# Which dog food for golden retriever puppy?



## Alcauni (Jul 16, 2017)

We are currently looking into which brand if dog food would be best for our golden retriever bitch puppy when we bring her home. The breeders we are in touch with either use Royal Canin, Wagg or Raw (all pregnancies are very early stages hence number of breeders).

Unfortunately we just wouldn't have the time, knowledge or freezer space to be able to prepare raw. We've heard it's not advisable to do this is it's your first dog also

We're thinking about wainwrights dry food once fully grown as it seems to be well balanced and have good reviews from independent sites.

In terms of puppy food we were thinking about wainwrights grain-free dry food but then perhaps mixing it with a wet food (maybe natures diet). Any advice on mixing foods or puppy diet would be much appreciated.

Also how long should you feed a dog on puppy food for? I've seen different timing on different forums/ sites. 

Finally, do different flavours have different nutritional value e.g
Lamb over salmon. Obvious with us getting a golden we know joints, heart and coat are a priority. 

Any advice will be much appreciated


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## lullabydream (Jun 25, 2013)

It's entirely up to you what to feed...if it suits your lifestyle budget and most importantly your dog.

I would stick to the breeders food initially once the puppy is home though. As stress of leaving can cause upset stools as it is, and adding more stress to their surroundings such as a change of feed may really upset the apple cart.

The dog food market is amazing...lots of different flavours to tempt you to buy..as dogs cannot read the market is for the pet owner.

Flavour wise, as long as the dog food is complete, then it has by law all the nutritional value of a balanced diet a dog needs. The flavour... usually makes the consumer buy.


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## Blitz (Feb 12, 2009)

Wainwrights wet food suits my dogs much better than natures diet so I would feed that with the wainwrights dry if you are going to mix it. I feed Arden Grange dry with wainwrights wet as that seems best for my dog with food allergies. 

As far as puppy food goes, it is probably sensible to feed it as it exists but years ago there was no such thing and puppies did just fine. Change to adult whenever your bag of food runs out between 6 and 12 months old.


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## Sarah H (Jan 18, 2014)

Check out https://www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk/ - it gives a break down of most of the foods available and you can compare different ones. 
Wainwrights is definitely a good middle of the range dog food, but transition pup over slowly so keep it on whatever the breeder provides while it settles in, then you can switch to what you want to feed.


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## dorrit (Sep 13, 2011)

I think its all about what you can afford and what your dog likes...

Ive had to admit my choice for Murphy just wasnt working out, he has fresh meat but also a kibble meal and I chose a top brand bio food that uses human grade ingredients with a price tag to match.

But he has had repeated tummy upsets I call it xmas bum, you know that feeling when youve had one too many mince pies or sweets and your bum protests violently....

We tried cutting his meat out, with no change and so we bought a bag of different kibble...perfect poo within a day..
He likes the other stuff but its obvious it doesnt like him so on Sunday I gave away 6 kilos of it !

Its a bit of trial and error most of the time..


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## Siskin (Nov 13, 2012)

As golden retrievers will eat anything at anytime, it's unlikely you will have any problems with your puppy eating what ever you put in front of it, so really it's up to you and your finances what you choose to feed. My current golden is on Arden Grange chicken and rice and she looks fine on it, previous goldens have been fed on all sorts of stuff ranging from the cheapest junk food to good quality depending on our financial situation, all have done well.

If you end up having a puppy from the breeder that is feeding raw, check that they are also feeding kibble to the puppies as well so that the new owners can make their own choice whether to continue with raw or use kibble. If the puppy has been fed on a raw diet only then you will need to continue on the same food for a while to allow the puppy to settle in with you, before transferring gradually onto a kibble diet. Too sudden a change could upset a puppies tummy badly


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