Large-Breed Puppies:
Is little fur can turn into a fur giant? In the event that you own an enormous variety doggy, they might be a lap dog now, however before you know it, they'll be too large for snuggles on the couch. It is natural for your hunky dog to still be cuddled by you, but you will need some information to raise a large puppy.
Which Dogs are Considered Large Breed?
In order to easily tell the difference between breed sizes, dog breeders actually have a whole dog sizing system. Per this measurement method, a dog has to weigh at least 50 pounds (sometimes 70 pounds) and have a height of around 24 inches to be considered a large-breed dog.
Some popular large-dog breeds include:
- Afghan Hound
- Bloodhound
- Boxer
- Bullmastiff
- Chow Chow
- Collie
- Dalmatian
- German Shepherd
- Golden Retriever
- Greyhound
- Irish Setter
- Labrador Retriever
- Old English Sheepdog
- Pointer
- Poodle
- Rhodesian Ridgeback
- Rottweiler
- Siberian Husky
- Weimaraner
(If you don’t see your dog’s breed here – they may be categorized as a smaller “medium” breed dog or a larger “giant” breed dog.)
Finding a Good Vet for Your Large-Breed Puppy
The first place you should always go with a new pet is the vet’s office for a checkup. If you don’t already have a vet or know of a vet, check around with friends or search the web to find out if there are any local vets that specialize in large-breed dog care. You can even reach out to local veterinary offices to ask questions and get to know their staff and services.
Your initial visit with your primary care vet should be the first of many visits to ensure the best preventative health care for your big buddy. Make sure to ask the vet which puppy foods he/she recommends, how often to feed your puppy, what size meal portions should be, etc. You might think that puppies need to gain weight as quickly as possible to reach their full growth potential, but with large-breed puppies, just the opposite is true. Your vet will want to monitor your puppy’s growth and weight gain; a slow, uniform rate of growth can help your grown dog have healthier joints and hopefully avoid hip dysplasia.
Most puppies should receive intervals of vaccinations starting at six to eight weeks of age through to 16 weeks of age. However, you will need to set up a vaccination plan with your vet for your particular pup. Now is the time to also discuss safe options for controlling parasites (both internal and external) as well as the right time to spay or neuter your large-breed puppy. If your large-breed puppy is also a deep-chested breed, you may want to talk to your veterinarian about having the dog's stomach “tacked” at the same time as the spay/neuter surgery. Also known as gastropexy, this procedure is used to help keep the stomach from twisting and causing gastric torsion or bloat.
Feeding Your Large-Breed Puppy:
Large-breed puppies are more sensitive to an excess or shortage of calcium while their bones are growing, which can be a problem if they’re eating puppy food made for all sizes of puppies. According to the pet food guidelines of the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), pet foods that are categorized for “growth” are required to specify if they have met extra rules only for huge and goliath breed young doggies _basically a decreased scope of calcium.
If you have a dog that you think will be close to or above 70 pounds as an adult, look for a puppy food with the following nutritional adequacy statement
(Pet Food Name) is planned to meet the wholesome levels built up by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for development/all life stages INCLUDING development of enormous size dogs (70 lbs or more as a grown-up)
Puppy food is high in minerals, protein, and calories, which could cause your (now) little guy or gal to grow unnaturally fast, so a big part of taking care of a large-breed puppy is ensuring that they stay at a healthy weight. Once you have found the right food, it’s important that you know how often to feed your large-breed puppy. For example, your veterinarian may recommend that puppies eight to 12 weeks old be fed four (small) meals a day, puppies three to six months old be fed three meals a day, and puppies six months to one year generally be fed two meals a day. Once your dog turns a year old, one meal a day is usually enough; however, sometimes it’s better to feed larger dogs two smaller meals a day. Again, your veterinarian will help you determine the best feeding schedule for your dog.
Don’t leave food in your puppy’s bowl all day, because this is a sure way for them to overeat, and avoid feeding him table scraps and/or human snacks. As your puppy grows larger and larger, beware of leaving food out, as large-breed dogs can definitely help themselves to food left at table- or counter-height.
Exercising Your Large-Breed Puppy
Although your large-breed puppy might look big enough to go jogging with you (and have enough energy for it, too), she won’t actually reach skeletal maturity until she’s between 18 months and 2 years old. For that reason, you need to make sure your puppy isn’t going overboard and doing high-impact activities. Jumping and running on hard surfaces is a sure way to cause orthopedic problems. It’s important not to let large-breed pups jump on and off the furniture, pound their joints by running on hard surfaces, or even go up and down the stairs too often on their own. If you don’t want to carry your puppy up and downstairs (or physically can’t), that means using a ramp or limiting where they can go in the house.
Training Your Large-Breed Puppy:
Unlike smaller dogs, even basic things like walking, feeding, or giving your large-breed dog a bath will be highly difficult if they don't cooperate – and let’s not even talk about a rowdy large-breed dog that likes to jump up on people! This is why proper training is so important – and the sooner you can start training, the better. Remember, if you don’t put in the effort now, you’ll only be making things more and more difficult in the future.( dry, diet next time )
If you don’t feel capable of training your dog or you would just like some extra support during the process, find a professional dog trainer that can help out. A professional trainer will work with you on obedience training and handling a large-breed dog, as well as help with any behavior issues that your puppy has demonstrated.
Loving Your Large-Breed Puppy:
They may seem enormous and slightly overwhelming at times, but large-breed dogs are also loving and extremely loyal. A dog is a best friend for life, and bigger dogs just need a little more guidance and care. Your large-breed puppy is just a handful now, but before you know it – they’ll be an armful, and then even bigger! Make sure you learn as much as you can about taking care of a large-breed puppy early on to ensure you both have an easier, healthier life down the line! breeding
Best Large Breed Puppy Food:
Whether it's a purebred pup purchased from an award-winning breeder or a little one adopted from the pound, choosing the best large breed puppy food is essential to your new pet. Knowing the requirements of the breed, keeping a close eye on your dog, and choosing a food that is both available and affordable are all important considerations. Balanced, correct nutrition is essential for a growing animal, so choosing the right food using these factors will get your puppy off to a good start.
The Requirements of the Breed:
Researching the dietary requirements of the breed will go a long way in helping you make a good decision. Some breeds that have high energy levels require larger amounts of fats and carbohydrates because their boundless energy burns both in large quantities. By comparison, some lower-energy breeds easily become obese if fed the same diet as a high-energy breed. If you're adopting or purchasing a dog that may have joint issues later in life, keeping its weight in a low-normal range can help safeguard against potential issues. While every dog is an individual, knowing what to expect from the breed can give you a good starting point.
Your Particular Puppy:
Individual issues such as allergies or taste also factor into your choice of large breed puppy nutrition. Even if you choose the best food available, it won't help your pup if he won't eat it or it makes him sick. Pay very close attention to your puppy's eagerness to eat, his behavior after eating, and his stools. If your dog experiences lethargy, a refusal to eat, or chronic diarrhea, your vet can help you narrow down the cause of the problem.
Availability and Price:
While many people live within a reasonable driving distance of a pet food warehouse that stocks all sorts of exotic delights gleaned from the best large breed puppy food reviews, choosing a food that is hard to obtain is foolhardy. This doesn't mean that you should feed your pup the compressed corn meal at your local grocer. It just means you may want to choose a high-quality food that is widely available. Cost is another consideration. Don't skimp on vaccinations or trips to the vet due to the high cost of food.
Choosing the right nutrition for your puppy is important. By taking the breed, your individual dog, and the cost and availability of food into consideration, you can make the best decision for your new dog.
Dogs have long been the best friends humans have had for centuries. They have many roles they play in a man's daily life. Some dogs are good hunters, shepherds, companions, guards and so on. Thus, you can find the most suitable dog breed. If you want to raise a dog from a tender age, you should certainly buy the puppy breeds. Young dogs are not very easy to care for personally mainly, if you have not done it before. All the same, nurturing a puppy is an exciting thing to perform with your children.
The most important thing to do is finding out more about the dog breed. With the advent of internet technology, no one should complain about inadequate info on dogs. You can find enough information on any dog breed you intend to keep. To some people, the dog's appearance is a very crucial matter. The puppy breeders can give you enough info regarding dog's physical characteristics.
You could choose among puppies with long hair or short hair, drooping ears or standing ears, tall legs or short legs and so on. The color of the young or big dogs depends on their biological classification. Same breed dogs could have different solid or jumbled colors. Dogs are not the same in relation to health issues too. A few breeds are more sensitive than others are, and they need thorough protection. For instance, some puppies and big dogs can only spend most of their time in the house with people.
The other thing that you should consider when buying a puppy is food. Some dogs suffer from food allergies; hence, you must ask this information from the vendor. In addition, puppies of any given breed have exclusive foods they must eat to mature quickly. Moreover, puppies have different feeding habits based on their special breeds. The other thing you want to fulfill is good housing for any puppy breeds. You must discover the specifications for housing.
Thus, you should only deal with reputable websites that are serious about giving dog information. Look for housing tips and ideas from various websites though. Some online stores sell readily built doghouses, and all you have to do is to pick the best. If you wish to live with the puppies in the same house, other issues such as potty training are vital. These little pets are capable of messing your couches, floors, and beds with their feces or urine.
Be sure to research on the web to find out how puppies receive their potty training. Many of them do not have a problem learning, as long as the owner is patient and persistent. Another major difficulty associated with raising several puppy breeds is teething. You should find out when to remove teeth from a young dog of any breed you intend to have. Swallowing of teeth is a bad thing to happen to your puppies, as they rarely recover. Thus, you should get familiar with this issue just before buying any puppy breed.
Thank you so much for reading. I look forward to seeing you inside my next article. Please like, share, comment, and subscribe. Until next time. Bye Bye.