[kadylady]

So we got a new puppy on Tuesday night. http://www.dogforums.com/general-dog-forum/107712-we-finally-did-meet.html#post1135682

She had been eating Science Diet Puppy at the shelter and they gave us a small bag of it to take home with us. I want to start slowing transitioning her to something else now since I'm already 1/3 of the way through the bag. Luke is eating TOTW and I have been rotating through the flavors with him. He is halfway through a bag of the duck formula right now. I know that TOTW recently introduced a puppy formula as opposed to the ALS, so should I feed her the puppy if I decide to feed her TOTW? Also, I started rotating foods with Luke a few months ago. Can I do that with her now or should I wait til she's a little older (she's 4 months old right now)?

Also, I have been measuring out her daily ration in the morning and we have been using it for treats and training and getting her to bond with us throughout the day. She generally gets a decent chunk of it in the morning in a kong and scattered about in her crate, then a decent chunk in the evening either in a toy or I hand feed her and do a little training. But we are also using it for treats and training and potty training during the day. Is it better for them to be on more of a set schedule for potty training purposes rather than just eating throughout the day? She's a food lover so I figured it would be better to use her kibble for treats since she likes it than introducing a bunch of treats into her system too. I just don't want to overwhelm her tummy too much right away.

 

[kafkabeetle]

So we got a new puppy on Tuesday night. http://www.dogforums.com/general-dog-forum/107712-we-finally-did-meet.html#post1135682

She had been eating Science Diet Puppy at the shelter and they gave us a small bag of it to take home with us. I want to start slowing transitioning her to something else now since I'm already 1/3 of the way through the bag. Luke is eating TOTW and I have been rotating through the flavors with him. He is halfway through a bag of the duck formula right now. I know that TOTW recently introduced a puppy formula as opposed to the ALS, so should I feed her the puppy if I decide to feed her TOTW? Also, I started rotating foods with Luke a few months ago. Can I do that with her now or should I wait til she's a little older (she's 4 months old right now)?

Also, I have been measuring out her daily ration in the morning and we have been using it for treats and training and getting her to bond with us throughout the day. She generally gets a decent chunk of it in the morning in a kong and scattered about in her crate, then a decent chunk in the evening either in a toy or I hand feed her and do a little training. But we are also using it for treats and training and potty training during the day. Is it better for them to be on more of a set schedule for potty training purposes rather than just eating throughout the day? She's a food lover so I figured it would be better to use her kibble for treats since she likes it than introducing a bunch of treats into her system too. I just don't want to overwhelm her tummy too much right away.

Personally I'd go with the puppy formula, but I don't think the ALS (not adult formula) has actually changed so it shouldn't hurt anything to feed that instead. I don't think it would be any problem at all the rotate foods for a dog at any age, so long as you transition slowly and they tolerate it. I wouldn't worry about using her kibble as food throughout the day unless you end up having a lot of difficulty with potty training. Of course if you do you could feed at more consistent times to help you take her out at the right predictable times. But if things seem to be on track, training throughout the day seems like an excellent idea. Don't fix it if it isn't broken. ;p

 

[Dwippet]

This seems like a brilliant idea & I'm really interested to hear how it works out. It seems like a good way to use an event that has to happen anyway (feeding your puppy) in a way that furthers the development of the human-dog bond.
The only things I can see that are the results of feeding a meal at set time with my dogs, is the digestive predictability you mentioned and the dog-free period while everyone finds a place to lie down and digest.

 

[hanksimon]

The usual reason to use puppy chow for large dogs is to slow down growth, so that the growth plates close smoothly, reducing the chance of arthritis in later years. For large dogs over 80 -90 lbs, these seems to work. For dogs under 75 lbs, I've haven't seen conclusive studies, however, I followed the protocol. There are differing opinions... I don't know the 'facts,' across all dogs.

Also, you should mix dog foods incrementally over a one to two week period to avoid stomach upset.

On the other hand, I rotate my dog's food among Purina One, Costco Kirkland, and Purina Advantage... and I've done something similar for the past 11 years with terrific results. And, he doesn't seem to get an upset stomach during the change.