Hi there everyone,
I am getting a GSD in the next few weeks and I am wondering which brand of dog food you people recommend I feed my dog. If it has a loyalty card that would be brilliant but otherwise I'm only interested in what is best for my dog that isn't too expensive.
Katie <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="images/icons/grin.gif" /> <img border="0" title="" alt="[Smile]" src="images/icons/smile.gif" />

Hi porcupinetree. How old is the GSD you are getting. If it is just a young puppy you must of course use only a puppy food and they are on that until they are 18 months old. This is essential to ensure they get the right nutrition for their growing bones.

If it is older than 18 months the type of food depends on it's physical condition, body weight and age.

My puppy is fed on
Bosch pet food which is imported into NZ by my puppies breeder. It is not available in the shops but they deliver it to you. Take a look at their website.
Eukanuba, Hill's Science Diet, Nutrience and Proplan are also excellent foods. All of them have customer loyalty cards but they are more expensive then the Bosch, so do your sums on that. The cheaper foods at the supermarket are not really the best, it is a bit like raising your kids on a diet of McDonalds.

Yep I would agree with the recommended brands. I fe my girls on Eukanuba for years and they di really well. Hills tended to give them awful flatulence (doesn't mean it has that effect on every dog though).What ever you choose to feed your new furbaby just make sure it's a 'complete and balanced' formula. (Most supermarket brands aren't). And once you find one that suits your dog and your purse don't chop and change - you could up with an upset tum and a runny bum! Dogs don't tend to need the variety in diets that humans do. Denise, would you agree GSDs can be a bit sensitive when it comes you changing foods?

Thanks very much that sounds great! We are looking to get a dog from around 9months to a year old, although we are open to dogs up to 3 years. Ray Head came around today to inspect our property and he also recommended Bosch. We have looked at brands like Eukanuba but it does seem to work out more expensive so I think I like the sound of Bosch. Thanks again for your advice!

There is a specialty food for specific breeds. I saw at pak'n'save before...there were food for GSDs, Labs, and others...

I've been researching a lot actually and I saw a brand of food called Royal Canin that has a specific food for GSDs like the one you're mentioning, K9, although I'm not sure of the cost. Bosch appears to be $77.50 for a 15kg bag, which supposedly lasts a month?? Can anyone come up with a reputable brand that is cheaper?

My Bosch bag last about 6 weeks and that is feeding 4 cups a day for a 9 month old puppy. The puppy food (Growth) is recommended until the dog is 18 months old and is $89.50 (works out to around $15.00 per week which is what 3 dog rolls of rubbish would cost you at the supermarket). My adult formula bag lasts about 7-8 weeks for my 27kg girl. I won't tell you how long a bag of food lasts for my 53kg boy though lol - You won't want to know. Bosch deliver promptly to your door.
Royal Canine has a good reputation from what I hear and Supercoat is also another that I know many people with GSD's use.

If you are the family I think you are that Ray called on today I hope we have a dog very soon for you as Ray was full of praise. I thought I might have had a suitable one for you today but she really is a dog that needs to have a stay at home person and be a predominantly inside dog and not ideally placed with a working family as that is the reason she is needing a new home because she can't cope with extended periods on her own, so she is off to Christchurch as soon as we can get a lift for her.

Royal Canin is expensive - I have a friend with 2 adult Border Collies and a puppy and she's changed from RC because of the cost (nothing wrong with the quality tho). I've just changed to Super Cost - much more cost effective than Eukanuba (used that for almost 12 yrs) - the girls seem to be doing well on it. $6kg Euk is about $54, 12kg Supercoat was about $61!

I'm proud to say, yes! We are the family you were talking about. We have decided to go for Bosch so thank you to everyone for their input and help in our decision...next question! Can anyone recommend a good boarding kennel in south auckland???

We went and checked out a lovely one by the airport, Airport Pet Hotel, (09) 275-1212 and it is located at 576 Oruarangi Road. They take cats too.

Good luck

Andrea