Dutch Shepherd Forum

Questions:

1.) Does anyone know what size harness would fit My 8 week old DS pup? (I don’t want to do a collar)

2.) Breeder said they had the pup on wet/kibble blend of Taste of the Wild. Does anyone recommend switching and why? Also, how much should I be feeding and how often? Also, does anyone add supplements like fish oil or etc for coat or puppy nutrition?

3.) How long and often do you walk an 8 week old DS working dog? Is it mostly during potty time or does anyone do a morning and or evening walk?

4.) I can’t remember the “formula” for how long a Pup can be left in the kennel. The only reason I ask is that we have an engagement that won’t allow us to take her with us tomorrow for a few hours and I’m wondering about having my family puppy sit her. I will probably do this anyway, but still would like to know how long.

DSworkingdad wrote: ↑Sat Oct 13, 2018 8:44 pm 1.) Does anyone know what size harness would fit My 8 week old DS pup? (I don’t want to do a collar)

You may want to reconsider your thinking on not wanting a collar. The harness will probably be used for different training in the future, and it also leans towards making the dog want to pull. I would suggest a martingale collar to start.

DSworkingdad wrote: ↑Sat Oct 13, 2018 8:44 pm 2.) Breeder said they had the pup on wet/kibble blend of Taste of the Wild. Does anyone recommend switching and why? Also, how much should I be feeding and how often? Also, does anyone add supplements like fish oil or etc for coat or puppy nutrition?

Feeding is a huge topic on its own. If you do switch, you should consider mixing half/half for a short period before going into the new food 100%. It's been so long since I have had a puppy, that I can't help with amount at the moment.

I'll let other more experienced folks answer the remaining questions.

Do a collar, a harness is used to promote the drive. We use harness to promote the pulling towards the bite and to ramp them up to let them go to get the bite.

Potty is the same for any dog, every 15 minutes for a while, then increase in 5 or 10 minute increments as the pup gets older.

Go to Dogfoodadvisor.com and check out food there.

Ask the breeder about how much, they should know

I do flax seed or chia, its better than fish oil, fish oil can go rancid to quick.

Ive done switches of food cold turkey and never had a problem.

I use a small spoonful of coconut oil for their skin with Fromm dog food. I switched from Taste of the Wild to Fromm because Fromm is a better quality food. Just mix old food half and half until it's gone before going to new food. I don't think you need soft food, you can use a little warm water with the puppy kibble to soften it up a little.

There is nothing wrong with using a harness especially on a young pup. ICE rarely wears a collar, he uses a harness for tracking, bitework, and all our other sports and walks nicely on a harness also. A harness is safer for a young pup who has no knowledge of what he should or shouldn't be doing.

Feed raw if you can.

ICE wrote: ↑Mon Oct 15, 2018 1:09 pm There is nothing wrong with using a harness especially on a young pup. ICE rarely wears a collar, he uses a harness for tracking, bitework, and all our other sports and walks nicely on a harness also. A harness is safer for a young pup who has no knowledge of what he should or shouldn't be doing.

Feed raw if you can.

Thanks ICE, I wish I could do raw but just don't think I can manage that route with consistency.

Your post brought back the excitement to mind I had while driving the four hours to pick up my girl.