puppy food

Question
QUESTION: I'm purchasing a standard poo pup, he is a very light cream but the breeder told me that he starting to darken a little, is this true??  

Thank you

ANSWER: Hello Patricia,
While it is true that the puppy may darken (a little) there is a good chance that he will be lighter when his adult hair comes in.  Light cream means that they have almost white or very light apricot highlights on the tips of the hair and darker apricot highlights on the ears, head and tail.  Your pup could also be a white as some whites will have apricot highlights on their ears when very young.  Sometimes it fades, sometimes not.  Here is a website that shows the different colors.  
http://www.le-poodles-guide.com/poodle-colors.html

The best way to know what your Poodle will look like is to see his parents and/or older sibilings.  If the breeders have the parents, see if you can see them or at least see a picture.  

I hope this helps you some.  If you have other questions about this or other questions in general, please feel free to ask me.

Thanks for using AllExperts.com,
Kim

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: What can you recommend for commercial dog (petco etc...)for a Standard Poo puppy, the breeder uses something I never heard of she did send me the web site and I can say I would never use it.

Thank you again,
Patricia

Answer
Hello again,
There are alot of good foods out there for puppies so you need to be smart when choosing a food for your dog.  Since I am assuming that your puppy is pretty young, a Puppy food is recommended.  Also, since your dog is a large breed, it would be a good idea to get him a Large Breed formula that will help him to grow more evenly so that he doesn't put undo pressure on his forming hips.  I use Iams Large Breed formula Lamb and Rice (Lamb and Rice is more sensitive on a Poodles stomach) but you can use any of the higher grade foods (you want to stay away from the "grocery store" brands because they use alot of fillers so they can make a cheaper food) as long as they have meat as the first ingredient.  Some brands that I recommend are Eukanuba, Iams, Science Diet, Nurto Natural Choice, Sensible Choice, or Bil-Jac.  
The breeder probably recommended the B.A.R.F. diet, which stands for Bones and Raw Food.  It is a very natural diet that mimics what a dog would eat in the wild.  Its raw meat (beef, chicken and turkey), uncooked bones, and raw fruits and vegetables.  Its a good diet and very healthy for the dog, but its a bit more expensive and strange for those who are not used to it.  

For a young puppy, a Standard Poodle will need about 2-2 1/2 cups a day, divided between 3 meals until the puppy is about 4-6 months old, then you can go to twice a day.  You might also put some fish oil (such as from Salmon, tuna or sardines) on your dogs food once in a while.  It is great for skin and coat and the dogs love it.  I would say about once a week is good.  

I know this is more info than you asked for, but I like to help dogs as much as I can and their people also.  

Please feel free to write me again if you have other questions and Good Luck with your Std Poodle Puppy.
Kim