I feed Black Gold puppy and dog food products exclusively. For my puppies I use Black Gold Ultimate Puppy, and for my adults I use Black Gold Premium. Second choice would be Nutro Natural Large Breed, both puppy and dog food. Third choice would be the Iams dog food brand, and third choice Eukanuba dog and puppy food. I am very leery of the pet food chain (not mentioning brand for obvious reasons) that recommends exactly the same formula for all ages, just adjusting the amount fed. I strongly feel that nutritional requirements vary greatly with age, and I am absolutely sure that the large breed formulas are necessary for healthy bone development in large breed dogs.

I use on demand feeding for my puppies. That is, the food is available all the time. I just keep the dish filled. I do this for 2 reasons, the first is that puppies need all the nutrition they can get. Everything is growing. The second reason is to avoid developing the habit of wolfing down the food. If you feed on a schedule, the puppy gets hungry between feedings, and when food becomes available, he will eat all of it, beyond the point of hunger satisfaction. I feel it is much better if when he gets hungry he can go to the bowl and eat anytime, and stop eating when the hunger is satisfied. It becomes a self limiting behaviour, and if properly exercised, weight control will be pretty much automatic.

If you have other animals in the house and feeding on demand can't be arranged, then 3 feedings per day until age 4 months, 2 feedings a day until 8 months, after which one feeding a day is adequate if necessary to fit your schedule, although 2 would be better. When puppy is about 10-12 months I recommend switching to the adult formula.

What about treats? Well, I don't feed my dogs treats from the hand. Anytime you do this you encourage a "mooching" pooch, one who may expect and beg for treats. If that behaviour is OK with you, then go ahead, but if it's not, then not ever doing it is the best approach to avoiding the behaviour. When I do feed a treat it is generally a hard chew, mostly for dental health, and I put it in the food dish with the kibble.

Most of the major pet stores carry these brands. You may not find them in your local supermarket. If you like, you can shop online and have your dog food delivered to your door. Sites that offer this service are Pet Food Express, Pet Food Direct, Petco, and ePetPals. I buy my Nutro locally, so I can't vouch for the prices and service, these links are just for your information.

And what about bowls? I like heavy bowls, hard to tip or kick. Makes for less spilling and less mess. Click on image. Close window to return.

Hand made. Custom designs are available (Like puppy's name, eh?)

Good bowls, economy pricing. Not quite as heavy as hand made.

Simple. Sturdy. My favorite. Under $10.

Next best thing to ceramic. Thick heavy plastic. My second favorite.