How and what to feed shepherd dogs?

The digestive system in all dogs functions almost equally. There are small nuances in feeding, which depend on the breed and genetic predisposition. They need to be considered when choosing food for their pets.

For large dogs, which include shepherd dogs, it is important to have protein in food for a full growth of muscle mass, as well as proper weight gain and healthy bones and joints.

There are two types of dog feeding:

• natural products;
• ready dry feed.

For shepherd dogs, eating natural products is a very good option. If the diet is properly balanced, the dog will get all the necessary micronutrients, vitamins and proteins.

In addition, in addition to the proteins that the dog's body needs, carbohydrates are present in this type of feeding. For large dogs, they are not required in large quantities, since with insufficient physical exertion they will be deposited in fat, which is unacceptable and dangerous for the health of the animal and its physical characteristics.

Need to know that some products can be given only after preliminary heat treatment, for example, such as river fish and liver, as they may be worms. And in marine fish there are substances that gradually destroy the B vitamins in the dog's body, which leads to a slowdown in its growth and physical development. Therefore, it is also recommended to boil before serving.

First of all, the diet should include meat - this is the main source of protein. This breed is suitable meat products of the second category, it contains connective tissue, useful for dogs. Cutting gives too little strain on the teeth. Do not give the dog pork, as it is too fat. It is better to give preference to beef, lamb and horse meat.

From poultry fit turkey in the form of minced meat, especially for monthly puppies when transferring from breast milk to an age food, or chicken, finely chopped into pieces.

Fish is the source of Omega-3. She is necessary in feeding shepherd dogs. The only one suitable for their diet is pink salmon. But it is also better to give it to pets no more than twice a week and separately from meat food.

Buckwheat, rice, oatmeal, corn, wheat is suitable for cereals. It is a source of slow carbohydrates, which are useful for the digestive system and the dog as a whole. Cook porridge should be ready. Barley and pearl barley is better to exclude, they are poorly digested.

Dairy products are better to give in the form of kefir. Cottage cheese is needed for puppies to develop up to six months. An excellent addition to the diet will be boiled eggs, but not more than three times during the week.

Vegetables and fruits can be offered to the dog raw, and can be added to the dish when cooking. You can try to feed the pet porridge with carrots or pumpkin. You can also mix cereals and meat. Chicken porridge will be a good lunch for your dog.

In the manufacture of finished dog food manufacturers are trying to use all important for the health of the animal substance. But still at an early age puppies are better fed with natural products, since dry food can lead to problems in digestion.

There are four types of feed.

1. The most harmful feed - economy class. There is almost no protein in them, it is replaced with animal fat, and bone meal is used. With such food, the dog is not saturated, it attracts with its flavorings. This type of food is very expensive.
2. Premium class. Balanced feed with mineral and nutrients without taste substitutes and dyes, but using additives and stabilizers approved by the European Economic Union. The composition uses real meat ingredients. The source of vegetable protein is corn.
3. Super premium class. Their composition includes only the highest quality components, natural products. As a high-value protein, eggs, beets and rice are used as a source of fiber. Protein and carbohydrates are taken from the primary components. This feed is made with special equipment.
4. Holistic. For the manufacture of this food using only environmentally friendly products. For example, some parts of lamb and salmon. There are biologically pure additives, vegetables and fruits. The only type of finished feed, quite close to natural nutrition.

Every day a varied diet for animals is not required. What is important is a balanced composition of microelements.

When buying food shepherd important to pay attention to the fact that it was the inscription "Active". This kind of food is suitable for large dogs that spend a lot of energy every day. The names of some of the premium and super premium classes that are suitable for Shepherd Dogs are: Brit Premium, Purina Dog Chow, Royal Canin.

It is impossible to give shepherd dogs salted, sweet, smoked, pickled. Spices, legumes, potatoes, chocolate, citrus fruits, as well as swede, grapes and olives are harmful to them. Tubular bones are very dangerous for pets.

When planning a dog's diet, it is necessary to consider the ratio of calcium and phosphorus. in it, since the second element helps to wash out the first animal from the body.

It is not allowed to feed the dog from your table. As an encouragement can be used:

• a piece of dry bread, poured with sunflower oil;
• small cheese;
• apple divided into slices.

To avoid problems in the future, you need to properly feed the young and observe their diet. Up to 4 months, puppies are fed 4 to 5 times a day, gradually reducing the number of feedings and increasing the portion. By the year the dogs are transferred to two meals.

Feed the puppies should always be at the same time. After feeding, a bowl of food is removed, leaving only a container with clean water. Duration of eating should be approximately 20 minutes. All remaining in the plate - too much for the dog's stomach.

At home, it is better to feed babies with natural nutrition. Begin prikorm at monthly age.

Starting from 1.5 months, the puppy should eat about 250 grams of meat per day. From 2 to 4 months - 400 g, 4 to 6 months - half a kilogram, from six months to a year - about 1 kg per day.

The fish is introduced into the diet from the third month, only boiled sea food, they give it instead of meat twice a week. From three months to 5 months, they provide meat trimming, since there are many tendons in it for training the jaw.This is also the period of the change of teeth. Once a week they treat the dog with brain bone. From six months they begin to offer the dog offal and liver after heat treatment.

From birth to the year, the animal is taught to eat cottage cheese, fed with dairy products - kefir, ryazhenka.

Table with the rules of nutrition, depending on the age of puppies.

A two-month-old puppy up to 4 months is fed 4 times a day, from 4 to 6 months - 3-4 times a day, from 6 to 8 months - 3 times a day, from 8 months to a year - 1-2 times a day.

In the summer, dogs that have reached a year are fed once a day, and in the winter, for a better heat exchange, the dog's body is fed 2 times.

Normally, the shepherd's diet is almost the same as any other large dog, although it has its own characteristics.

The diet of the animal must be respected throughout life. An adult individual cannot be overfed, as due to excess food it may turn into intestines. Feed the shepherd necessarily at the same time. Portions should be the same. Eating should take place after a walk, so as not to put pressure on the digestive tract, which can end badly.

In winter, you can give, in addition to the main meal, warm meat broth. Animals of this breed throughout the year can be fed twice a day. The portions will be small, which would be an ideal option, since shepherd dogs have a small stomach.

At the request of the owner, you can transfer the dog from natural food to ready-made food. But it is imperative that you first consult a veterinarian and select premium and super premium food.

Food should not be hot or cold, the best option is the room temperature of the food. There should always be a container with clean water. Feed must be thick. Wet food is poorly absorbed by the dog's stomach. It is also important to have suitable feeding utensils so that when you eat the animal the posture does not deteriorate.

A pregnant shepherd dog needs to be fed with special dog food in position. If this individual is on a natural type of food, then more cottage cheese, eggs, fish and meat should be included in its diet. From the fourth week of pregnancy, it is transferred to three meals a day, without increasing the amount of food, and from the eighth week, meat is removed from the menu, replacing it with sea boiled fish to avoid seizures.

Immediately after giving birth, you should not give the dog meat, so that there is no poisoning. She is offered a weak broth or liquid porridge. Subsequently, the bitch is fed 4-5 times a day, without restricting food. In the diet should be vegetables, raw meat, cottage cheese and fish, so that the puppies get the necessary amount of trace elements and vitamins from mother's milk.

After a year, the age of the shepherd does not affect its menu and diet. Throughout the dog's life, the owner must comply with the norms of feeding and follow all the necessary nutritional recommendations in order for his pet to be healthy and energetic and comply with all the characteristics of the breed.

On how to properly feed the dog, see below.