Feeding
Your new puppy will require 3 cups of food per day broken up into 3 meals, you can also mix dry with water and a half can of wet food with each feeding, then 4 cups would be fine as an adult, dogs can be fed twice a day 2 cups at a time if you prefer or 3 meals a day.
All of our dogs eat wellness core. It has higher protein and calcium, plus gluclosimine for bones and joints.
If your adult dog is very active and has plenty of exercise and runs more then an hour a day he will eat more and not be as picky, dogs who do not like to eat are not getting enough exercise.
I would give puppy food until the dog is at least one years old. Breeding females should always get puppy food in my opinion.
The problem called Bloat?
Bloat is a stomach problem that needs immediate care. your dog will drool attempt to vomit and his or her stomach will feel swelled and hard, sometimes symptoms are not seen but can be always felt by feeling the stomach.
What causes bloat?
Bloat is caused by vigorous exercise after a meal or before a meal and can have a slight genetic link as well. Always feed a dog an hour after or an hour before rough exercise, its best to feed smaller meals instead of larger ones.
Foods I recommend only for this breed are
Evangers, some are only to be used as a mixer and are very good!
Blue buffalo dry Large breed.
Innova and innova red meat
Chicken soup
wellness and wellness core
Premium edge
Timerwolf organic
Life's abundance
Royal cannin: German shepherd large breed.
The raw diet.
Some people feed raw meats with bones as as a whole diet instead of dry and canned.
Here is a list of what we have tried and our dogs love it. I don't recommend raw meat bones until the dog is at least 7 months old. Necks legs and wings are best. Do not give small rough bones that your dog will swallow whole. NEVER GIVE BONES WITH NO MEAT ON THEM, test the bones and make sure you can crunch them with your fingers if you cant then they may be too hard for your dog to chew up. Do not give bones everyday only as a treat or digestive upsets can occur.
If you are switching your dog off canned and dry food to the all raw diet you must do it slowly or dogs can get severe intestinal upsets and diarrhea. Try mixing a little in there current food.
Most pups can be raised on raw with no problems at all just after weaning.
Raw meat and worms?
This is not a common problem since dogs have very hearty digestive tracts and are not highly prone to this and worms in dogs come from eating dead or sick worm infested mice and other wild animals and picking up from dirt. We do not feed raw foods but we have fed rare cooked meat it is very nutritional, especially for nursing moms.
Do not add anything like onions or spice to the dogs food, this can cause severe intestine upsets onions can kill a dog, only use small amounts of garlic also never more then 1 teaspoon to add flavor, garlic is good for banishing fleas when given in a dogs diet but to much can cause gas.
Here is a list of harmful foods.
Chocolate
onions
hot spices
fried or salty foods
Grapes
Raisins
Nuts
hotdogs
Alcoholic drinks
sugary foods
Salty Ham
Salt is dangerous if given in large amounts and can cause bloat. Garlic can be given in small amounts, powdered kind only
People food that is good for your dog
small amounts of real cheese
Milk but I prefer goats milk or evaporated milk or lactose free.
Eggs
Yogurt
meat or chicken with no salt and spice
small amounts of lunch meat and cheese.
Veggies in small amounts like peas and carrots and asparagus, potatos, too many given to your dog will not digest properly because of the natural shape of your dogs stomach has less ability to digest vegetables then humans.
Bathing
Bathing can be done once a week or once monthly with a mild shampoo or a mild antibacterial one, this helps a great deal in keeping your dogs coat clean and free of skin problems.
However over bathing though can cause dry coat and wash away natural oils. I recommend only once a month unless he gets very dirty then once a week.
Worming
Interceptor and Iverheart is a good choice as well as heartgaurd, most of these worms many types of worms as well as heart worm. You can give all year round monthly or from April until October. Some vets will not agree with giving it only April to Oct and will need to check your dog for heartworm even if you feel he or she does not have it in order to sell you the heart wormer. Some of these however can be bought without prescriptions. I don't recommend it all year round unless you live in warmer climates above 50 Degrees where the risk goes up, it is unnecessary in my opinion to keep chemicals in your dog all year round if your dog does not need it and there is no risk.