How Long To Feed Golden Retriever Puppy Food

Why Is My Golden Retriever Always Hungry

Golden Retrievers are naturally food-motivated dogs, so it may seem like your Golden is constantly hungry. However, your dog may actually be telling you that its not getting enough food a day. Spotting the difference between a food-obsessed dog and a truly hungry dog is crucial, which can be done by observing any sudden change in their growth or appetite.

Is your dog looking leaner than normal? Is your dog inhaling food at lightning speed? Has your dog suddenly been counter surfing when he hasnt done that before?  These are all questions that youll have to ask in order to pinpoint what the issue is.

Since Goldens really enjoy mealtime, a slow feeder is usually recommended. This will also help prevent bloat and other similar problems due to eating too fast. We also recommend a feeding schedule instead of free feeding, since dogs, in general, do best on a routine.

When To Switch From Puppy To Adult Food

Knowing when to switch from puppy food to adult food can sometimes be a tough decision.

There is so much conflicting information out there and it makes it very confusing for the new puppy owner. That’s why we decided to write this article in the hopes of helping.

For golden retrievers in specific, its best to switch from puppy food to adult food anywhere from 12-18 months.

You switch over to adult food when the dog is nearing their adult height. Different dogs mature at different rates due to the large number of breeds. The larger the dog the longer it takes for them to mature to full size. 

Larger breeds of puppies take a bit longer to reach maturity. Medium breads such as the golden retriever, mature between 12-18 months of age.  The ages can be used as a good guideline. 

More energetic dogs that are more active may need to rely on the puppy food until they are closer to their adult size, while less active dogs can switch to the adult food sooner. 

Some signs your dog is ready to transition. Your dog may not have any of these signs and still be ready to transition to adult food. 

• If they are sleeping a bit more 
• If they are eating less puppy food or leaving food in their bowl.
• Less energetic than their puppy selves.
• Consistently soft stool.

Blue Buffalo Wilderness Adult Large

The top five ingredients are deboned salmon, chicken meal, pea protein, peas, and tapioca starch, with a minimum of 32 percent protein.

Blue Buffalo Wilderness Large Breed Chicken is a great option for those looking for higher protein and an optimal blend of calcium, phosphorus, and essential vitamins to help keep bones strong.

Omega-3 and 6 fatty acids found in fish meal and flaxseed ensure a healthy coat. 

An ideal blend of protein, fat and carbohydrates are also included to assist your large breed dog in keeping a healthy weight. 

The formula doesnt contain any grains or gluten and has no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives.

It also has antioxidants to boost immune health and no poultry by-products.

Glucosamine and chondroitin are added for healthy joints.

How Much To Feed A Golden Retriever Adult

Golden Retriever adults should eat around twice a day. What is more important is the portion size of those meals. The portion size will vary depending on age, weight, activity level, and health conditions of your Golden Retriever. After being spayed or neutered, your Golden Retriever may not need as many calories so consulting with your veterinarian would be a good idea.

Golden Retrievers reach their full height and weight between 12 and 18 months old. They will usually weigh between 55 and 75 pounds. When your Golden reaches adulthood, their caloric intake should decrease. 

During adulthood, they should be eating two scheduled meals a day. If they do get hungry between meals, give them a good, healthy snack that will tide them over until the next meal. Check out our article Best Dog Treats for Golden Retrievers for some healthy treat ideas.

What Should You Add To Kibble

In most cases, wet puppy food is not designed to provide complete and balanced nutrition in the same way as with dry kibble puppy food.

However, there can be some cases where feeding wet puppy food is advisable, either as a kibble topper or on its own.

One such case might be if your puppy is recovering from an illness or a procedure and doesnt have much appetite.

Wet food is quite palatable.

Wet food can also add more moisture to your puppys diet to make sure she stays well-hydrated.

Wet puppy food can be a tasty treat to liven up mealtimes. Weve reviewed our favorite dry and wet foods for Golden Retriever puppies here.

You can also add scraps such as meat, scrambled organic eggs, organic vegetables and fruits, canned pumpkin for healthy digestion, or probiotics such as yogurt.

Why Is It Important To Give Your Golden Retriever The Right Amount Of Food

Keeping your dog at a healthy weight is very important. It can minimize your dogs risk of health problems, ultimately increasing his lifespan. Golden retrievers are one of the dog breeds who are most likely to suffer from obesity, so its even more important to be vigilant about their diets.

In recent years, the lifespan of golden retrievers has gone down significantly. They used to live for an average of 16 or 17 years, and now their average lifespan is 10 to 12 years. This is because golden retrievers are more susceptible than other dogs to different types of cancer, and a factor that plays a role is the type of food and how much you give them.

Purina Pro Plan Large Breed Adult Food

dog food is our first choice for Golden Retriever adults. This food is highly recommended by our staff veterinarians, and it contains ingredients that are highly nutritious with high protein for strengthening muscles.

Below is a feeding chart for Purina Pro Plan Large Breed.

Purina Pro Plan Large Breed Adult Feeding Chart

This chart does not give an exact amount based on gender, age, activity level, or health conditions. Be sure to consult your veterinarian to get the exact amount for your Golden.

Transitioning To A New Puppy Food

Feeding a golden retriever puppy typically starts with continuing to feed the food your breeder or the rescue center has been feeding.

Even if you ultimately want to change your puppys food, veterinarians and breeders typically agree it is best to wait about a month before starting the food transition.

This will give your new puppy time to adjust to the move and being away from mom and littermates for the first time.

When you do begin a desired food transition, whether to a new puppy food or to your dogs adult food.

Plan it over a weeks time, gradually feeding more of the new food and less of the old so your pups digestive system has time to adjust.

Golden Retriever: A Complete Guide To Feeding Training And Behavior

When your golden retriever puppy comes home, your happiness knows no bounds. But, for most the joy is short-lived as soon the real life comes to their faces of training and feeding their little puppy who mature into adult dogs.

Given below is the complete guide to feeding, training, and behavioral aspects of your Golden Retriever that will help you train it into a wonderful dog.

• Table of Contents

Why Is Important To Start Young

Young dogs are more like small children. They can be easily molded into becoming good adult dogs when their training starts out young. Waiting for them to reach adulthood or even adolescence before training them does not bear the desirable fruits.

Design a strict schedule for your puppys daily activities in order to set a pattern for them to follow even if they are not in the mood for it. This will eventually cause them to grow into better-behaved adult dogs.

What If My Golden Retriever Puppy Wont Eat

There are many things that could cause a puppy to lose interest in their food, such as infections, pain, organ problems, or the way youre feeding them. Here are a few of the most common reasons why puppies stop eating as much as they should:

• Stress: Your dog could be in a chaotic home, or perhaps he is being bullied by other pets in your home like the cat. Children can abuse pets as well.  
• Digestive upset or obstruction: They may eat food that they shouldnt. 
• Digestive infections: There are many viruses such as  Parvo, intestinal worms, bacteria, etc. 

What To Season Homemade Dog Food With:

While dogs cant have all of the same aromatics as humans can they can have a small variety of dried or fresh herbs and spices that contain great nutrients and help flavor their meals. Use a few teaspoons sprinkled on top or mixed into the food. These are some easily digestable herbs and spices to try: 

• Basil
• Ginger 

Tips On Feeding Your Golden Retriever Puppy

To ensure that your new Golden Retriever puppy is receiving enough nutrition and is as healthy as possible, here are some tips you can follow.

• Once you transition them to kibble, try adding a bit of water to soften the food so they can chew it and allow them to digest the food more easily as well.
• Add wet dog food. Wet food can make the kibble more appealing for puppies, allowing them to eat it more easily. However, dont forget to count this in your puppys calorie intake as well as not doing so can result in overfeeding.
• Check with your veterinarian about the right amount of food to feed your particular puppy. While it was discussed how much you should feed your puppy, its still ideal to have them checked by your vet to ensure that youre feeding them the right amount.
• Stick to high-quality dog food. Similar to humans, its best if you give them high-quality dog food that doesnt have too many fillers as its ingredients. This will keep your puppy healthy and happy, reducing the chances of over- or underfeeding your puppy.
• Count the dog treats as well. Dog treats have calories in them too so ensure that youre counting them in your puppys daily calorie intake. Make sure you dont feed them too many treats as this can also result in them being overfed.

When To Feed A Golden Retriever Puppy

When you first bring your Golden Retriever puppy home, you should feed them 3 times a day. Puppies have small stomachs but large calorie needs to support their growth.

When your puppy turns 6 months old, start feeding them twice a day.

You should continue to feed your Golden Retriever twice a day throughout their life. Free feeding makes it hard to see just how much your dog is eating and may contribute to obesity.

The last meal of the day, especially for puppies, should be about 90 minutes before bedtime. That gives them time to digest their food and go potty before bed.

How Long Should You Walk A 3 Month Old Golden Retriever

15 minutes should be the maximum for an 8-week old puppy. If your puppy gets tired, flops down, or doesnt want to go, its time to stop. At 3 months, you can go for 20 minutes and at 6 months, you can walk up to 30 minutes. You must be much more careful with leash walking since you and not the puppy control the pace.

What Kind Of Homemade Snacks Can You Make A Dog

• Peanut butter: Rascal has his own dedicated jar of peanut butter. He loves a traditional kong but you can also mold and freeze peanut butter in any shape for a quick frozen treat. When the jar is almost finished I break out my peanut butter spoon.
• Greek Yogurt Ice Cream: In the summer we blend up unflavored Greek yogurt, fresh berries, and peanut butter. Place a spoonful or two into a silicone cupcake pan and freeze for a few hours. These make for a great dog ice cream.
• Dehydrated Sweet Potatoes: Rascals favorite easy treat. We love bringing these over to family and friends houses so Rascal always has a healthy treat on hand.

But Why Is Homemade Food Specifically Beneficial For Golden Retrievers

The NZ Veterinary Nursing Association reports that Goldens Retrievers are among the dog breeds highly prone to developing food allergies.

Why is this important to know? Well, food allergies in Goldens tend to manifest themselves on their skin, most likely into a condition known as Atopic Dermatitis. This allergy skin disease is common in Golden Retrievers, and it can cause mild to severe itching, which, as a result of scratching or rubbing, often leads to further skin damage, irritation, infection, and discomfort.

Reducing allergic reactions start with a diet that has the vitamins, fatty acids, and minerals to decrease inflammatory responses, and homemade dog food has those critical components. Whats more important is that home cooking for your dog allows you to pick only those ingredients that you know wont cause an allergic reaction on your Golden Retriever.

If you dont know what foods your Golden Retrieve is allergic to, read our Dog Allergy Test guide, so you can identify which foods to avoid in his next meal.

What To Look For

To ensure that the nutrition you are giving your Golden meets their needs, it is best to choose a dog food formulated for their life stage.

The following are the things to look for in commercial dog food for Golden retrievers:

• It should include wholesome natural ingredients with zero fillers, byproducts, and artificial flavorings.
• The first ingredient should be a high-quality animal protein source coming from meat or fish.
• There should be low levels of fat and calorie content to control the growth of puppies. There should be optimal amounts to maintain the lean muscle mass of adults.
• Glucosamine and chondroitin are good supplements for joint health.
• There should be controlled levels of calcium and phosphorus.
• It should be approved as nutritionally complete and balanced by the AAFCO.

Aside from checking the nutrition requirements, you should also examine the kibble if it is big.

Goldens are large and have deep chests. Thus, they are at higher risk of developing bloat, which is aggravated by eating speedily or eating too much at once. Larger kibble means that your dog gets the same level of nutrition in smaller portions.

When To Switch Puppy To Adult Food

Once you know when your puppy will reach maturity, you can decide when to switch to adult food.

If your puppy will be full grown at 12 months, you can start transitioning him to an adult formula around his first birthday. It can take 7 to 10 days to make the switch, so youll want to plan for that before you start.

Best Dog Food For Adult Golden Retrievers

If you are looking for the best dog food for Golden Retrievers that are more than 12 months old or are transitioning from puppy food to adult food, it is a good idea to consult with your veterinarian. Your vet can help determine your Goldens current body condition score. With this in hand, you can decide which maintenance adult diet is best.

Normal Body Condition Golden Retrievers

A great place to start for an active, normal body weight/condition Golden is . This adult formula is excellent for adults over 15 months of age to 7-8 years of age.

Many Golden retrievers suffer from dry, itchy skin and ear problems. This food can help. As a veterinarian, when I see a first-time itchy Golden in my clinic, I recommend this food.

Golden Retrievers are more prone to dry and itchy skin, most commonly caused by atopic dermatitis or inhaled allergens. Natural Balance L.I.D. Sweet potato and fish is a fantastic choice for supporting your Goldens skin and coat health.

This formula contains ingredients that may help your Golden be less itchy. It is packed with highly digestible carbohydrates, high-quality salmon and an omega-3 fatty acid boost.

Only 15-40% of itchy dogs actually have a food allergy. The majority of dogs with itchy skin have atopic dermatitis, an itchy skin condition caused by environmental allergens like pollen or mold.

Very Active/Hunting Golden Retrievers

Low-Active/Couch Potato

Senior Golden Retriever Dog Food

Some Suggested Foods For Your Adult Golden Retriever

The following list contains some foods for you to consider for your golden. Remember that if you feed a high-quality food to your dog without fillers, you often can feed less.

A general guideline Ive found when choosing a food is to make sure that it has specifically-named ingredients, not vague, generic ones. So lamb meal would be preferable to the generic term meat meal. 

The same is true of preservatives and other ingredients.

I feed my golden a food thats been recommended by many reliable sources such as the Whole Dog Journal and thats been well-rated by the Dog Food Advisor. 

I wont name it just because its one of many choices and what Ive found to be great for my dogs may not be for yours. 

And I also considered various foods before making my selection. My dogs are doing well on this food.

You dont need to break the bank to find a great food. Goldens love their food and eat a lot because of their size. So Im providing a wide selection of price points to select from..

Im listing the top-five adult and puppy formulas for large breeds and links to the Dog Food Advisor and Chewy so that you can see additional information regarding these foods and their ratings.

The Dog Food Advisor is a public service website designed to help you make a more informed decision when buying dog food.

The write-ups are taken from those found on the Dog Food Advisor website.

The links will also lead to information regarding additional high-rated foods.

What Makes The Best Dog Food For Golden Retrievers

The Golden Retriever is a large-breed dog with a long body, soft medium-length coat, and a characteristic golden or golden-red color. Goldens excel at retrieving, swimming and hanging around the house. They typically live 11 years on average.

Goldens tend to be more moderate in energy level, depending on their personality. Some are go-go-go while others would prefer to be couch potatoes. Most prefer to spend their time playing fetch, Frisbee, swimming and snuggling.

Goldens tend to be very bonded to their family but friendly with strangers. They make the perfect companion for the active, outdoorsy family, ready to go on a hike or to the beach at a moments notice.

Golden retrievers also tend to be chow hounds and may want to eat you out of house and home. They can easily become counter surfers jumping on counter tops in the kitchen for an unsupervised snack or get caught chomping on a discarded apple core on the sidewalk.

Their healthy appetite can be a blessing and a curse. Most Goldens are not picky eaters, so they will typically enjoy any dog food you decide to give them. Golden retrievers are one of the easiest breeds to overfeed. Ive met many that are bottomless pits and will continuously beg or scavenge for whatever food you can provide.

That being saidit is important to prevent your Golden from becoming overweight or obese, and that starts with finding the best dog food for Golden Retrievers.

What To Look For In Adult Dog Food For Puppies

When you are buying adult dog food for your pooch, you need to look for a few things, first of all, you should always read the food label. But I know how confusing they could be, heres what to look for in adult dog food:

• Read the product name

• Avoid getting products with these kinds of names; beef formula dog food or chicken formula dog food, because it will not offer the best nutritional diet for your dog.

•  Now, its time to check on the ingredients, most brands put the undesirable ingredients at the bottom of their lists such as artificial fillers and colorings, so make sure to read the list till the end.

• See if its grain-free, most healthy dog foods are grain-free. Notice that grain itself isnt really bad for your dog as its used as filler, but the food shouldnt be all filler.

• Look for a product that comes with whole-food protein ingredients at the top of their list
• Foods where that the top ingredients are turkey, chicken, beef, or lamb are your best bets
• Avoid products that their ingredients begin with poultry, animal, and meat.
• Lastly, if its not AAFCO* do not bother to read the ingredients.

Whats In A Good Food For A Golden Retriever

To achieve a balanced diet, your pets food should include a well-balanced blend of protein, fat, complex carbohydrates and fiber. In the best food for golden retrievers, these four components will work together to provide your pup with a nutritious and balanced diet.

High Protein Just like humans, the centerpiece of your goldens meals should be protein. As we discussed, your golden will need a minimum of 18-22% protein in their diet. For a particularly large or active golden, that number should be even higher.

As a rule of thumb, when your shopping for dog food, take a look at the first three ingredients on the list. All three of those ingredients should be a protein, and if they arent, its best to move on to another food. Remember, not all proteins are created equally.

If possible, look for food that uses whole meats, such as beef, poultry or fish. Foods that contain meat digests or meat by-products are low quality and should be avoided. For whatever reasons, goldens seem to really love salmon. Try and incorporate salmon into your Goldens diet wherever possible.

Fats While your dogs food should have far less fat than protein, fat does make up a key component of your dogs diet. Not only does fat help to give food its taste and texture, but fat is a necessary macro-nutrient that helps your dog thrive.

What To Feed Your Puppy When Its Born

Your Golden Retrievers personality will mature by the time he/she reaches puberty. He/she will become a trusted friend. Your Goldie is energetic and will require lots of exercise. Swimming and running are two of their favorite activities. Your puppy will probably do well at training school. They are happy to take treats or cuddles.

Problems Related To Feeding Your Golden Retriever Puppy

Owners should be prepared to face some feeding problems with their golden retriever puppy during the initial stages. Some of these are as follows:

• Puppy not eating It might be feeling unwell or have digestion problems. It might not like the kibble you are offering. Or it might simply want to skip a meal. If the problem persists, it is better to consult a vet.
• Allergic reaction Sometimes puppies might experience an allergic reaction to certain foods. It is essential to change the offending food immediately. Consult a vet as needed.
• Bloating A very common problem with puppies is bloating. Eating very fast is one of the traits of little puppies, especially golden retrievers. This condition can turn serious and needs immediate attention.
• Change of brand Sometimes it might be necessary to change the brand of puppy food. Whatever be the reason, this change must never be abrupt. It has to be done in increments in order to allow the puppy to adjust.

Royal Canin Golden Retriever Puppy

Rating:

Golden Retriever Puppy is one of 16 dry recipes rated in our review of the Royal Canin product line.

• First 5 ingredients: Chicken by-product meal, corn, wheat gluten, chicken fat, wheat
• Type: Grain-inclusive
• Profile: Growth
• Best for:Golden retriever puppies

Royal Canin Golden Retriever Puppy derives the bulk of its animal protein from chicken. Dry matter label analysis reveals the recipe contains 30% protein, 16% fat and 46% estimated carbs creating a fat-to-protein ratio of about 52%.

We also note the inclusion of taurine, an amino acid supplement believed to help prevent dilated cardiomyopathy in large breed dogs.

A time-proven formula containing just the right amount of calcium considered safe for golden retriever puppies. Recommended with confidence.

Sample buyer reviewMy golden retriever absolutely loves this food, the previous food he ate he didnt like very much but once I got this puppy food the first time I opened the bag he got excited just by the smell. Every time he eats now he jumps around and moves his tail like crazy. Great food I will definitely buy the adult food when he grows!!!!