How to Choose the Best Dog Food for Giant Schnauzer Puppies
The Giant Schnauzer puppy is full of mischief and fun. Well-renowned for its charming and distinctive good looks, this breed is available in three different varieties: the miniature, standard, and giant. The Giant Schnauzer puppy’s expression reveals that this dog type can be serious by nature but is also just a dog that likes to have a good time with those it loves most.
The Giant Schnauzer puppy is a large breed pup with a personality to match the size of its body. This breed is highly energetic and requires regular daily exercise at a vigorous pace to remain physically and mentally content. In addition to this, the Giant Schnauzer puppy is highly intelligent.
A breed that likes to think for itself, teaching a Giant Schnauzer puppy new skills can be challenging. This pup requires an owner that can firmly establish boundaries and expect the pup to heed them consistently.
An extremely versatile pup, the Giant Schnauzer puppy is skilled at many activities including agility, tracking, herding, carting, obedience, and conformation. In earlier times, this breed has helped its owners with keeping cattle on the path to market and has also served as police and guard dogs.
The Giant Schnauzer puppy is very serious by nature, but it is also loving and affectionate with those it loves most. As a result, many Giant Schnauzer pups grow up to have successful careers as therapy dogs.
Because this breed is both active and intelligent, its exercise needs must be met each day in order to prevent nuisance behaviors from developing. A minimum of 60 minutes of activity broken up into smaller segments during puppyhood is recommended. This breed is unlikely to gain weight if properly fed and exercised. However, free feeding is still not encouraged.
A breed that needs space to stretch its legs, the Giant Schnauzer puppy does best in a home that has a fenced yard in which the dog can play. A true lover of people, this breed prefers the company of its family to time spent outdoors alone.
Most often a very healthy dog, there are a few health problems that can plague the Giant Schnauzer. These include hip dysplasia, osteochondrosis dissecans, autoimmune thyroiditis, and squamous cell carcinoma. To help lay a good foundation for wellness in the breed, it is a good idea to select a diet that includes supplements to support optimal joint, bone, and immune system health in the Giant Schnauzer.
A large breed puppy, this pup should be fed a puppy formulation designed for pups of this size until the dog reaches one year of age or 75 percent of its full adult size. At this point in time, it can then be transitioned to an appropriate adult diet.
The best dog foods for Giant Schnauzer puppies contain a minimum of 22 percent protein and 8 percent fat. To promote a healthy rate of bone growth, the Giant Schnauzer puppy needs a diet that contains the proper proportions of calcium to phosphorus: 1.2 parts of calcium for each part of phosphorus.
Choosing the Correct Calorie Count for Giant Schnauzer Puppies
The Giant Schnauzer puppy is highly active, and thus, requires a puppy formulation that can fuel its daily energy requirements with excellent quality nutrition. Once this food has been selected, it is then time to determine how much the pup should be fed each meal. The best dog foods for Giant Schnauzer puppies provide suggested serving sizes based on age and weight. These guidelines are very helpful and can be adjusted until the appropriate meal size is found.
Though not typically predisposed to gaining weight, the Giant Schnauzer puppy can be prone to hip dysplasia, meaning it is important for this pup to maintain a healthy weight. To this end, free feeding this breed is strongly discouraged. All intake should be measured and carefully monitored to maintain a good body condition.
Dietary Requirements for Giant Schnauzer Puppy Foods
A highly active pup, the Giant Schnauzer puppy requires a high performance puppy food based on a lean meat to thrive. The best dog foods for Giant Schnauzer puppies base their foundation on a whole meat or meat meal. By-products are not of sufficient nutritional quality to fuel the needs of growing pups. Likewise, the plant-based proteins soy, corn, and wheat are common allergens for many dogs, and thus, are not ideal for the Giant Schnauzer puppy.
Today, many commercial dog food manufacturers make use of ingredients such as chemicals, additives, fillers, artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives to help improve the shelf life and appearance of the food. These ingredients offer no nutritional benefit to the Giant Schnauzer puppy and diets containing them are best left on the shelf.
Carbohydrates provide the Giant Schnauzer puppy with the nutrients required for good digestion and a healthy immune system. Antioxidant and fiber-rich fruits, vegetables, and whole grains make for an excellent carbohydrate profile in a puppy’s diet. Dogs that have previously shown sensitivities to grains may do best on a grain-free food formulation.
Healthy fats play an important role in helping the Giant Schnauzer puppy to achieve coat and skin health, brain and eye development, and strong reserves of energy. The best sources for these essential fatty acids are foods such as chicken fat and oily fish. Some plant-based oils such as canola, safflower, sunflower, and coconut also offer ample servings of these fats to support the Giant Schnauzer puppy’s nutritional needs.
All foods can benefit from the addition of supplements, providing added vitamins and nutrients to help the diet be its most well-rounded. The best supplements to look for in a food for the Giant Schnauzer puppy are prebiotics, probiotics, glucosamine, and chondroitin.
Things to Look for in the Best Dog Food for Giant Schnauzer Puppies
Here is a basic list of the most important things to look for in the best food for a Giant Schnauzer puppy:
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Lean, meat-based proteins heading up the ingredients list
A highly active little pup, the Giant Schnauzer puppy requires a diet based on a lean, meat-based protein to thrive. Whole meats and meat meals provide the very best option for a foundation for a high quality puppy food.
By-products and the plant proteins soy, corn, and wheat are not of sufficient nutritional quality to benefit a growing Giant Schnauzer puppy. Diets containing these alternative proteins are not recommended.
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Prepared without the addition of chemicals, flavorings, fillers, or mystery ingredients
Chemicals, fillers, artificial flavorings and colorings, and mystery ingredients provide no nutritional benefit to a growing Giant Schnauzer puppy. Any foods containing these items is best left on the shelf.
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Enriched with probiotics and helpful supplements
The most beneficial supplements for the Giant Schnauzer puppy are prebiotics, probiotics, glucosamine, and chondroitin.
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Meets AAFCO nutritional requirements for a complete and balanced food
All foods appropriate for the Giant Schnauzer puppy should bear the AAFCO seal of approval, indicating it meets the standards for a complete and balanced food.