Medium breed puppy or large breed puppy food?

    • Gold Top Dog

    TysonSS

     A pet valu about 5 minutes away sells it so that's where i'm getting the EP. so 15 months is safe to swtich from puppy to adult then.

    Sounds good. My vet said I could feed Shadow puppy food until two years, probably because of the Lab heritage. Also, Shadow wasn't neutered until 2.5 years. I don't know if that made a difference in him being so tall. But you could certainly switch to adult at 15 months. And, being a medium breed, you won't have to wait as long for neuter, either. I would suggest spring or summer for that so that the fur has a chance to grow back. Although, I didn't. Shadow was neutered 12-07-05. No ill effects. And he did quit humping after neuter.

    Plus, I got better at training "off."

     

     

    • Gold Top Dog

    I've seen my large breeds hit a growth spurt at the age of two! 

    I have no experience with 50 pound dogs, you might want to poke around and find out when exactly their growth plates are supposed to close before deciding when the dog is an adult. Bigger dogs grow for much longer than smaller dogs- I have a 90 pound dog who grew 2.5 inches at the withers between 15 months and 2.5 years of age.

    • Gold Top Dog

    Whew!  Thanks for that mp.  I was wondering if my guys were just wierd. 

    • Gold Top Dog

    My Marremas will grow another couple inches or so in their third year.  It's pretty much muscle mass (in the males especially) - that's also how BCs can grow another inch or so in their late second year when radiography shows growth plates closed. 

    • Gold Top Dog

    One hunter I knew for a while had Labs and one of them was prone to not eat as much at a time, while the others would clean the bowl. And these were purebred Labs (field). Shadow doesn't graze the food. He wants to eat at specific times and that food bowl can sit there for all he cares until it is time. And then, it has to be in my presence, outside with the ceremony of chasing the kong and bringing it back to the food bowl. He only eats a serving in my presence. When we have gone out of town, I have left a full bowl. When we get back, he might have taken a bite, maybe two, but I wouldn't bet on it. One time, we flew to New Jersey and I left a full bowl, key with the neighbor and she checked on him and there was no need to add any food, since none have been removed. So, he ate nothing for 3 days with a full bowl of food. Although hunting cotton rats is another game and he may have snacked on one if he could find one. A Lab or Lab/Newfie could be considered large breed. Anyway, good luck with whatever you find.

     

    • Gold Top Dog

    I thought, at around 15mnths, Rivers, my Nova Scotia was done growing. HA...he's grown an extra 2" in 3-4 mnths, only thing is, I think his weight has stayed the same, or even lessoned a bit. He was already skinny!

    • Gold Top Dog

     My 19 lb, 13 1/2" tall dog gained a smidge over an inch between 2 and 2 1/2 years of age. She was also spayed very, very early, so that may have something to do with it.

     

    I thought it was a little ridiculous, myself. Her neck and chest also got bigger and every collar I had suddenly didn't fit. Her harnesses and coats didn't fit, either. Silly dog.