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A guide to feeding yourGoldendoodle.
We hope this page is helpful and answers the most common questions our families have regarding feeding your puppy once you've brought him or her home and into their adult years.
The puppy stage.
From the first day you bring your
fluffy bundle home until adulthood.
Congratulations on your new fluffy family member!
I receive many questions regarding feeding your puppies once you've brought them home so I thought that this reference guide would be helpful!
Your puppy has gone home with a bag of kibble specially designed for puppies.To avoid upset tummies during their transition from our home to yours please stick to this kibble until your puppy has adapted to their new homes. This usually takes 1-2 weeks. If you wish to change your puppy's food it needs to be done gradually to avoid an upset tummy. Gradually increase the amount of new food you add to your puppy's old food over a 2-4 week period.
We use and recommend Now Fresh puppy formula and Fromm Heartland Gold puppy formula.
Because chicken can be a common allergen for dogs we have purposely chosen puppy formulas without chicken. If you have chosen to feed your puppy Fromm, please check to confirm that you have selected Heartland puppy formula and not the regular Heartland formula with chicken. Alternatively you can select another brand. NOW Fresh puppy formula, Farmina, Smack and go are some other great brands.
Raw whole diet which must include meat, organs, bone, plus veggies and fruit, is also a great way to feed your Goldendoodle but we highly recommend doing your research on feeding raw and working with a raw food consultant.
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Treats for training-if your puppy is food motivated then you can use your puppy's kibble for training purposes. If your puppy needs some extra encouragement for training we use and recommend a single whole protein treat. Stella and Chewys, Crumps and Puppy Love, and PureBites products have some great options available. Examples would be turkey, duck, rabbit, venison, beef and lamb dehydrated meats/liver. You can also try a whole chicken protein at this time as well.
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Puppy formulas verses All Life Stages Formulas-at some point you may find yourself wondering if you should switch your puppy to an All Life Stages Formula. Please remember that these formulas usually require you to feed almost double the amount of food that a puppy formula requires in order for your puppy to receive the proper amount of nutrition.
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Chews- Yak chews, bully sticks, dehydrated duck feet are our personal favorites! Filled Kongs with wholesome foods and raw peanut butter are also a fun way to keep your pup entertained.
Never give your dog a raw hide or cooked bones! Both are choking hazards and can get stuck in their esophagus or other parts of their digestive tract.
Now that your puppy is ready for adult formulas.
Supplements
Ready to switch to and adult formula?
Once your Goldendoodle is finished growing you can switch over to an All Life Stages Formula or an Adult formula.
How do you know if your Goldendoodle is finished growing you may ask? Our Goldendoodles are usually done most of their growing between 8-10 months old. At this time you can switch their diets. One of our favorites is Go Solutions Sensitivities, simply because of the limited ingredients and their single protein formulas. Using this food allows you to rotate your proteins monthly which can help alleviate the potential of your Goldendoodle becoming bored of the same food day after day.
Fromm, Now Fresh, Acana,Orijen and a raw food diet are also great alternatives. As I mentioned above, raw is also a great way to feed your Goldendoodle but we highly recommend doing your research on feeding raw and working with a raw food consultant.
Your puppy will need to have 3 meals per day until they are approximately 5-6 months old. Once they are over 6 months old we recommend 2 feedings daily.
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Picky eaters-you may have a picky eater if your Goldendoodle is not eating as much as he or she should be. In this case we recommend using toppers. we use the same as I already mentioned above in our "Puppy Stage treats for training" section.
Using small crunched up pieces of a single whole protein food such as Stella and Chewys, Crumps or Puppy Love products such turkey, duck, rabbit, venison, beef or lamb dehydrated meats/liver, you can sprinkle the same meat protein on top of their kibble and mix in. Some other mix in would be their NuVet Plus wafer sprinkled over top, Forti Flora probiotics, a half of a tsp of coconut oil, an egg (raw or cooked) and, or some fresh veggies or fruit that are safe for dogs.
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NuVet Plus Supplements
We get asked all of the time about vitamin supplements.
We recommend NuVet Plus K-9 wafer supplements and immune booster for families interested in using a high end vitamin supplement for your puppy. All of our puppies will be going home with a starter pack of NuVet supplements.
The first year of a puppys life is so important and providing your puppy with a supplement is a great way to ensure they receive the best possible start in life and remain that way for their lifetime. You can learn more about NuVet in our menu bar.
Nuvet is only available through approved breeders. If you wish to order supplements for your puppy ahead of time you can contact them at- 1-800-474-7044 and use this special order code #72345 to order.
