables, and due to it's unique formula the percentage of protein is higher than in the other foods above.
Contains Omega-3 fatty acids and natural-source minerals for optimum health.
Innova Large Breed Puppy Formula Dry Dog Food
When it comes to the nutrient levels in the best puppy food choices for large breed pups, this one fits perfectly. At a Calcium content of 0.9% it is a little below the range I've given above, but has a perfectly balanced ration of calcium and phosphorous.
Made from premium all-natural ingredients, without harmful chemicals or artificial additives. It includes natural pro-biotics to support a healthy digestive system.
These are by no means ALL of the best puppy food choices that you could make for your Rottweiler. Most of these manufacturers have more than one range of food to choose from, and there's a lot of information available online if you want to do some more research.
As long as you remember the 'rules' about choosing the right balance of quality ingredients, you shouldn't have any trouble finding the perfect food for your little one.
If you have a medium or small breed puppy, you won't find the best puppy food for them in the list above, however all those manufacturers also have a selection of puppy foods that are suitable for all breeds/sizes.
Smaller breeds mature more quickly than the larger ones, and very tiny breeds have very fast metabolisms and tiny tummies.
This means that their bodies 'use up' their food much more quickly than large breed puppies do. Choosing a food that is more protein and calorie dense is better for their individual needs. You'll also need to feed a small or tiny breed pup more often than you would a medium or larger breed. Feed at least 4 times a day for the first 6 months, and then 3 times a day until your puppy reaches maturity (usually at around a year old).
Even as adults, tiny and toy breed pups should be fed twice a day to help regulate their blood sugar levels and prevent hypoglycemia.
Medium breed pups don't generally have the issues of either the extra-large or extra-tiny ones and are more moderate in their requirements. The best puppy food for these guys is an 'all life stages' or 'all-breeds' dry puppy food, fed three times a day until around 6 months old, and then twice a day until mature. At that point one meal a day should work just fine.
These foods are a good place to start....
Orijen Puppy Formula Dry Dog Food
Innova Puppy Formula Dry Dog Food
Blue Buffalo Puppy Chicken and Brown Rice Dry Dog Food
You can also find a huge range of excellent puppy and dog foods at petfooddirect.com - simply click on the banner below to get up-to-date info. on hundreds of different formulas/brands and excellent prices........
How often and how much to feed a puppy is often one of the first questions that new owners ask. And again, the answer can vary depending on the size, breed, age and activity level of your pup.
You can find the answer to these questions, and a lot more besides, on my Feeding Puppies page.
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