Chesapeake Bay Retriever Puppy

Question
My boyfriend and I have 4 month old, 24lbs Chesapeake Bay Retriever puppy. He gets fed Science Diet puppy food. We were wondering when it would be o.k. to feed him soft food? He is going to be a big dog and his appetite is growing. Also, I know that Chessies can have produce and fish, how would I start a fish diet for him if I want him to continue eating hard food?

Answer
There is a tremendous amount of nonsense around on dog diets.  Suppose you knew a breeder that bred hundreds of dogs a year, mostly Labs, Shepherds, and Goldens. They provided all the medical care for most of them the first year. At the end of it, they did a complete physical including hip X-rays on all of them. They then spent $35,000 training them before giving them away. They have a large data base of breeding records. Dogs with any physical or temperamental problems are unfit for the program and are a waste. Their well equipped clinic and vet staff are available for serious problems as long as the dog is working. When the dog is no longer able to work, it is replaced at again the $35,000 plus a large emotional upheaval for the person depending on the dog. They have experimented with different diets and exchanged data with other such breeders. Don't you think that what ever they are feeding is healthy and safe? What kinds of controlled studies do you have backing your choice of diet? How objective are the sources of your information? Is your dog's health, their top priority?

I have been raising puppies since 1991 for a large dog guide school that does exactly that. What do they feed? They instruct us to feed Pro Plan chicken and rice puppy chow until 4 months and then switch to adult Pro Plan chicken and rice. I know enough of the people with the trained dogs to know they continue the Pro Plan. The group I meet with monthly for training includes people that have raised puppies for 6 different service dog schools. Some of them are feeding other premium commercial chows including Iams and Eukanuba. Any dog owner wanting a healthy, long lived dog can make this regimen work, leaving more time to spend on the dog. It is also relatively economical.

What I would do is  make the next bag of dog chow the adult version of the science diet,  and switch to it adding more and more of it until after a week, it is all adult chow.  

You can easily ruin his hips and other joints if he isn't getting the right diet.  To see the AVMA's position on home made diets go to http://www.avma.org/press/releases/070404_homemade_diets.asp