To help your dog to live a long life, it’s essential that you feed him/her a nutritious diet.  The AKC recommends feeding your dog the right amount of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals, and water to keep your dog healthy. 

Your breeder or veterinarian can also give you advice on what to feed your dog, but only you can be the judge of how your dog is effected by the diet suggested by:

• Assessing your dog’s energy level for his/her breed and age

• Appetite doesn’t seem out of norm

• Skin and coat are healthy and shiny

Tips for keeping your dog looking and feeling his/her best:

• Giving your dog dry food provides a more healthy and balanced diet.  Dry food can be saved for later if your dog doesn’t finish it and can also be moistened with water, canned food, or other supplements.

• Puppies need to consume more calories than adult dogs.  Though puppies need to eat more, keep in mind that they still have small stomachs and can only eat a limited amount of food at one time.  Therefore, for puppies under 6 months, try and feed your dog food that’s formulated specifically for puppies, 3 – 4 times a day.  After 6 months, feed your puppy 2 – 3 times a day.  When you have an adult dog, feed according to their size and energy level needs.  Usually, adult dogs don’t need to be fed more than twice a day.

• Don’t feed your dog table scraps.  Your dog does not have the same nutritional needs as you do.  If your dog manages to “guilt” you into feeding him/her, give a small portion of something healthy such as: carrots, broccoli, or apple chunks.

Source: The Seattle Times