Nutrition

Why we keep feeding RAW MEAT until they get at least 6 month old.

As breeder we know the differences between giving kibble and fresh meat. Many people believe it is more comfortable to feed the puppy kibble, than messing around with meat. That’s not true and I will describe, why I choose feeding my own puppies with fresh meat instead of kibble.

 

It’s a lot cleaner, healthier and easier for the puppy.

 

1)      A puppy actually never just eats up his kibble. He will spill it everywhere, which will not only make a mess but it is also a waste if you have to clean up and throw away half of it. If you keep feeding what he spills increase the risk of contamination with bacteria and other nasty stuff. If you feed fresh meat you will see, that he will eat it like a rocket. Nothing spilled, no mess, no waste.

2)      Puppies poop a lot less when they get meat. And it’s logical if you think about it. People that ever fed fresh meat to their adult dogs, know the difference. Kibble contains 80% of products that are not digested by the dog, that means it gets out at the rear end. While you need 2 or 3 fingers to clean up after a dog that gets fresh meat you often need a whole hand if not 2 to clean up after a dog that gets kibble. You will end up with a whole bag of waste, while the dog that eats fresh meat can digest almost all of it, that’s why the amount that gets out is a minimum.

3)      Puppies that get fresh meat have a lot less issues with parasites and worms. For a very simple reason. Almost all types of parasites feed on carbohydrates (those 80% of non-digestible stuff contained in dry food). Meat is not attractive for parasites that’s why they won’t have anything to feed on and no surface to stick on to survive. The high amount of carbohydrates in kibble gives parasites a welcome home and it remains a lot longer in the intestines, which gives parasites a perfect option to survive and reproduce in a high amount and on long term. That means, that even if you use deworming the effect is lot less and you will need longer to get rid of it, because they are perfectly hidden in the bowel. Most people that have issues with parasites in their puppy, like giardia, coccidia, worms are people that feed kibble. And you cannot avoid parasites (a very common discussion between breeders, vets and new owners) because 99% of dogs have parasites. Read that again please…. 99%. And even though our puppies and adult dogs are extra treated and tested for parasites before the puppies leave, the first spot you take your puppy out where other dogs litter, will likely get your puppy some parasites. Why people keep denying their dogs have no parasites it because they believe they are clear because they show no symptoms. Dead wrong, it’s only because adult dogs don’t develop issues while puppies (same as babies) almost always does. I barely know anyone that feeds raw meat to have issues with diarrhea in puppies and I also NEVER had them when sticking to raw meat until at least 6 months.

4)      Kibble is a lot more difficult to digest for puppies. If you have children, you know what happens if you have a baby and you change their food or their nutrition is more difficult to digest… you get the crap (literally) when changing diapers and they may have stomach pain too. Puppies have a weak metabolism, same as babies, because they have to develop antibodies which takes several months. The harder you make it for them in the first months the more issues can develop. Meat is very easy to digest for a puppy and you can save yourself a lot of time cleaning and eventual costs for vets and testing through a whole pile of different kibble brands. Once the puppy is older and has his natural antibodies he will have a lot less problems to switch over to kibble.

5)      One last thing that is a benefit, especially for me as breeder when you have 6-10 long haired puppies rolling through their own crap. Their mother will ALWAYS clean up their poop when you feed raw meat to the puppies, even when they are older. And the puppies do too. (That does not work with kibble. From the moment on you feed kibble to your puppy, you will have 80% more poop and they won’t touch it, neither their mother will clean it). And though I know what you may think now… but it’s a natural process that happens in the wild all the time. Think about it what is worse… Having a puppy that just ate his poop and smells out of his mouth until he drinks some water? Or a puppy that is completely covered in poop and smells the whole day or you have to bath him daily (which also decreases his immune system and may even get him a cold). The idea of it being ‘bah’ is only in your head. And no it’s not bad for the puppy if he eats his own poop. (As long it is his own) They will stop eating (any kind of) poop once they are older by themselves. You don’t need to teach them, because it’s a matter of the age they go through and it will pass.

 

It’s on you what you are going to feed to your puppy. I feed my puppies raw meat for 5- 6 months and then switch directly to adult dry food. I never had issues when it comes to digestion or parasites. I do regular deworming according the vet’s advice (deworming every 2 weeks until the puppy is 16 weeks of age, after that 3-4 times a year) And my puppies are mostly clean, no diarrhea, no other issues.

Please note: If you already have a dog and your puppy will come in as 2nd, your puppy will have a higher chance to get parasites. You don’t have to feed both dogs raw meat, because you can feed your puppy separately.

And a general advice regarding parasites: Swimming and drinking from puddles or a water bowl standing outside are the main sources for giardia and worms, especially in the wet seasons like autumn and winter, because especially giardia reproduce in water. Your puppy can learn to swim even after that time. But again it’s up to you if you follow that advice.

 

Please also keep in mind: We see that vets are very money-oriented the past 2 years. They know people may not have the knowledge and they will do everything for their puppies. I don’t know how many people have been scammed by their vets especially with a easily sold extra deworming (they also know that actually every dog has parasites and they can easily sell a faeces examination and deworming) but also ‘a first indication on hip health’ seems to be a top seller. They will offer x-rays and they also offered operations (!) to puppies (our own and many other breeders puppies) of hip corrections and gold implants where the dogs had perfect hip and elbow scores without any further check or operation. The skeleton and joints are NOT even developed, according to radiologists it’s not possible to get a decent result on a puppy and it has a reason why official hip and elbow examinations are done with 1-2 years of age. Veterinary diet is also one of these top sellers. You pay the major amount for it, often without even one examination, based on a ‘guessed’ diagnose.

Of course a dog can have a health issue, but please be very careful before you trust any advice a vet gives you. I worked several years at the vet and know their margins on their sales, besides my current vet is very open to me about this. If you don’t trust it, don’t hesitate to ask me. And don’t be afraid to ask another opinion (please not via facebook or Instagram) but a reliable source, like a vet, a diet specialist, or a homeopath. And should I have no answer (I’m not perfect either, though I know a lot about these things) then I will help you to find a reliable answer.

 

Raw meat (frozen)

Make sure to choose a ‘complete’ variant of raw meat. Then it contains everything they need as complete diet. There are huge price differences in meat for dogs. You may have to find the right one for you. It’s a lot cheaper and more common in the Netherlands, thatn for example in Germany. Maybe you can find a dutch shop that delivers to Germany too. You can also ask local Butchers, some of them offer a whole list of their own dog food. When you click on the picture you can find the link to the shop. (The price per kg should be around 2-4 Euro max)

Smuldier

Kivo

Barf Fleisch

Pansen Express

Kibble Dry Food

We have the best experience with Markus Mühle Angus Beef and Deer for our puppies above 6 months of age and our adult dogs. Cavom is the cheaper variant with decent quality for adult dogs. When you click on the picture you can find the link to the shop.

Markus Mühle Rotwild

Markus Mühle Angus

Cavom Complete

Vaccinations and deworming

Guide about deworming and vaccination of your puppy

Our puppies get their regular deworming according to the veterinary advice (and the standard scheme in the Netherlands)

 

Deworming of the puppy:

Every 2 weeks until the puppy reaches 16 weeks of age. (Drontal, Milbemax or Panacur)

After 16 weeks of age you can step over to the standard rule of 3-4 times per year.

 

Vaccinations:

Age of 6 weeks: First Puppy vaccination (Cocktail)

Age of 9 weeks: 2nd Puppy vaccination (Cocktail) and evtl. Kennel Cough.

Age of 12 weeks: 3rd Puppy vaccination (Cocktail) and against Rabies.

 

Our own puppies get the Rabies shot in general with 12 weeks, because we travel regularly with our dogs.

Kennel Cough makes sense, when dogs are often in contact with other dogs. Many dog hotels and dog schools request the dog to be vaccinated against Kennel Cough before they can enter. Our dogs are all vaccinated against Kennel Cough since they have contact to each other and also other dogs.

The Cocktail is usually a combination of Leptospirosis, Parvovirosis and Dogflu but that can vary between countries.

 

Please be aware, that your puppy may develop issues after each vaccination, like fatigue or diarrhea, especially after the 9 weeks and 12 weeks shot. Sometimes it can make sense to vaccinate against Rabies and Kennel Cough once they are a few months old.

What to do if…

your puppy gets sick?

Puppies are same like babies. As long as they are getting mothers milk, they are protected with antibodies of their mother. After that, their body has to build up an immune system itself. Exactly that is the time, when a puppy moves to a new environment. A stress situation for the puppy, that can be sometimes enough to get the immune system struggling. For that reason we keep it low in the beginning and let the puppy get used to his new home, his new sleeping place, new food, new people… mommy is not there anymore, everything smells different. And we all know what stress can cause in ourselves.

Diarrhea

Don’t panic. Puppies eat every nonsense and many things they take in their mouth their body has not specified yet. Make sure your puppy drinks good and keeps eating. If he stops eating, drinking or his temperature increases, it’s time to go to the vet. Parasites like worms are often the cause for diarrhea. But also keep in mind that bacteria and viruses can cause diarrhea. If a puppy develops watery stool that smells intensively, it could be a more serious case.

Running eyes or nose

Running eyes or nose can be a sign of a weakened immune system. Running eyes without irritations of the inner eye tissue (clear fluid) happen often in puppies, because the eyelids are not grown fully and you will see that there’s a lot of space still. Keep an eye on it and clean it daily. A (green-ish) snotty eye or nose is usually a sign for an infection. If you don’t trust it, let the vet have a look.

Urinary tract infection

As you have learned by now, puppies have not build their full immune system yet. A bladder infection happens sometimes. It can be really annoying, because you just made such a good progress in getting him clean in house and suddenly you have pee everywhere. Please never punish a puppy for peeing!! And also make sure it is not a happy-pee moment from excitement. If that happens, then you use wrong training methods, so don’t blame the puppy! A puppy’s bladder has to grow, if you force a puppy into a bench for more than 2 hours and he pees, then it’s your own fault. Some people force a puppy a half day in a bench where he tries to keep it up. That is stupid! You will only get a puppy that may develop incontinence later on or feel bad because he is actually a very lean one. Take the time to housetrain your puppy and don’t force it! Imagine how it feels if you urgently need to pee and someone locks you up. That’s immoral. A bladder infection will often show in form of lots of urinating and almost as clear as water. Sometimes they loose control of holding it in. Usually a visit at the vet will help, he will give antibiotics and can check the urine for bacteria.

Training and socialisation

Is training really necessary and when is the time to socialize your puppy?

Many people believe socialisation is a matter of a few weeks. But that is not the case. There are a few keys that lead to a good socialisation that may take 18 months or even more. A dog needs structure in life. If you want a dog that has a good on/off switch, good manners and a rock solid behaviour, wherever you take him, then not only your dog has to practice, but you too.  

Impulse control

The key to a good mannered, calm and obedient dog. A puppy knows no structure, that’s why it is on you to teach him in a daily way. Once it becomes ‘normal’ the dog will do it automatically.

One of the most important keys to an obedient dog. 

– No more rushing out of the door

– No leash pulling

– No food aggression

– No jumping on people

If that’s what you want, then you need to practice daily what is called Impulse Control. The majority of puppies are impulsive. It’s up to you to discipline your dog and teach him that patience is the key. 

Conditioning

If you want a behaviour to become stable and reliable you have to train daily. Training once a week will not get the effect. It has to become automatism and therefore it has to be repeated, repeated and repeated. That’s the way how dogs learn (and humans).

One of the most important keys to an obedient dog. 

– No more rushing out of the door

– No leash pulling

– No food aggression

– No jumping on people

If that’s what you want, then you need to practice daily what is called Impulse Control. The majority of puppies are impulsive. It’s up to you to discipline your dog and teach him that patience is the key. 

Mental vs. Physical training

A dog that is trained only physically, will keep his excitement and train stamina. Getting your dog ‘tired’ does not work. His energy is higher than yours. If you want to calm down your dog, use mental training instead of getting him tired physically.

One of the most important keys to an obedient dog. 

– No more rushing out of the door

– No leash pulling

– No food aggression

– No jumping on people

If that’s what you want, then you need to practice daily what is called Impulse Control. The majority of puppies are impulsive. It’s up to you to discipline your dog and teach him that patience is the key. 

Leerburg is a platform of very experienced trainers when it comes to training German Shepherds. They have a lot of useful articles about puppy training and other topics. 

We don’t use crates anymore. We use a enclosure where the puppy has enough space to play and potty if needed. For GSDs most crates are too small. Basically because it can cause 

– overenthusiasm (peeing from excitement), 

– anxiety (in sensitive dogs)

– difficulties in getting a puppy clean 

There are pro’s and con’s, which are explained in that blog.