Choosing the BEST food to feed your Golden Shepherd puppy is VERY important!
Large breed puppies, like Golden Shepherds, need specific proportions of protein, fat, carbohydrates, minerals, and vitamins to support their rapidly growing bodies. Specifically, you will find most of the foods below to be lower in fat, calcium, phosphorous, and lower in Vitamin D than foods made for smaller breeds.
We have done an extensive amount of research to narrow down the endless options that are currently available. The list below was designed to provide a wide variety (wet, dry, grain-free) of Golden Shepherd puppy foods across different price ranges.
10 BEST foods for Golden Shepherd puppies:
#1. The Farmer’s Dog
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The Farmer’s Dog was founded by two dog lovers who realized that crunchy, highly-processed brown balls were not real food. So, they developed a fresh, human-grade dog food that’s nutritionally complete and balanced.
You’ll start on the company’s website with a survey that considers your Golden Shepherd puppy’s size, age, and several other factors, including special needs. They will then ‘design’ a food program to your specifications and deliver it to your door. The grain-free food is so fresh that it arrives in the mail in an insulated box. Therefore, you will need to put it into the freezer to ensure it doesn’t go bad, except for the first pack you use.
Our family uses The Farmer’s Dog for our dog Chloe, who is an incredibly picky eater. She LOVES it!
All the ingredients (meat, vegetables, fiber, vitamins, and minerals) are sourced from reputable food suppliers, local farms, and other human food purveyors that meet USDA standards. The Farmer’s Dog also adds human-grade supplemental nutrients such as fish oil, filled with immunity-boosting Omega-3s.
Unfortunately, the company does not offer a unique “puppy” formula. However, a representative stated that their food is good for all dogs starting at eight weeks of age and periodically increasing the quantity as your Golden Shepherd puppy grows.
Positives:
- The food is freshly-made, gently cooked, and not processed!
- It’s delivered to your door.
- Customer service picked up the phone immediately and was more than willing to answer my questions.
Negatives:
- The CO$T! This food is by far the most expensive you will find for your puppy. This fact is especially true once your Golden Shepherd is full-grown!
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#2. Orijen Amazing Grains – Large Puppy
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Orijen’s philosophy, ‘to nourish as nature intended,’ is fully apparent in their ingredients list. The first five ingredients are always fresh animal protein, no matter which Orijen food you choose. In addition, their foods include not only the typical meat or fish but also organs and bone to replicate what your dog’s ancestors ate in the wild.
The Amazing Grains Puppy food is specially crafted and scientifically tested for growing puppies. In addition to an abundance of animal protein from ‘free-run’ poultry and wild-caught salmon, the blend includes DHA and EPA from mackerel, herring, salmon, and pollock oil for skin and coat health and immunity. Lastly, they’ve added some fruits, vegetables, eggs, probiotics, vitamins, and minerals to round out your puppy’s nutritional needs.
Positives:
- High-quality ingredients without meat by-products, fillers, or preservatives.
- In addition to lots of protein, this recipe features a whole-grain blend of oats, quinoa, and chia to help digestion.
- If your Golden Shepherd puppy likes this dry food, you should also try the Orijen Puppy wet food! Most dogs can’t resist when the two foods are mixed together.
Negatives:
- Expensive.
#3. The Honest Kitchen Puppy Food Clusters
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The Honest Kitchen is one of the BEST puppy foods for Golden Shepherds around. Believe it or not, their whole food clusters are considered 100% edible for humans. Yes, you read that correctly! The ingredients are sourced from human-grade, whole foods. 🙂
The Honest Kitchen uses a unique process to ensure as much nutrition passes from the whole foods they use into the clusters. First, they cold-press the ingredients into bite-size clusters, which are then roasted and dehydrated. And all of this takes place in a HUMAN FOOD facility.
The puppy blend featured above contains real chicken, chicken liver, whole vegetables, fruit, eggs, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and probiotics. In addition, there are no meat meals or fillers.
The company’s website is jam-packed with health and training tips, recipes, and success stories. The Honest Kitchen also generously offers a special discount to qualified non-profit rescues, and 63 percent of their packaging is made from renewable and fully recyclable materials.
#4. Royal Canin Dry Puppy Food – Large
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Royal Canin produces some of the BEST food for Golden Shepherd puppies available.
My favorite part about Royal Canin is that they combine incredibly healthy food with kibble, which almost every puppy enjoys eating. As a result, even picky dogs tend to have no problems with Royal Canin.
In addition to the dry puppy food featured above, Royal Canin makes WET puppy food. Try both to see which one your young Golden Shepherd likes better, or mix them together!
Positives:
- Promotes immunity and digestion with antioxidants and prebiotics.
- Omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA) are included to nourish your dog’s skin and coat.
- To help with the absorption of nutrients, there is a great balance of protein and fiber.
Negatives:
- The first two are ingredients are corn and chicken by-product meal.
#5. Wellness Puppy – Large Breed
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In the opinion of many pet owners, veterinarians, and breeders, Wellness Complete Health is one of the BEST puppy foods you can buy for Golden Shepherds. This recipe provides comprehensive nutritional support and is prepared with a tasty mixture of chicken, salmon, fish oils, vegetables, wholesome whole grains, and other antioxidants and nutrients.
Wellness Complete Health Puppy contains:
- DHA for brain development.
- Calcium, phosphorus, and Vitamin A for strong bones, healthy teeth, and eyes.
- Vitamins and minerals to support the immune system.
- Omega fatty acids for skin and coat health.
Make sure you also look at the WET food that Wellness makes for puppies. It is incredibly healthy, and most dogs prefer the taste of wet food versus dry.
#6. Blue Buffalo Large Breed Puppy Food
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Blue Buffalo is an excellent choice if you want quality, affordable dry food for your Golden Shepherd puppy. It’s not as expensive as other options on this list, but it still contains quality ingredients, with “deboned chicken” listed as number one.
The ‘True Blue Promise’ states that they do not use poultry by-product meals, corn, wheat, soy, artificial flavors, or preservatives. Furthermore, this dry food is supplemented with what Blue has coined “LifeSource Bits.” These pieces of small, dark kibble contain a precise blend of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that have been cold-formed to minimize heat exposure during processing, resulting in the preservation of both potency and flavor.
Positives:
- The first ingredient is “deboned chicken.” In addition, there are NO “by-product” meals.
- No corn, wheat, or soy. Includes whole grains such as brown rice, barley, and oatmeal.
- Free of any artificial flavors and additives.
Negatives:
- Blue Buffalo has a significant recall history.
In addition to the food featured above, Blue Buffalo offers two other kibbles designed specifically for puppies:
- Blue Wilderness Puppy features approximately 10 percent more protein in the form of chicken, chicken with grains, or red meat. The Wilderness products were inspired by what wolves eat in the wild.
- Blue Freedom Puppy is a grain-free puppy food. Instead of grains that contain gluten, you will find peas and potatoes.
#7. Hill’s Puppy Chicken Meal & Barley Recipe
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Hill’s Pet Nutrition is dedicated to lengthening and enriching the human-pet bond and strives to make nutrition a cornerstone of veterinary medicine. They guarantee no artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives are used in any of their food recipes.
The Science Diet Puppy Chicken Meal and Barley recipe supports your growing Golden Shepherd puppy by providing the following:
- DHA from fish oil aids their brain and eyes.
- High-quality protein to grow their muscles.
- Balanced minerals for strong bones and teeth.
Hill’s also makes wet puppy food that is great to combine with this dry kibble or use on its own.
Lastly, the company has a program that provides nutrition to hundreds of shelters across North America by sharing a part of the proceeds from your purchase. In addition, ‘Hill’s Disaster Relief Network‘ is a first-of-its-kind program created in 2013 to quickly provide free pet food to animal shelters, veterinary clinics, and other non-profit organizations caring for pets after disasters.
Negatives:
- Low on protein compared to other brands.
#8. Purina Pro Plan – Large Breed Dry Puppy Food
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Purina Pro Plan makes excellent puppy food for growing Golden Shepherds.
Here are some of the BEST parts of this dry kibble:
- Omega-rich fish oil provides DHA to nourish brain and vision development.
- Antioxidants assist a puppy’s developing immune system.
- Calcium, phosphorus, and other minerals support the building of strong bones and teeth.
- High-quality protein builds lean muscles. Check out the ingredient list below to see CHICKEN as the first ingredient.
- A highly digestible formula that ensures as much nutrition is passed on to your puppy as possible.
- Their skin and coat should look beautiful from the included Omega-6 fatty acids and vitamin A.
This puppy food provides a lot of NUTRITION to Golden Shepherds for the cost. It’s great for owners that want high-quality food but can’t afford some of the more expensive options above.
Make sure to check out the wet food that is specially designed for puppies from Purina Pro Plan!
#9. IAMS PUPPY – Large Breed
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If you’re looking for inexpensive puppy food for your Golden Shepherd, then Iams might be the best choice.
Compared to other products on this list, it is one of the CHEAPEST. But if you analyze the ingredients, you will find that Iams does a great job of providing as much nutritional benefit to their recipe for the cost as possible!
One of the best parts about this food is that it includes REAL chicken as the first ingredient. Typically, you will find “chicken meal” or “chicken by-products” listed first in products in this price range. But to help keep the price low, “chicken by-product meal” and “ground whole grain corn” was used as the second and third ingredient.
In addition to this dry kibble, Iams also sells WET puppy food. I know my dog has always loved when I combine wet and dry food together!
The mission of Iams is ‘to enhance the well-being of dogs and cats by providing world-class quality foods.’ In developing their foods, Iams conducts research to the highest ethical standards. They do not undertake, support, or sponsor studies that harm animals.
Positives:
- Affordable.
- Provides sufficient nutrients for growing large-breed puppies.
- Iams is a well-known and trusted company.
Negatives:
- Only available in one flavor.
- Uses some processed, unnatural ingredients.
- Made with meat by-products and fillers.
#10. Pedigree Growth and Protection Puppy Food
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Do you need the food for your Golden Shepherd puppy to be as inexpensive as possible?
If so, this option from Pedigree might be the best choice! As you will see, it is the cheapest option on this list. But luckily, Pedigree included as much nutrition as possible in the recipe. For example, it includes essential omega fatty acids to promote a healthy brain, vitamins, minerals, and whole grains. And it does NOT include any artificial flavor.
But to lower the food’s cost, adjustments to the ingredients had to be made. As you can see below, corn is the first ingredient. In addition, you will also find chicken by-products, corn gluten meal, and soybean meal. Lastly, Pedigree is low in protein compared with other foods, and some buyers have said the kibble is too hard for their puppies to eat.
- I recommend pairing this dry kibble with Pedigree’s wet puppy food!
When it comes to dog food, Pedigree has been a trusted name for years. If you decide to move forward with this product, know that it’s a great option when it comes to price, but it is not as healthy as the other options above.
Positives:
- Great taste that most dogs love.
- Free of artificial flavors.
- Whole grains.
- Filled with B vitamins, zinc, and Vitamin E antioxidants.
Negatives:
- Corn is the first ingredient.
- It contains meals made from chicken by-products.
- Kibble can be too hard for some dogs.
*If this article was helpful, make sure you don’t miss these as your puppy grows.*
Because of the huge variety of products available, selecting the BEST type of puppy food for Golden Shepherds is incredibly challenging. I hope this guide helped narrow down your choices today. 🙂
If you have time, we would love for you to answer the following question:
What puppy food do you feed your Golden Shepherd?
Please leave us a COMMENT below!