Food choice for my puppy

Question
I have a new puppy that I adopted from the Humane Society. As best as they know he is 3 months old and a labrador mix. The shelter was feeding Purina Puppy Chow and at the moment that's what I'm giving him. I bought Purina One Large Breed Puppy Food and planned to switch him to that. My question is, is Purina One a good food and will it reduce the amount of poo he produces? Right now he's going poo about 8 to 10 times per day! Thanks.

Answer
Let me assure you that the Purina puppy chow is fine for your puppy.  By going to a meat based chow, such as the Purina 1, he will produce smaller, firmer stools that will be easier to clean up.  Moving up to Pro Plan or Iams would produce slightly smaller, firmer ones than the Purina 1, but not that much difference.   A year ago I switched a young Lab from Iams adult to Purina adult.  The stool size and consistency is one thing you may read about dog chows that is true.  Much of what you read is misleading marketing hype, some of it outright lies.  Many people base their opinions on what they read on the net at sites put by people with unknown agendas, likely selling premium chows with no proven benefits.  I base my opinions on what I see in large, professionally managed service dog programs.  They aren't selling anything, but giving away dogs that will cost a fortune to train replacements when they can't work any longer.  They have the resources and motivation to determine the best feeding practices and share it with others and I caring for their dogs.  

If your puppy's bowel movements aren't well formed and solid even on the Purina, I would get it to a vet as soon as possible.  Take any shot records from the shelter.  There are a number of things that may cause young puppies to have overly soft and frequent bowel movements.  Health problems make a much bigger difference than diet.  A good vet doesn't need me to list them.  Once you get any health problems cleared up, you can then choose a chow.  It is even possible the current problems are from a change in diets.  It can take a couple of weeks to settle down even even after a gradual change over a week.  If the puppy has been on the puppy chow very long, you might stick with it for another month, then changing to an adult chow.  If you plan to continue the Purina 1, using up the large breed puppy chow you have won't hurt much,  Switching to an adult chow, along with keeping the puppy lean, for the larger breeds at 4 months, slows growth and helps develop sturdier joints.

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