Because the dogs cannot speak, they cannot tell how much food they need per meal. Therefore, the dog owners need to take care on the dog food to make sure they will get the full nutrition as needed.
To choose the right dog food, it can be started from getting understanding of the need in different age range. Also, the species and the favorite activities each day will be related since these will be the result how much food they want.
For example, the puppies need to feed with the quality food in order to build the bone and muscles for growth. You can feed them 3 times per day and change to be 2 times per day when they are 5 months old.
To feed the dog, it's needed to consistent on time like 2 times on 6.00 and 16.00, put into the bowl for 15-20 minutes. In case they still don't eat, take it off to teach them they have to eat properly. Or else if the dogs cannot eat at the time set, the dogs might not be well.
Moreover, don't leave the dog food for the rest of the day or refill all the time because this will create the bad behavior for your dogs and it will cause them the disorder of the gastrointestinal tract like vomiting from irritating of too much stomach acid or eating too much until they become fat. Then, the muscle, tendon and bone will have to handle the weight until it's hurt or broken. Or even it might cause the abnormal growth of bone and muscle in large breed puppies.
At the same time, it's no recommended to feed the human food to the dogs. The owner should feed the best food that suits them. To feed the human dogs will give them the choice to eat and they will not eat their own food until getting insufficient nutrients. Also, when the owners feed them with human food, they will get the behavior to come around the dining table. To solve this problem, feed the dogs 2 times per day exactly the same time you have breakfast and dinner.
About feeding the right dog food by the age range from the puppies at ages 1 years up to the mature ones at ages 1 ½ years up, the owners have to change the new formula with the nutrients that suit each age. As mentioned since the beginning, the large breed dogs need more nutrients for daily activities and repairing the body's part.
To alter the formula of dog foods has to be gradually, not sudden change since it will cause them diarrhea. It's because the proportion of the nutrient in each formula is different. The concept to change the dog food from the formula of puppies to the large breeds and from one brand to another can be the same.
Just increase 1/4 amount of the foods for the large one together with 3/4 amount for the current one of the puppies. Change it about 2-3 days. After that, adjust the proportion between 2 formulas at half – half for another 2-3 days. Then, increase the large one's formula to be ¾ and decrease the puppy's one to be ¼ for another 2-3 days until only feed them with the formula to the large breed. In case changing the brand, the veterinarian recommends the same method.
With this suggestion, it won't cause any health effect to your beloved dogs.