How to Choose the Best Dog Food for Keeshond Puppies
The sweet and loving Keeshond puppy is the perfect picture of cute with its plush grey and black coat and distinctive curved tail. A dog breed that originated in Holland, the Keeshond’s original job was to guard barges and boats located along the canals and rivers of its native land.
The Keeshond puppy enjoys playing the role of guard dog, eagerly alert barking at unusual noises or when strangers lurk nearby. However, this breed is affectionate and very friendly, welcoming new people to its home with ready ease.
A dog breed in possession of a thick double coat, the Keeshond puppy was designed to enjoy time outside. However, this breed is deeply connected to its family and suffers if not permitted to be near them as often as possible. With this in mind, the Keeshond puppy should live indoors and take part in its family’s regular routine.
The Keeshond pup is a natural with children, displaying great gentleness towards them. The breed also enjoys the companies of other animals and is an excellent choice for an addition to a multi-pet home.
A breed that requires regular daily exercise, the Keeshond puppy should go for a walk at least once a day. Because the Keeshond is a deep lover of food, it is important to ensure this pup is not overfed or underexercised; otherwise, the dog could easily become overweight. Free feeding this pup is not recommended. Highly intelligent and fairly athletic, the Keeshond pup does well in many different popular dog sports including agility, Rally, obedience, and conformation.
A member of the Spitz family, the Keeshond pup is loosely related to several other similar breeds including the Samoyed, the Chow Chow, the Norwegian Elkhound, the Finnish Spitz, and the Pomeranian. The breed became the symbol for one of two warring factions during a time of war in its native Holland.
The Keeshond puppy is prone to developing certain health problems though the breed typically enjoys excellent health. These include cataracts, heart issues, epilepsy, diabetes mellitus, and glaucoma. Diet can play an important role in helping to promote optimal health in dogs. The best dog foods for Keeshond puppies include supplements to support eye and heart health.
The most beneficial diets for Keeshond puppies are comprised of approximately 22 percent protein and 8 percent fat. Likewise, this hardy, medium-sized breed requires a food that includes the correct ratio of calcium to phosphorus: 1.2 parts of calcium for each part of phosphorus.
Choosing the Correct Calorie Count for Keeshond Puppies
Determining how much of a diet to feed a dog can involve some trial and error. The best dog foods for Keeshond puppies offer owners suggested servings sizes based on age and weight. These guidelines are particularly helpful and can be adjusted to reflect the pup’s appetite, body condition, activity level, and age until the appropriate portion is found.
The Keeshond loves to eat. Since this pup has only moderate activity needs, care should be taken not to allow this puppy to become overweight. To this end, free feeding is discouraged, and instead, all intake should be carefully monitored to ensure a healthy body condition is achieved and maintained.
Dietary Requirements for Keeshond Puppy Foods
Keeshond puppies require a diet that is well-balanced and full of top quality ingredients to support them through each phase of their development. The best dog foods for Keeshond puppies list a lean, meat-based protein as their first ingredient. Whole meats make the best foundation; however, meat meals also offer a powerhouse punch of the amino acids pups need as they grow.
By-products are taken from cuts of the animal not preferred for human consumption. These can be more challenging for puppies to digest, and thus, are not the optimal foundation for the Keeshond pup’s diet. Likewise, the plant-based proteins soy, corn, and wheat can trigger allergic reactions in many dogs, and foods containing them are best avoided.
From carbohydrates, the Keeshond puppy gains the nutrients required to enjoy good digestion and a strong immune system. These carbohydrates can come from fruits, vegetables, or whole grains. Puppies with sensitivities to grains may do best on a grain-free diet.
Healthy fats lay a solid foundation for the Keeshond pup to achieve optimal coat and skin health, a boost for its energy reserves, and fuel for brain and eye development. The ideal sources for these fats are foods such as chicken fat and oily fish. Alternatively, the plant-based oils canola, safflower, sunflower, and coconut offer bountiful servings of the essential fatty acids puppies need.
Supplements added to a food can greatly benefit Keeshond puppies. The ideal supplements to look for in a food for the Keeshond are glucosamine, chondroitin, prebiotics, and probiotics.
Things to Look for in the Best Dog Food for Keeshond Puppies
Here is a basic list of the most important things to look for in the best dog food for a Keeshond puppy:
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Lean, meat-based proteins heading up the ingredients list
The Keeshond puppy is a carnivore, and thus, owners should look for a diet that prioritizes the use of lean meats. The ideal foundation ingredient in a diet for the Keeshond puppy is a whole meat. However, meat meals also offer concentrated amounts of high quality protein to fuel a pup’s growth and development.
Both by-products and the plant-based proteins soy, corn, and wheat are not of sufficient nutritional quality to meet the dietary requirements of the Keeshond pup.
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Prepared without the addition of chemicals, flavorings, fillers, or mystery ingredients
Chemicals, flavorings, fillers, and mystery ingredients add no nutritional value to a puppy food; in fact, they can be harmful. Avoid foods whose ingredients list contain items that are unrecognizable as food sources, minerals, nutrients, or supplements.
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Enriched with probiotics and helpful supplements
Probiotics and helpful supplements assist the nutrients found within a food with working most effectively. The ideal supplements to look for in a food for Keeshond puppies are prebiotics, probiotics, glucosamine, and chondroitin.
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Meets AAFCO nutritional requirements for a complete and balanced food
All puppy foods for a Keeshond pup should be stamped with the AAFCO seal of approval, indicating the food is complete and balanced to meet the needs of a growing puppy.