Boxer Puppy

Question
QUESTION: Tomorrow I will be taking home a boxer puppy--he is about 8 weeks, and i'm unsure which kind of food I should be using.
I know I want to work with dry food--the breeders used Pro Plan Select Adult Chicken and Brown Rice. Which i'm unsure is the best...I will of course try to transition slowly--but I don't know which brand to look for.
Which brand/type would you suggest?

ANSWER:  Hi Stephen,

First of all, I am sorry I was unable to get to this question earlier. Have you started the pup on the ProPlan? There are many superior foods available that I would recommend  over Purina.   Please get back to me and let me know what you're using now, and we can go from there.

I can list several premium foods appropriate for your puppy, but he should be transitioned slowly from a lower quality food to a premium, and it's also a matter of finding which premium formula suits him best. I look forward to helping you more with this. Good nutrition in the first year is absolutely essential.

All the best, Catherine

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

QUESTION: Instead of a gradual shift, we were bad, and put him straight on science diet, puppy development.(not the large breed, the regular)
He seems to have taken to it very well, no stool issues, or anything.(just a few house breaking issues here and there--he was using basically a large cat litter--and now hates going outside in the yard to do his business)
He just discovered that his stool is tasty, most of the time, i catch it before hand and not an issue. Is there another way to ensure he won't like it? We're being fairly stern--but if i'm missing another tactic--let me know.
Thanks for you time,
~Stephen


ANSWER: Hi Stephen,
Well, I work wth dogs using the Positive Reinforcement method, which relies more on rewarding the desired behaviour as opposed to punishing the unwanted. Especially in the case of your puppy, I wouldn't punish stool eating too much. If you decide to switch to a premium grade food you may see less of this behaviour. Science Diet costs more than Purina but I can attest, it is NOT worth the extra money. Some dogs continue to eat stool after switching to premium, mainly because (IMO) they've gotten into the habit of it. But either way, I do recommend upgrading. If you can afford to buy Hill's, you can afford a premium product. I would be happy to make some suggestions if at any time you decided to switch.

Meanwhile, enjoy your puppy! These early days are over all too soon.
All the best, Catherine

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

QUESTION: Link is a pleasure to have--he takes very well to most of the house rules(most). Eventually he will be coming with me to all the family functions as my partner in crime.
Which brands do you suggest? And why is science diet a poor choice? ;-/


Answer
Hi Stephen,

Science Diet uses good research but very low quality ingredients. Here's the Puppy Formula:

"Lamb Meal, Brewers Rice, Rice Flour, Corn Gluten Meal, Ground Whole Grain Wheat, Animal Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), Dried Egg Product, Dried Beet Pulp, Chicken Liver Flavor, Soybean Oil, Dicalcium Phosphate, Fish Oil, Flaxseed, Potassium Chloride, L-Lysine, Iodized Salt, Choline Chloride, vitamins (L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement), Vitamin E Supplement, Taurine, minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid, Beta-Carotene, Rosemary Extract. "

Several problems here, starting with the fact that although the first ingredient is meat, the next FOUR are grains - and not good grains either! Wheat is a notorious allergen. Brewer's rice is basically a waste product, and corn is another common allergen. Next we have the scary "animal fat" - why don't they identify WHAT animal? Followed up with soy oil, you have an itchy dog waiting to happen. Then, the minerals are poor quality - we know for a fact that Oxides are not well absorbed, but theyre cheap, so hence they get used anyway.

Now take a look at a really nice puppy food from Innova:

http://www.innovapet.com/product_line.asp?id=502

There really is no comparison.
I would highly suggest you take a look at a food like Innova, or if that one isnt available locally, let me know and I can send a few others of comparable quality.

Best wishes, Catheirne