Suggestions, Please!!!!! New Rescue Pup Coming Home!

LexDobieLove

LexDobieLove

New Member
Hello Everyone!!

First, A Big Thank you, To "Maja Rocks" Mark for helping me so much with where to start about adopting a Doberman puppy.

My beloved Maggie died after 14 years and I still miss her so much. I found a DPCA approved and recommended Rescue in Louisville, KY. (I'm in Lexington, KY) I put in an application quite a while ago and honestly didn't expect a "Puppy" quite so soon.

In any case, her name is Luna and she is 8 months old and to be honest while very excited I'm a little out of practice as it's been 14 years since I've had a Doberman puppy.

I used to feed Wellness Puppy food but Luna is already on Diamond Naturals Large Breed Puppy Lamb and Rice Formula, they are sending almost a new bag with her, when I pick her up tomorrow.

I am curious, which DRY dog food is your favorite for your Doberman and why? I will feed dry dog food, personally, I like that best, I also think it helps keep their teeth clean. Also, do you give supplements to puppies, and if so which one's and why?

I'm going to watch and read up on having a "Puppy" again. The good news is at 8 months old she is already house trained/crate trained/leash trained and good around other dogs. So that is a good start, but this will be yet another new home, her third and final so I'm not sure how that will affect her, the great news is unlike my last Dobmerman, she wasn't abandoned. I was lucky she didn't have any health issues except normal Doberman Issues in her old age.

Any suggestions you could make as far as raising a puppy, favorite safe toys, favorite dog gate, favorite dry dog food, favorite healthy treats, etc. Anything you can think of I would appreciate it! Thank you! Dan

P.S. I attached photo's so you can see the sweet girl I'm picking up tomorrow!
 

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Congratulations on your new pup! There are several people here that have adapted older puppies, hope they will offer some words of wisdom! Many of us here agree that puppies are better off with "all life stages" kibble, rather than puppy formulas. I also soak kibble for better digestion, and will add that it is a myth that crunching kibble will clean teeth. I feed soaked kibble for breakfast, dry kibble for training treats and raw for the evening meal. My kibble is Diamond Naturals ALS mainly because DogFoodAdvisor.com rates it 4 or 4 1/2 stars and it is reasonably priced. If she's not having problems with her current food, and you do decide to switch, do it slowly. Some Dobes are pretty sensitive about food changes. If these are recent photos of Luna (she has a beautiful face!) it looks like you may be wanting to put weight on her - there are lots of folks here much more experienced than me, hope they chime in soon. My biggest overall advise is training and keeping her busy with fun games that involve you! Training builds a solid bond, she will respect you as the best thing in her world, AND she will have fun. You don't say why this is her 3rd home, do you know her background and why she was given up? I wish you the best & look forward to more photos and stories of your new life together. Oh, and to tag someone use the @ sign like this: @Maja Rocks
 
The main thing is just don't do things too fast. Let them settle in for a couple of weeks to their new surroundings!


Then training is everyday.
Make things fun.
Take her everywhere to socialize!

Good luck!
 
Congrats on your sweet new addition!

I don't feed it, but I don't think Diamond Naturals is a bad brand. We feed Taste of the Wild and I believe they're both still the same manufacturer.

We need lots of photos when she comes home!
 
Ravenbird said:
Congratulations on your new pup! There are several people here that have adapted older puppies, hope they will offer some words of wisdom! Many of us here agree that puppies are better off with "all life stages" kibble, rather than puppy formulas. I also soak kibble for better digestion, and will add that it is a myth that crunching kibble will clean teeth. I feed soaked kibble for breakfast, dry kibble for training treats and raw for the evening meal. My kibble is Diamond Naturals ALS mainly because DogFoodAdvisor.com rates it 4 or 4 1/2 stars and it is reasonably priced. If she's not having problems with her current food, and you do decide to switch, do it slowly. Some Dobes are pretty sensitive about food changes. If these are recent photos of Luna (she has a beautiful face!) it looks like you may be wanting to put weight on her - there are lots of folks here much more experienced than me, hope they chime in soon. My biggest overall advise is training and keeping her busy with fun games that involve you! Training builds a solid bond, she will respect you as the best thing in her world, AND she will have fun. You don't say why this is her 3rd home, do you know her background and why she was given up? I wish you the best & look forward to more photos and stories of your new life together. Oh, and to tag someone use the @ sign like this: @Maja Rocks
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RavenBird, Thank you for all the excellent insight! Well, her first-time parents who purchased her gave her up, they didn't realize the energy and training a Doberman puppy can have, etc. So she went to the Rescue Shelter, and then I would be her third home. They are the ones who started her on Diamond Large Breed Puppy food. I didn't know those two things about kibble, my vets have always told me it helps with keeping their teeth clean, live and learn. I thought Diamond was reasonable too and may switch her to that but in all stages formula. I didn't realize "puppy" food was a farce. She definitely needs to gain weight, she is too skinny. I don't want her fat, just healthy. Yes, I have always had working breed dogs, Dobermans, and an older Heeler at home. They must be kept working/busy, but that's good for me too! :) Thank You!!!!
 
JanS said:
Congrats on your sweet new addition!

I don't feed it, but I don't think Diamond Naturals is a bad brand. We feed Taste of the Wild and I believe they're both still the same manufacturer.

We need lots of photos when she comes home!
Click to expand...
Thank you and Will do on photos!
 
I agree that you shouldn’t feed large breed puppy. Slowly transition to diamond naturals or another 4-5 star ALS rated kibble.
We feed Diamond Extreme athlete and supplement with Vertex. But my dogs are extremely active and train much more than most.
 
How exciting! My first Dobe was 9 months old when I adopted her. Still plenty of puppy left but the added benefit of being (mostly) housebroken.

Establish your house rules from day one and give her time to settle. She'll fit right in in no time!
 
Thank you, Everyone, I agree! This is my second Doberman and I'm actually good at training a dog. Which to me is really just using proper technique and not giving up! Consistency! My Best friend is a vet and actually brilliant but when it comes to dog food he recommends, are you sitting down? His favorite is Science Diet, then Eukanuba and Iams and ProPlan. I do find it interesting that Science Diet went from being the first of its kind premium pet food only sold by vets to now it's garbage? But, I guess others know best. He has done very well with his Dobermans on it, so who am I to judge. Everyone has their own opinion and unlike some groups, I want to hear yours. I have always fed Wellness previously but Luna came with Diamond Brand and she likes it. My biggest concern right now is her loose stool but best friend Vet told me a little bit 1/3 to 1/4 can of pumpkin with each meal and he told me to give her medication that he thinks will help because he thinks it's hookworms or roundworms. Anyway, The goal is to learn about other brands of dog food and find what is best for my Doberman puppy. Why is the consensus against large breed puppy food? There were no reasons given. I will, of course, do what I think is best, my last Doberman was 14 so my track record isn't too shabby when it comes to the feeding and care of Dobermans, heck all dogs for that matter. I guess we were lucky too, she never had any illness until the end. My oldest dog is dealing with Separation anxiety, which I am working on with her, love her heart. As far as Luna, she is brilliant, maybe to a fault, lol but she is still learning, I'm just so grateful, even though a rescue, the previous owners didn't abuse her and sought the proper way to "dispose" of her, they were the one's who have been feeding her Diamond. They just didn't realize all the work that goes into raising a Doberman and how much energy they have. I LOVE that energy myself! Luna is a great dog and I know that after only one night. She is VERY smart! Thank you, everyone!
 
LexDobieLove said:
They just didn't realize all the work that goes into raising a Doberman and how much energy they have. I LOVE that energy myself!
Click to expand...
The energy level of a Doberman is just insane on 99.9% of the days, so congrats on skipping the psycho puppy stage :spit:

I would say there is tons of misinformation out there with regards to dog nutrition. I never thought I would ever ‘waste money’ feeding a raw diet, but for all the work that goes into owning this devil dog, I quickly got on board. For us, it solved the loose stool issue. I know no one likes picking up doggy poop, but the amount of literal crap coming out of our pup on kibble, we’re totally sold on the merits of raw feeding and the much smaller and fewer poops it produces. And no gas! Lovely topic :D Vets are pretty much trained to push kibble because the kibble makers sponsor their schools. Vets will tell you how raw feeding can cause salmonella, but dogs don’t get salmonella, humans get that! If the risk to humans is so great, then we shouldn’t be allowed to bring any raw meat into our homes. It’s really quite silly when you think about it. If you’re making chicken dinner for your family and you decide to eat it raw, you will get sick and it won’t be your dog’s fault :pokeeyes: Regardless, you need to do what is right for you and your new Doberman. I’d say give her stomach some time to settle down in her new home first. They have sensitivity stomachs, especially early on, and stress can definitely cause tummy issues.
 
Kaiser2016 said:
The energy level of a Doberman is just insane on 99.9% of the days, so congrats on skipping the psycho puppy stage :spit:

I would say there is tons of misinformation out there with regards to dog nutrition. I never thought I would ever ‘waste money’ feeding a raw diet, but for all the work that goes into owning this devil dog, I quickly got on board. For us, it solved the loose stool issue. I know no one likes picking up doggy poop, but the amount of literal crap coming out of our pup on kibble, we’re totally sold on the merits of raw feeding and the much smaller and fewer poops it produces. And no gas! Lovely topic :D Vets are pretty much trained to push kibble because the kibble makers sponsor their schools. Vets will tell you how raw feeding can cause salmonella, but dogs don’t get salmonella, humans get that! If the risk to humans is so great, then we shouldn’t be allowed to bring any raw meat into our homes. It’s really quite silly when you think about it. If you’re making chicken dinner for your family and you decide to eat it raw, you will get sick and it won’t be your dog’s fault :pokeeyes: Regardless, you need to do what is right for you and your new Doberman. I’d say give her stomach some time to settle down in her new home first. They have sensitivity stomachs, especially early on, and stress can definitely cause tummy issues.
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Thank you for the great information. Ironically, Luna still sleeps a lot, I too have a high, hell very high energy level and I guess I wear her out. LOL. Plus she is still a baby. Please share where you learn the proper way to feed a raw diet. I would like to learn about it! One thing about me, is I'm open-minded. Thank you again for the information!
 
LexDobieLove said:
Thank you for the great information. Ironically, Luna still sleeps a lot, I too have a high, hell very high energy level and I guess I wear her out. LOL. Plus she is still a baby. Please share where you learn the proper way to feed a raw diet. I would like to learn about it! One thing about me, is I'm open-minded. Thank you again for the information!
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This is the site: Perfectly Rawsome, Raw Feeding Resource for Raw Feeders It is paired with the Facebook “Raw Feeding University” group where people ask and answer tons of specific questions and you can see the raw meals that people prepare. I like the convenience of premade raw, so I just make sure I have enough freezer space and stock up from my local pet store.
 
LexDobieLove said:
My Best friend is a vet and actually brilliant but when it comes to dog food he recommends, are you sitting down? His favorite is Science Diet
Click to expand...
That's one of the biggest dry foods vets recommend, even though it has a ton of junk fillers in it and it's way over priced. I've heard vets get a kick-back when they sell and recommend it so if that's true it would make sense.
We fed our GSP SD because the vet recommended it and he had some serious allergies most of his life. I'm assuming it was from the junk fillers like corn.
 
JanS said:
That's one of the biggest dry foods vets recommend, even though it has a ton of junk fillers in it and it's way over priced. I've heard vets get a kick-back when they sell and recommend it so if that's true it would make sense.
We fed our GSP SD because the vet recommended it and he had some serious allergies most of his life. I'm assuming it was from the junk fillers like corn.
Click to expand...
Yes, I've heard that too. Of course, he is in another state and wouldn't profit from me purchasing it. He also likes Eukanuba and Iams puppy foods. She is doing well on Diamond Naturals and there certainly are tons of brands to choose from so we'll see. What site is legitimate about brand recommendations? Is Dog Food Advisor a reliable source, do you or does anyone know? Thank you for your input!
 
Well, Luna is settling in nicely. At seven months, she is not quite out of the psycho crazy energy Doberman Puppy stage as I thought she might be! But, it's fine, she is adorable and her energy is good for me too! We are playing ALL THE TIME and Training all the time. She came with two nasty habits, defecating on the deck and biting! I've had her since this past Saturday, June 20, 2020. I've got the defecating on the deck remedied I think and as for the biting during play, we are working on it, she of course means no harm but it must stop now. She also likes to jump on you when she is excited to see you. There is a pandemic going on and I rarely leave the house as I work from home but after running a few errands and when I come home, she is so happy to see me and I, of course, am happy to see her but she is learning not to jump on me and then I will pet her. She is VERY smart, aren't all Dobermans? Anyway, she has already learned, we sit and wait for the release word before we eat! Both my dogs have separation anxiety and I've been playing music supposedly specifically designed for that, I have speakers in every room of the house, so when I leave I put that on and it really seems to soothe the savage and distressed beasts. The only other issue is she is just doing what all puppies do, she wants to play all the time with my much older Heeler who usually corrects the situation herself but I don't want her to hurt Luna, so I try to keep her occupied when I have to work and can't play with her. Does anyone know if the Kong toys work well for entertainment, etc? Thank you so much to everyone on here, I really love this board! It's nice to have friends who understand the love of a Doberman!
 
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