Food assistance for a newbie prepping for new pup

[Monica And Cooper]

Hi everyone. Let me first start by saying that I have been perusing this group for a while in prep for my new pooch and the info here is invaluable, so thank you in advance for the amazing resource! I am due to bring my little guy home in 2 weeks and trying to do all my homework in the food department. This truly is bizarre....I am the mother of 2 and do not remember being this clueless in prepping for the arrival of my 2 kids!  I had several questions I was hoping for some guidance with. I've been considering the following foods from the recommended list...  Fromm, Canidae, Zignature and Wellness. Although I didn't see a puppy option for zignature and the Wellness puppy is only chicken which I know some dogs are sensitive to. The pups are currently on natural balance bison. That being said are any of these foods better to transition to than another? My breeder prefers a grain free formula. Here are some questions:

1. If I start on grain free, do I stay on grain free forever? Is it better to start with regular and transition to grain free later?

2. Is it recommended that the food be a multi protein formula? I've read that the more exposure they get the less likely to develop sensitivities later ( not sure how true that is)

3. Treats: Can I use different flavored treats or should they be the same flavor from the same brand or can I switch them up throughout the day?

4. I haven't decided if I want to use treats for training yet, but if I do is there a recommendation for a specific one?

5.Chews for puppies such as nylabone, bully sticks or antlers... Good or bad?

6. Does the food need to be specifically for puppy or is life stages acceptable

7. Last but not least..... People food....ok in moderation or to be strictly avoided?

 I am sorry for the overwhelming post!!!!!!

I know I sound like a dumb dumb, just want to do this right, I had a maltese with horrible allergies and never really found the right diet for him.

Thank you everyone in advance for any feedback. I appreciate you taking the time to help me and look forward to sharing pics of my pup soon!!.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Well, you do have a lot of questions here, lol. All of these issues are covered here in TFG, but let me see if I can help with the basics. 

First, you absolutely must not change the puppy's food or diet for at least two weeks after he comes home. 

To understand why, see my 2nd response in this discussion. http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/thefoodgroup/forum/topics/picking...

The cardinal rule of feeding puppies is make only one change at a time. Introduce only one new food at a time. When you do transition to a new food, don't also start new treats. 

Next, let's address the "puppies are sensitive to chicken" issue. It's is absolutely not true that any puppy is born sensitive to chicken, or that there is something about chicken that causes food sensitivities or allergies. The fact is that a dog has to have been eating a particular protein for months if not years to develop an issue with it, and since most puppy foods and many dog foods are chicken based, most pups are exposed to chicken from the time they start solid foods, so if they are going to develop a food allergy or sensitivity, it's going to be to chicken. So don't rule out Wellness because of chicken.

Regarding "puppy formulas", you don't need one. You can feed an ALS formula. So don't avoid Zignature because it's an ALS food rather than a puppy food.

Okay, on to the numbered questions, lol. A lot of these are not things you need to be worried about for awhile.

1. If you start on a grain free formula, you don't need to stay with it forever. 

2. Regarding "the more exposure they get" and multiple proteins, that simply means that you don't feed the same protein day in and day out for months and years.  It doesn't mean the you need to feed them all at the same time, lol. If you think about it, if you fed the same formula that contained lamb, chicken and turkey day in and day out for years, as opposed to one that only contained chicken, there'd be a chance that the dog could end up with allergies to lamb, chicken and turkey instead of just chicken, lol. Again, this is not something you will need to worry about for many months. But it's important to keep in mind that you do need to reserve some proteins and not expose him to every single one you can find, because if your dog does some day develop a digestive disease or food allergies, you are going to have to feed a "novel" protein, one the dog has never had before. 

3. and 4. You will also need to stay with the breeder's treats if any for at least two weeks. If the breeder doesn't use treats, use small pieces of plain boiled white meat chicken. The treats should be used as training rewards only for now. This may be tough with kids in your home, but it's crucial. The treats do not need to be the same brand or the same flavor, but you cannot switch them up right now: keeping the "one change at a time" rule in mind, you should not introduce more than one new treat at a time. Don't introduce any new treats until after the pup has been transitioned to the new food.

Yes, you absolutely should use treats for puppy training. If nothing else, it will greatly aid you in housebreaking. Use something very small. Cloudstar has some good options. 

5. There are conflicting opinions about chews of all kinds, and no hard and fast rules. You are definitely going to need something for the pup to chew on. if you use Nylabones, be sure to only use the non-edible kind. You may want to do a search here for past discussions about chews, we have lots of them.

6.Already covered.

7. There is nothing wrong with giving dogs "people food"; some of us cook part or all of our dogs' food so they get people food every day. But it has to be given a certain way in order to prevent begging. You never, ever give a dog any "people" food anywhere other than in his own bowl, at his regular mealtimes. You never give a dog a taste of what you are eating while you are eating it, i.e. from your own plate or from your hand to his mouth, lol. You never hand a dog a taste of something you are preparing in the work area of your kitchen. His own bowl, always. If a dog ever gets food from your table, or from that bowl in your lap on the sofa, or from your kitchen counter, he is never going to stop looking for more, lol. On the other hand, if those things never happen, he is not going to be hanging around the dinner table or casing the counters, or in your face every time you have a snack, because he knows there's no payoff in that. Again, remember the "one new food at a time rule". If you have kids in the house, this is going to be challenging, but it's important.  

Hope this helps. 

[Monica And Cooper]

Karen you're amazing thank you!!!!! How on earth do you know all this stuff?!?! So grateful!!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

LOL, glad to help. :) 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

And since you seem to have concerns about food allergies due to past experiences, here's a link to some very good info. Food allergies are one of the most misunderstood topics in every dog forum, so these facts should help: http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/thefoodgroup/forum/topics/facts-a...

[Cathy, Josie and Piper]

Karen, I just read your reply to Monica and I also followed your link to not introducing new foods to puppy.

My question is. I brought home a 5 month old on Monday who is on the nutrium puppy food. She is very itchy and scratching herself a lot. So I though that maybe she wasn't tolerating her puppy food, so I started to switch her over to Acana Puppy and junior food, I also was adding a little pumpkin to it to help prevent loose stools. Now after I read your post, I'm thinking I was too hasty. But then I don't know why she would be so itchy. what do you think? She is very shaggy, could it be from her long hair?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Cathy, since this is a very different situation and issue, it would really be better if you posted this as a new discussion rather than here in Monica's. :) 

I will tell you that's very doubtful the itching has anything to do with food. 

And I don't think the food is called "Nutrium", I can't find anything by that name. 

Check the name, start a new discussion, and I'll be happy to try and help. 

[Cathy, Josie and Piper]

ok thanks