New Puppy

Question
Hello!  I had setters and pointers growing up and never gave food a thought.  Grandpa surprised us with a german shorthair pointer that was given to him by a client who owns a kennel and breeds these dogs.  "Josie" is a beautiful 16 week old AKC registered pup.  So, off to the pet store I went.  I could not believe the number of choices of food....I was overwhelmed.  The girl at the store strongly recommended "Nature's Logic" because it was an all natural food that was good for all life stages.  Josie is about 22 pounds now but seems thin.  If we try to feed her more she becomes gassy and her stool becomes very soft.  When I try to research the type of food I should be feeding her the answer is always the same:  "Buy a good quality food".  "Stay away from corn".  We are just really confused and we want to do the right thing.  She always seems hungry and eats extremely quickly.  Right now we feed her twice a day with a "snack" of her regular food at mid day.  We also use her regular food for training treats.  I contacted a local breeder of these dogs and he said he uses ProPlan - But that is because he gets it at a big discount if he recommends it to new puppy owners!  I hope this describes our situation and that you can recommend what we should do.  Many thanks for considering this question.  

Answer
Count on Nature's Logic having a nice mark up.  Your situation is typical, an owner wanting to feed what is good for their dog, and besieged on all sides by those wanting you to feed what is good for their wallet.  Yes the food aisle at the pet store is overwhelming.  Chances are in the past, your dogs did just fine on what ever you fed.  

What I would do is find out what the breeder the dog came from was feeding and try it, or now, the adult version of it.  Switching to an adult chow for the larger breeds at 4 months, slows growth and helps develop sturdier joints.

You have had the dog to the vet for a check up including a fecal check?  

Your dog definitely should be narrower at the waist than the hips and chest. You should be able to easily feel the ribs, but not see them. Each dog is different. Standard recommendations are a good place to start, but each dog must have its food and exercise adjusted to its individual needs. Here is a link to a good illustrated guide, http://www.longliveyourdog.com/twoplus/RateYourDog.aspx

Unless your dog's ribs show, it may be better off being thin.  Shepherds and some other breeds may insist on letting their ribs show when young.  Nothing to worry about as long as it isn't too bad.  Many dogs are much heavier that is good for them.  Don't try to match them.  

As for corn being bad for dogs, that is a myth circulated by those selling expensive foods without it.  

Before the current form of the net existed, we were raising puppies for a large dog guide school that feeds Pro Plan, no better rated than Science, Iams, etc.  Once I started reading how awful it was, I started digging.  What I have learned is that many other service dog schools with all their resources to determine the best diet and the incentive to do so, are feeding back of the pack chows including Iams, Science Diet, and Pro Plan.  I have not been able to find any research backing up the claims of the premium chows.  I have challenged people on open forums to provide me with research backing the premium chows.  They don't seem to appreciate the importance of controlled testing.  Those selling premium chows are very good at exploiting the emotions of many.