Age-wise Food And Care For German Shepherds

German Shepherds need to get their daily calorie needs met to remain healthy. Being high-energy dogs, they require more food than most breeds. Before you bring a German Shepherd home, make sure you consult the breeder about the nutritional requirements and dietary needs of your new companion. Whether you feed your pet dry kibble or homemade food, it should contain the right amounts of protein, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and water.

When it comes to feeding your German Shepherd, frequency also plays a major role. The number of meals you feed your pet varies according to its age.

Here is the dietary routine you should follow while feeding your German Shepherd at different stages of its life:

Below 2 Months

While your German Shepherd puppy is younger than two months, you can free-feed it. At this age, you need not worry about the puppy getting obese by eating a lot of food. You can leave the food open for your puppy and have it eat at its convenience.

Between 2 And 4 Months

As your German Shepherd gets older, you can start feeding it more dry kibble and structure its diet. At this stage of its life, you can feed your pet around four to five meals every day. This is the growing stage of your puppy’s life and it needs extra nutrition to grow into a strong and healthy dog.

Between 4 And 6 Months

As your puppy gets older, you can further reduce its diet to three meals per day. This is when you should start being mindful of the amount of food it consumes. Overeating at this age can lead to your German Shepherd getting overweight in no time.

Over 6 Months

Once your German Shepherd gets older than six months, you can start feeding it not more than two meals a day. You can always give it its favorite treats and snacks in between. Keep track of the amount of food your pet eats on a meal-to-meal basis to prevent obesity and other health complications.