Feeding and Excercise?

[divadexie]

I've never really used the 5min rule... just listended to what my dog is telling me when on walks.

I have two cross breeds but I am well aware what damage over exercising can do and will be taking extra caution when I eventually get my GSD seeing as they are more prone to hip and elbow problems.

So how much is too much? We don't have alot of soft grass area near me but I would hope to be taking puppy on the school run with me which is about 15 min walk so how old would she need to be before walking it? With a 10 min rest at the other end by the time the kids have gone in.



Also feeding. My pair are fed Skinners hypoallergenic cos my staff cross is allergic to most food. Ideally I would feed all the dogs the same but I have no idea if I am supposed to feed different food for a gsd? Obviosuly she will be on puppy food at first and I dont use pedigree or butchers so it will have to be dry.
What did/do you feed your puppy?

[zetstaff]

I tried allsorts with mine, wanted them primarily on dry food. They are now on Eukanuba SBT which seems to suit them + they like.

I tried Wellbeloved puppy/junior but they didn't like that. Also tried pedigree, didn't like that. Tried Royal Canin, upset their tummy.

I seemed to buy something different for ages till they settled on the Eukanuba.

I suppose it's trial + error till you find something that suits xx

[LOVEGSD]

Regarding the food, you don't have to feed a specific GSD food, Skinners is a good one so stick with that. As a puppy Diesel ate a few foods tbh, we struggled to find one that agreed with him, he had Arden Grange but now he eats Orijen 6Fish.

[divadexie]

If I stick with Skinners, OH wont notice the hike in food costs as much Lol!!
It currently takes my pair 6-8 weeks to go through a 15kg bag (Dixie is only wee!) It will prob be more like 3-4 weeks with an adult GSD! Lol
I do get it slightly discounted in my pet shop (just a fraction less than the other customers mind, lol) and delivered to my door

I've lost count how many foods mine have been on! Dixie was on wagg once I swapped her off pedigree puppy and stayed on it until Dave's littermates had left.
We did well on wainwrights but then pets at home shut here so tried a few things and Daves skin getting worse so found the hypoallergenic

[LOVEGSD]

lol....I like you're thinking, stick with Skinners!

It really is trial and error with food I find, Diesel has a very sensitive tum and most things run through him, we've had blood tests, stool samples everything so I was soo relieved when Orijen settled him.

I have an EBT and he loves Arden Grange

[zetstaff]

I order their food from Pet | PetUK | Pet UK, it's the cheapest I've found for mine, if you spend £30 (I think) they deliver free + they're very good.

Might be worth a look xxx

[kaisersmama]

Originally Posted by divadexie

I've never really used the 5min rule... just listended to what my dog is telling me when on walks.

same here.

We have a border collie and a Springer Spaniel and Kaiser is our first GSD. Everywhere you read how important it is not to OVER exercise. But I am confused with all that as well. And have posted on the forum myself for some advice

Kaiser is now nearly 12 weeks old and has a lot of energie. He is always running around in the garden with our springer spaniel so I can not see the difference in them running around in the garden or taking them for a short walk. I do not go marshing with them. Just 20-30 minutes strolling or so in our local woods, park etcs and that off lead. And I have now started to take him on the school run as well. Just about 10min down the road. Kaiser seems to love all that exercise, different smells etc and settles really well after that. And I do notice now that after a good sleep in the day (2hours or so) and something to eat he is then starting to get restless again. So I rather take him out to burn off some energy than having him digging up my flowerbed again.

On the other hand you also read how important it is to socialize your GSD. And prime time is when they are puppys so how are you ment to do that when you are not really allowed to take them on walks. Fair enough when you have a small dog you an carry everywhere but Kaiser weights already over 10kg and hates being carried for any length of time.

I think one has to use their commen sence and just watch their dog carefully to see when they are tired.

I feed Kaiser James well beloved puppy food. He always eats everthing up and his poo is nice and solid.
There are so many different dog foods and opinons out there but in the end it just boiles down to what are you willing to pay. Maybe just set yourself a budget and compare ingredients. But I have heard quite a few people saying what a good food skinners is. So I can not see a reason why you should not feed you puppy skinners as well.

[wildmoor]

The school run will be fine, but the pup also needs some off lead exercise to establish good gluteal muscles which support the hips and also to develop a good forereach otherwise it will end up with hackneyed movement.
Re food the pup will require a puppy diet at first but then when older can swap to what you are currently feeding your others, but you will find an adult GSD will go through the Skinners bag in 3 weeks on its own.

[smallscreamy]

Willow is fed on Purina Pro Plan and that seems to suit her. We just carried on with what the breeder had been feeding her and will stay that way for now. When she gets older and needs to change to an adult food, we will reconsider then.

[divadexie]

Thanks
I take the dogs to a field that so far has been empty since we moved here in june, they let the grass grow then cut it for silage but its not like silage grass its just like normal grass?
Anyway its a huuuge field (I think it use to be 3 fields before as there are hedge lines) and its fully enclosed (unless you have houdini).
Also on the way to my friend who I meet to walk to school with I have to walk across an open park so might put puppy on an extendy to let her run about a little bit.

I am wary of letting puppy run about with the big dogs as I have read they will run past tired, so how much should I limit this?


Oh.. shhhhh don't tell the OH how much she will eat when grown up!! Lol.
At least it is me who is in charge of the dogs stuff (only reason I am demanding I have my puppy soon, he doesnt have alot to do with the dogs). I might invest in a huge food storage for in the shed and just top it up once in a while- when OH is at work LOL!