Puppy food

[Annagain]

Any recommendations for puppy food please? Having lost Mabel just over a month ago, the house feels very empty so Norman will be arriving in 2 weeks’ time. Mabel was 18 and a rescue we got as a young adult so it’s been a very long time since I last bought puppy food and things have changed a lot!

I don’t want to do a raw diet or anything that needs freezing (no freezer space) but equally don’t want to go for utter rubbish. I don’t mind wet or dry (or a combination of both). It needs to be easily available as I’m not always the most organised at ordering in advance etc and I don’t have a huge space to store lots at home.

 

[Clodagh]

Sorry to hear about Mabel. Can’t help with food advice without photographs! C’mon!
I feed Millie’s wolf heart to pups but it is online only, SFAIAA.

 

[splashgirl45]

I’ve used Wolfworthy which is dry kibble if you want to feed raw like that. I found it too rich for my lurcher pup as he seems to have a typical lurcher sensitive stomach so he is on burgess turkey which has worked well . Wolfworthy is postal only and so is burgess but the advantage of burgess is I can order it on Amazon and get next day delivery. If you look on www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk you can see how good foods are and how much they cost daily

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Not got a puppy but I feed the Harringtons trays and the kibble together it's in most supermarkets and you can buy it on amazon.

 

[Annagain]

I’m on my phone and don’t know how to upload images on it. I’ll try the attach files button but apologies if it’s huge!

 

[Spotherisk]

We’ve just raised our Labrador pups on Essentials but delivery was sketchy so I analysised the ingredients in the Mole Valley Farmers Country dog puppy food and found it to be very good, so that’s what they’re on now.

 

[Annagain]

I’m on my phone and don’t know how to upload images on it. I’ll try the attach files button but apologies if it’s huge!

Well that was easier than I expected.

 

[splashgirl45]

Just had another look on aadf, and you can put that you want dry and also can alter how it’s listed so you can list the cheapest first. Some of the very cheap ones are very low down in the ratings so it’s worth scrolling down , it’s a bit of a minefield but if you want something you can buy locally, have a look and see what they stock then you can check the rating

 

[Annagain]

Just had another look on aadf, and you can put that you want dry and also can alter how it’s listed so you can list the cheapest first. Some of the very cheap ones are very low down in the ratings so it’s worth scrolling down , it’s a bit of a minefield but if you want something you can buy locally, have a look and see what they stock then you can check the rating

Thanks that’s really helpful.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

Not got a puppy but I feed the Harringtons trays and the kibble together it's in most supermarkets and you can buy it on amazon.

That was the one that our butterscotch Lab eventually decided that she could eat, before we had her spayed. We have kept them on it and they are all doing well. I.mostly get it from P@H but can pick.up a small bag in the local Sainsbury.
However when we rehomed the brown one at 5 months old, she was underweight and coat was harsh, Harrington puppy didn't do much for her so I put her onto Arden Grange, which has more oil. She did really well on that until she was about 11 months, when I felt that she no longer needed the oil.

 

[Clodagh]

I’m on my phone and don’t know how to upload images on it. I’ll try the attach files button but apologies if it’s huge!

Oh my that’s not a puppy it’s a super cute cuddly toy!

 

[Annagain]

Oh my that’s not a puppy it’s a super cute cuddly toy! ❤

He’s a Cockerpoo. Wouldn’t be my choice (mainly as I’ve always had rescues) but he was born 3 doors down the day before we lost Mabel and (long story which I won’t go into) his ‘breeders’ aren’t selling the puppies, just want them to have good homeso it all felt right.

His mum and brother will be 3 doors down, his uncle 5 doors down with our friends and he’ll have a sister further down the road.

 

[Clodagh]

He is gorgeous and it was obviously meant to work out that way.

 

[ArklePig]

I met a cockapoo this morning that was genuinely one of the nicest dogs I've ever met, and they're not my first choice either! He is lovely, looking forward to hearing how he settles in

 

[honetpot]

I have used Arden Grange and Seven, with a dachshund, labX , lurchers and rottiX and never had any problems.
I use, https://www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk/
to compare foods. The most expensive is often not the best, and the heavily advertised ones seem some of the worst.

 

[AmyMay]

I met a cockapoo this morning that was genuinely one of the nicest dogs I've ever met, and they're not my first choice either! He is lovely, looking forward to hearing how he settles in

They’re a fabulous cross.

 

[EllieBeast]

Ours are on skinners, Erik the 4month old Is on their lamb and rice puppy and junior as it’s specifically for larger breeds. We’ve been very happy with it

 

[splashgirl45]

They’re a fabulous cross.

They may be, but they are a nightmare if owned by inexperienced people. We have a few round here who are very nervous and dog aggressive , and some who are owned by experienced people who are great..I’m sure Annagain will do very well with hers. I think more photos would be lovely as well

 

[druid]

We're using Purina Pro Plan Salmon and Rice puppy currently. Going down well

 

[PoniesRock]

Mine are on skinners. The puppy food has done my Jack Russell really well - she’ll be going onto junior food once she’s 12 months. Really pleased with how palatable she finds it, the % of meat in the biscuits is higher than alot of the others which I looked into, and high protein feed.

 

[Annagain]

They may be, but they are a nightmare if owned by inexperienced people. We have a few round here who are very nervous and dog aggressive , and some who are owned by experienced people who are great..I’m sure Annagain will do very well with hers. I think more photos would be lovely as well

Yes, I’ve done a lot of reading and they’re very quick to learn and can learn the bad stuff as well as the good stuff. His mum and uncle are wonderful dogs owned by first time owners who didn’t have a clue but have really worked hard to get it right.

Mabel was a nervous wreck when we got her, she hated raised voices (I actually stopped watching Eastenders when she arrived as she couldn’t cope with the screaming on it) cars, being left alone, strange men and was severely claustrophobic. She turned out to be a wonderful dog after a lot of work and heartache in the first year or so but never really got over the separation anxiety. Luckily my parents were around the corner and my gran lived with them and never went out.

Part of the reason we went for a puppy this time is so we know their full history and we’re not dealing with hang ups created by a bad start in life.

 

[splashgirl45]

Yes, I’ve done a lot of reading and they’re very quick to learn and can learn the bad stuff as well as the good stuff. His mum and uncle are wonderful dogs owned by first time owners who didn’t have a clue but have really worked hard to get it right.

Mabel was a nervous wreck when we got her, she hated raised voices (I actually stopped watching Eastenders when she arrived as she couldn’t cope with the screaming on it) cars, being left alone, strange men and was severely claustrophobic. She turned out to be a wonderful dog after a lot of work and heartache in the first year or so but never really got over the separation anxiety. Luckily my parents were around the corner and my gran lived with them and never went out.

Part of the reason we went for a puppy this time is so we know their full history and we’re not dealing with hang ups created by a bad start in life.

They are lovely dogs but as you say they learn the bad stuff very quickly… it will be interesting to see what you think once you start training , and it would be nice to know if my impression of them is right. Hope you have lots of fun

 

[JJS]

We’ve just raised our Labrador pups on Essentials but delivery was sketchy so I analysised the ingredients in the Mole Valley Farmers Country dog puppy food and found it to be very good, so that’s what they’re on now.

My two (a seven-month-old Lab and a three-month-old Lab x Staffy) are doing well on this too, so I’d second that recommendation!

 

[Teaselmeg]

The best rule is to feed the best quality food that you can afford. I fed my boy Orijen to start with, but he was always going to be raw fed once he got a little older. The important part is that it has good ingredients and is correctly balanced.

The Allaboutdogfoods website that others have posted is a good guide to what is good or bad quality. Also best not to swap quickly from what he is currently being weaned on.

 

[Clodagh]

I don’t see why a well bred cockerpoo should be any more if a nightmare than a well bred cocker or poodle. Enjoy him, OP.

 

[Xmasha]

I had to do a fair bit of digging to find the right food for our lab ( mainly due to him being allergic to chicken) we have ended up on Canagan. I phoned the company and they where very helpful and advised which one would be the best for him. So hes now on the grass fed lamb one. All has been fab since. they even do wet food. Ive just bought him a can as a treat as they are very pricey ! But to be honest, i was at my wits end so the price wasnt even a factor.

 

[Annagain]

Well he's arrived!

He's a little sweetie. He's learned to sit and come to call already (in 5 days) and will even come when he's in the middle of doing something super-exciting like attacking the table leg (about 20 toys and the table leg is his favourite thing in the world ). He's getting there with fetching the ball - he'll run after it, pick up and bring it back to me about 50% of the time but sometimes he forgets to bring it with him when he runs back to me. He's sleeping all night (in the bedroom at the moment but we'll gradually move him out over the next couple of weeks) and asking to go out to poo but we're not doing quite so well with the weeing. He's good at weeing when I put him out, which I do after he's woken up and then at regular intervals but if he's too busy playing and he wants a wee he doesn't even stop, he just wees as he goes! This can be 5 minutes after he's been out too. He's a clever little thing though so it won't be long before he gets it. We haven't left him alone yet as, while he'll happily play and sleep in his puppy pen if it's open, he starts crying the second we shut the door. We're working on being quiet before the door opens again but we're only up to about a minute at the moment. He has another pen upstairs and settles straight away in that one so not sure what's so different about downstairs.

He's seen the farm dogs and horses from inside the car (won't have his 2nd jab for another 3 weeks yet), visited his grandparents' house and started to wear a collar for short periods. I'm smitten. It's so lovely to have a dog around again. The house was just too empty without one when we lost Mabel.

I'm trying to upload pictures but Imgur won't let me edit them so they're huge at the moment. Will keep trying.

 

[Patterdale]

I read every single packet. Didn’t want grain free so that ruled most out as that’s the current trend.

I went for Skinners working puppy and junior in the end. Happy with it.

 

[Annagain]

After several attempts, finally got them small enough!
1. Sleeping with my slipper (done all the right things with comfort blankets and teddies etc but he wants my slippers and nothing else!)
2. Desperate to get on the sofa. Once he can climb up we’ll have a proper battle. I’ll probably give in but I’m not going to help him at the moment!
3. Warming up with a blanket and hot water bottle after he got a chill rolling on the wet grass when he was supposed to be weeing.
4. The irresistible table leg (only that one, the other 3 are not desirable)

 

[Follysmum]

I have 2 7mth old cocker poos. Started off with Millie’s wolf heart as recommended but they hated it , I then tried Canagan small kibble and they love it.