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The Doberman Pinscher is a medium- to large-sized dog known for its strength and protective instincts. These dogs are commonly used as a guard dog or personal protection dog because they are naturally fearless and protective. Because of this, these dogs often get a bad rap for being aggressive and unfriendly. If you care for your Doberman properly, however, and offer plenty of training and socialization, this breed can be a great canine companion. Doberman Pinschers are very smart and trainable, though they can be a handful to deal with at times. Caring for your Doberman requires more than just training and socializing him – you also need to provide for his nutritional needs. Below you will find valuable information about meeting your Doberman Pinscher’s nutritional needs as well as some special considerations to make. You will also find recommendations for commercial dog foods for this wonderful breed.
Nutritional Needs for Doberman Pinschers
The Doberman Pinscher is a medium-sized to large-sized breed that typically stands between 27 and 28 inches tall, weighing up to 100 pounds at maturity. Female Doberman Pinschers are usually a little smaller, weighing between 70 and 80 pounds at maturity. The Doberman Pinscher is a powerful breed with a well-muscled body, a square build, and a short coat. These dogs can be very intimidating due to their size and their speed, but they can be very obedient and loyal with their human companions. Many Doberman Pinschers are trained as police dogs or guard dogs, though they can be family pets as well as long as you maintain a firm and consistent hand in training.
As a large-breed dog, the Doberman Pinscher should be fed a commercial dog food that is specially formulated to meet the needs of larger breeds. All dogs require a balance of protein, carbohydrates, and fats in their diet as well as various vitamins and minerals. Protein is the most important nutritional consideration for dogs and it should come from high-quality animal-based proteins like fresh meat and meat meals. Meat meals from named sources (like chicken meal, not poultry meal) are good additions to a commercial dog food diet because they have already been cooked down to a moisture level around 10%. This means that they are a much more highly concentrated source of protein than fresh meat which has a moisture content around 70%.
In addition to protein, your Doberman Pinscher also needs plenty of healthy fats and digestible carbohydrates. Fats are the most highly concentrated source of energy for dogs and they are particularly important for active and working breeds like the Doberman Pinscher. Like proteins, fats should come from high-quality animal based sources like chicken fat and salmon oil. Plant-based fats like canola oil and flaxseed can provide omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids but they are less biologically valuable to dogs than animal-based proteins. Dogs do not have any specific requirements for carbohydrates but complex carbs like whole grains and sweet potato provide your dog with dietary fiber as well as various vitamins and minerals. Avoid low-quality carbohydrates like wheat, corn and soy – especially inexpensive fillers like corn gluten meal and wheat gluten.
Special Considerations for Doberman Pinschers
The best way to ensure that your Doberman Pinscher gets the nutrition he needs is to feed him a commercial dog food diet formulated for medium- or large-breed dogs. Large-breed dogs require plenty of protein to maintain their lean muscle mass but only moderate amounts of fat and carbohydrate. If you overfeed a large dog or give him a diet that is too high in fat, he may have an increased risk for becoming obese. The Doberman Pinscher is a very active breed, however, so this generally isn’t a problem as long as your dog gets plenty of exercise. If you plan on training your Doberman for dog sports, consider putting him on a commercial dog food diet formulated for active and working breeds.
As a large-breed dog, the Doberman Pinscher is at risk for certain health problems – some of those problems can be prevented with a healthy diet. One of the most important things you can do for your Doberman is make sure that he doesn’t grow too quickly when he is a puppy. Large-breed puppies take longer to develop than small-breed puppies and if they grow too fast it could put excess strain on their bones and joints, increasing their risk for musculoskeletal problems later in life. To avoid this, keep your Doberman on a large-breed puppy formula until he reaches 80% of his adult size and then switch to a medium- or large-breed adult formula.
Top Recommended Dog Foods for Doberman Pinschers
If you need some help in finding the right food for your Doberman Pinscher, consider one of the commercial dog food brands discussed below. Be careful when considering a breed-specific formula for your dog – do not just assume that the formula will meet your dog’s needs without evaluating the product for yourself. Consider the ingredients list to make sure that the product is of high-quality before offering it to your dog.
1. Addiction Dry Dog Food
Addiction is a top-quality pet food brand that was started by a holistic veterinary surgeon and clinical nutritionist. All of Addiction’s formulas are made with high-quality ingredients like premium proteins and wild game meats and they are some of the most hypoallergenic dog foods on the market. The Doberman Pinscher, as a breed, is prone to a number of skin problems including allergies, so a hypoallergenic dog food like Addiction would be a good choice. Addiction offers a wide range of dry food products made with novel sources of protein like venison and wild kangaroo – they even offer puppy-specific formulas.
2. Nutrience Original Medium Breed Adult
Very few pet food manufacturers offer formulas that are specially designed for medium-sized breeds. The Doberman Pinscher straddles the line between medium and large, so a medium-sized breed-specific food might be a good choice. All of Nutrience’s dog food products are made with quality ingredients in balanced formulas designed to meet the nutritional needs of dogs in all life stages. The Nutrience Original Medium Breed Adult formula is made with chicken meal and brown rice as the top two ingredients, followed by green peas, oatmeal, and chicken fat. This formula is designed to promote lean muscle mass and healthy digestion and it will help your Doberman maintain healthy skin and coat too.
3. Blue Buffalo Basics Large-Breed Adult
Blue Buffalo is known for producing high-quality pet foods made with the finest ingredients. This company offers four different product lines including the Basics line of Limited Ingredient Diets. The Basics line is ideal for dogs that are prone to food allergies and it includes three large-breed specific formulas. Choose from Turkey & Potato, Lamb & Potato, or Grain-Free Turkey & Potato for your Doberman Pinscher. All of Blue Buffalo’s products are made with high-quality protein as the first ingredient as well as fresh fruits and vegetables plus plenty of antioxidants.
The Doberman Pinscher is a wonderful breed that can be trained for a variety of tasks. The trainability and obedience of this breed may be what makes it one of the top 20 breeds according to AKC registration statistics. To make sure that your Doberman stays in good health, consider the information above and be sure to offer your dog a high-quality commercial diet.
