Puppy Raising Nutritional Policy

Picture of dog kibble in a silver colored metal bowl(original pdf) We appreciate the cooperation of all raisers and leaders in complying with the following puppy raising nutritional policy.

At the GDB puppy kennel, prior to placement in a raiser home, puppies are fed Purina Pro Plan Large Breed Puppy formula selected through collaboration between the GDB Veterinary and Kennel Departments.  Research has shown, and GDB experience concurs, that large breed diets are effective in helping to limit certain canine orthopedic maladies.

  • Leaders and Community Field Representatives (CFR) will educate raisers on feeding puppies, emphasizing proper body conditioning which will enhance health and improved orthopedic development.
  • Raisers will feed one of the following large breed diets until the puppy is approximately 12 months of age.

All diets are considered equal in terms of GDB preference:

  • Purina Pro Plan Large Breed Formula
  • Eukanuba Large Breed Puppy      
  • Iams Large Breed Growth               
  • Hill's Science Diet Puppy Lamb and Rice
  • Purina ONE Large Breed Puppy/Chicken and Rice Adult

At a year of age, or when the leader or CFR recommends that a puppy change to an adult diet, raisers will transition to the adult formula of the current puppy formula, or to the Natural Balance Lamb Meal and Brown Rice diet fed to training dogs on campus.

If the selection of one of the above diets is a change in diet from the one the puppy left the GDB puppy kennel on, raisers should gradually transition to the new diet over a period of 5 – 7 days gradually replacing the previous food with the new one.   Puppies currently leave the kennel on Purina Pro Plan Large Breed Formula.

Raisers will start feeding 8-week-old pups 1 cup, 3 times a day and then slowly increase the amount of food following instructions given by their leaders and the feeding guidelines in the Puppy Raising Manual.  At your first puppy meeting, ask your leader when and how much to increase your puppy’s food.  Because each puppy is different, it may require different feeding amounts than what is listed on the puppy food bag or in this policy.  

If your puppy is not doing well on one of the approved diets, have your leader speak to your CFR, who can evaluate the dog’s individual needs and make additional suggestions in feeding schedules, home behavior monitoring, feeding amounts, and diets. 

CFR’s will notify the GDB Veterinary Clinic of any dog's dietary change for recording in the veterinary record.  In addition, within their final Project Record, raisers will record any dietary change, the date of change, and the factors for the change.

Dogs in training will be fed Natural Balance Lamb Meal and Brown Rice; transition to this diet will be done on campus by training staff unless it has already been fed in the raiser home.

At GDB's determination, variations may occur in the above policy guidelines for a variety of reasons, including:

  • The special needs of individual dogs under the supervision of or consultation with the GDB Veterinary Clinic
  • Future research in canine nutrition
  • Further knowledge gained by GDB through GDB conducted food trials or other research