Breed Advisor is reader supported! This page contains affiliate links, that at no additional cost to you, may earn a small commission. Find out more here.
In this guide we’ll take a look at the best dog food for Portuguese Water Dog puppies.
We’ve compared the quality of ingredients, nutritional information, and value for money.
Our top recommended Portuguese Water Dog puppy dog food is Zignature Zssential Grain-Free.
Click the green button below to find the best price!
All of our dog food suggestions are carefully selected by professionals. We extensively research the products to check if they’ve been approved by governing bodies before making recommendations. You can read more about our stringent review standards here. And remember, always consult your veterinarian first, before changing your dog’s food.
Zignature Zssential Grain-Free, often recommended as one of the best dog foods for Portuguese Water Dog puppies, is an exceptional food formulation that is well prized to support the needs of active pups as they grow. This premium performance puppy food is based on a finite number of ingredients, making it an excellent choice for puppies with sensitivities to certain food allergens. A diet that prioritizes the use of lean, easily digestible proteins, the main ingredients in this diet are turkey, turkey meal, salmon, lamb meal, and duck meal.
The proteins selected for this top shelf food have been obtained from countries across the globe to ensure meats that are of exceptional nutritional quality. Zignature Zssential Grain-Free contains no corn, wheat, soy, or dairy.
Solid Gold Wolf Cub Puppy is a high quality puppy food that delivers big on both nutritional quality and value. To promote the ideal and safe growth rate in the Portuguese Water Dog puppy, Solid Gold Wolf Cub Puppy has included the correct proportions of calcium to phosphorus in its formula.
Often recommended as one of the best dog foods for Portuguese Water Dog puppies, Solid Gold Wolf Cub Puppy prioritizes a recipe that is rich in high quality proteins from a wide variety of sources. The foundational ingredients in this powerhouse food are bison and ocean fish meal. Each of these meats is easily digestible and rich in nutrients to promote a healthy body as the pup grows.
A grain-inclusive food formulation, this top shelf diet bases its carbohydrate content on superfoods that are nutrient-dense to assist with good digestion and a strong immune system. These include such ingredients as pumpkin, lentils, cranberries, and blueberries. Solid Gold Wolf Cub Puppy is free from corn, wheat, and soy, all foods that can be common allergens from many dogs.
A reasonably priced food formulation that also offers exceptional quality nutrition, Wellness Large Breed Complete Health Puppy is often rated as one of the best dog foods for Portuguese Water Dog puppies. The DHA content found in this food is sufficient to promote healthy cognitive and eye development in puppies.
To assist with adequate amounts of the essential fatty acids the Portuguese Water Dog pup needs, flaxseed has been included in its whole form in this powerhouse performance diet. As a boost for optimal cardiac health, taurine also plays a starring role.
Nulo FreeStyle Grain-Free Puppy, one of the best dog foods for Portuguese Water Dog puppies available for purchase today, offers all of the premium tier nutrition active pups need to support them as they grow. Comprised of a finite number of ingredients, Nulo FreeStyle Grain-Free Puppy is an ideal choice for pups with sensitive skin or stomachs. This premium shelf diet contains no grains instead including antioxidant and fiber-rich fruits and vegetables as the basis for its carbohydrate content.
The proper ratio of calcium to phosphorus is present in this food formulation to promote the ideal growth rate in the Portuguese Water Dog. In addition to this, optimal servings of DHA are included to ensure support for brain and eye development.
Now Fresh Grain-Free Large Breed Puppy is a diet that consistently earns top marks as one of the best dog foods for Portuguese Water Dog puppies. A diet that contains no grains or gluten, Now Fresh Grain-Free Puppy avoids all the common food allergens by also refraining from the use of corn, wheat, soy, or by-products in its recipe.
Turkey is the primary ingredient in this powerhouse food formulation. This lean meat is easy for puppies to digest well and contains ample servings of the amino acids pups need for healthy muscle development. To provide a boost for optimal heart health, taurine has been included in this diet. Prebiotics and probiotics added to this recipe help to encourage fluid digestion.
The Portuguese Water Dog puppy is a true charmer from its friendly, sociable personality to its delightful, springy curls. This delightful, happy pooch traces its origins to the European coast of the Atlantic Ocean where the dog was put to work assisting fishermen with various tasks related to their industry. A dog that is a natural in the water, the Portuguese Water Dog puppy is an excellent swimmer, perhaps due to one phenomenon that is unique to the breed: its webbed feet.
The Portuguese Water Dog’s low shedding coat makes this breed very popular amongst families that have previously expressed allergies to dog hair and dander. In addition to this, the Portuguese Water Dog puppy, sometimes referred to simply as a Portie, has a sweet and happy disposition, making it a joy to be around.
The breed is exceptionally intelligent and loves learning new skills. A dog of great athleticism and with energy to spare, the Portuguese Water Dog puppy needs regular, vigorous daily exercise to prevent nuisance behaviors from developing. A versatile pup, this dog type has a natural affinity for many different activities including swimming, hiking, jogging, obedience, agility, tracking, scent detection, therapy work, conformation, agility, and more.
Because of the Portuguese Water Dog’s active lifestyle, the breed is not predisposed to becoming overweight. However, there are several different health conditions which can befall this dog type. These can include GM1 storage disease, hip dysplasia, distichiasis, Addison’s disease, juvenile cardiomyopathy, and progressive retinal atrophy. The best approach to ensuring optimal health and wellness in the Portuguese Water Dog puppy is to select a diet that includes supplements to support eye, heart, and joint functionality such as glucosamine, chondroitin, taurine, DHA and ARA.
A medium to large sized dog when fully grown, the best dog foods for Portuguese Water Dog puppies are puppy formulations for active large breed pups. These food formulations most often contain a minimum of 22 percent protein and 8 percent fat. They should also contain the correct proportions of calcium to phosphorus: 1.2 parts of calcium for each part of phosphorus.
The highly active Portuguese Water Dog puppy needs a high performance puppy food that is well balanced and comprised of exceptional quality ingredients to attain optimal health and wellness. Once this type of diet has been found, it is then time to determine how much of the food to feed the pup. The best dog foods for Portuguese Water Dog puppies provide suggested serving sizes based on age, weight, and sometimes even breed. These are excellent starting points that can be adjusted incrementally until the proper meal size for the pup is found.
Keeping the Portuguese Water Dog puppy’s energy reserves primed can be a challenge. For this reason, it is best to feed this active pup three to four mini meals throughout the day as opposed to a large meal in the morning and one at night. To keep this dog breed in excellent body condition, free feeding is strongly discouraged.
Since Portuguese Water Dog puppies are naturally both athletic and energetic, they need a puppy formulation based on a high quality lean meat to thrive. The best dog foods for the Portuguese Water Dog puppy select a whole meat or meat meal as their basis. By-products are often utilized by commercial dog food companies as a protein source; however, they are very difficult for dogs to process and are of lesser nutritional quality.
Likewise, plant-based proteins such as soy, corn, and wheat are common allergens for many dogs. These ingredients along with common items used to improve a food’s appearance, taste, or shelf life unnaturally are best avoided. Among the ingredients to avoid in a food for the Portuguese Water Dog puppy are chemicals, additives, fillers, artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives.
Carbohydrates help the Portuguese Water Dog puppy to enjoy strong digestion and a healthy immune system. These carbohydrates can come from antioxidant and fiber-dense fruits, vegetables, whole grains, or any combination of the three. Dogs that have previously shown sensitivities to grains may do best on a grain-free diet.
Healthy fats are the building blocks from which the Portuguese Water Dog puppy obtains fuel for its energy, support for coat and skin health, and a boost for brain and eye development. The ideal source for these foods is animal-based and includes such ingredients as chicken fat and oily fish. The plant-based oils safflower, canola, and coconut also offer powerful amounts of the essential fatty acids this sweet natured breed needs for good health.
All foods can benefit from the addition of supplements to help enrich the overall nutritional content. The ideal supplements to look for in a food for the Portuguese Water Dog puppy are taurine, glucosamine, chondroitin, prebiotics, and probiotics.
Here is a basic list of the most important things to look for in the best dog food for a Portuguese Water Dog puppy:
Since Portuguese Water Dog puppies, like all dogs, are carnivores, they do best on a diet that takes a lean meat as its foundation. Whole meats and meat meals make the ideal basis for a high quality diet.
By-products and plant-based proteins are best avoided entirely.
Chemicals, fillers, artificial flavorings and colorings, and mystery ingredients provide no nutritional benefit to a growing Portuguese Water Dog puppy. Diets which include any of these items should be left on the shelf.
The most beneficial supplements for the Portuguese Water Dog puppy are taurine, glucosamine, chondroitin, prebiotics, and probiotics.
All foods appropriate for the Portuguese Water Dog puppy should bear the AAFCO seal of approval, indicating it meets the standards for a complete and balanced food.
Before you go, check out these ridiculously good deals…
SEE TODAY'S CHEWY.COM DEALS No Thanks
