Nutrition

[huntersgsonpointkennel]

Your need to know what to feed your large breed hunting companion. I own and raise German Shorthaired pointers. They are a LARGE breed dog. I choose to feed them purina pro plan large breed formula. I feed this to them from the time they are weaned and on. Purina has all varieties of food you need, but some think that bacause they have a hunting dog they need to feed their hunting comanion the performance blend at all times which is a big NO! the performance blend is for dogs that hunt or do field trials. I only feed my 4 gsp's the performance blend during the training months and the hunting season. The reasoning behind my decision is because the performance blend has extra protien for energy. if you feed your dog this all the time you had better take them for a 10 mile run everyday. Now why to not feed your large breed puppy a puppy blend is because it has too much calcium added for a large breed dog. As it is your pup is growing so fast and with the added calcium it makes the cartalidge and bones grow too quick and doesnt give them enough time to grow properly causing BIG issues when they are older. I only feed puppy food to my pregnant and lactating bitches until the pups wean.

[cfox]

We feed Pro plan Performance year round
The old school thinking was put them on a "maintenance diet" during the off season and a performance diet during the hunting season
Exhaustive tests have shown that dogs fed the Performance diet year round (30% protein 20% Fat) have a much higher VO2 Max (the ability to process oxygen) than those running the old school methods, this ability to process O2
at a higher level translates into better endurance, faster recovery after exertion etc,etc
So in closing just feed them less during the off season and increase to meet there needs during the season
If you want them to perform at the top of their ability feed the best....
as far as pups are concerned if your pups are large breed dogs feed them pro plan large breed puppy if not feed
pro plan puppy
in years past puppy food was not available that had the correct balance and most contained to much Calcium
today we have feed tailored to the pups we are raising
I would advise listening to the Purina folks who have spent and continue to spend untold billions on quality research

[HuntingDogUSA]

Both responses are very good points, definitely something to monitor in your dog's behavior.