Best kibble for German Shepherd puppy?

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I have just become the proud owner of a 15 week old GSD

He is currently on Beart's Old Peter Value nibble but I'm not sure if this suits him as he has very sloppy poos! I want to change him onto a better food but I'm not sure if something like the Royal Canin GS Puppy is a good brand (despite it being recommended by vet/trainer) as I have read mixed reviews online.

I like the sound of the Skinner's puppy food, either field and trial or lamb and rice, and if I'm honest these would fit better within our family budget.

It's so difficult because some of the 'better' brands say you need to feed less of them so how do I work out what is best for my puppy and my budget? If you've read this far and have got any ideas that would be great, thanks

I am sure someone who kibble feeds will be along shortly to advise but I just wanted to say that you are right to be wary of the highly marketed 'premium' brands like RC, Hills and Eukanuba. They are poor quality at inflated prices! Try 'which dog food'site and look for grain free too.

Thanks fan that's what I thought about the so-called 'premium' brands, so that's useful to have confirmed.

I liked the look of the Skinner's as it is supposedly hypoallergenic and doesn't contain wheat/grain etc but does contain rice, which is a grain...so round in circles I go again! Will check out the Which guide, thanks.

You don't 'have' to feed grain free...you just have to remember grain is an unnecessary filler.

I raw feed now so there are better people here to help you find kibble than me! But I have seen Skinners mentioned on here before along with things like fish4dogs(premium), Burns, Barking heads. Orijen is grain free. I'm sure someone will be along to help

Royal Canin is an amazing food ive used it for years with a GSD's, Lab's and boxers
Up sides are good quality, good offers online, breed specific, you don't have to add extras
Bad points it costs a fortune even with the good deals and i have found that all dogs i've had and known on it have very bad gas (could clear an open air market)

My partner, also all GSD's, has had his pups on Beta puppy which he recommends and is cheaper than royal canin

My most recent GSD had very loose stool's on beta this is because the protein level is a little to high for some dogs but i had the exact same with the last pup on Royal canin as well

The most important thing is to have them on a good quality puppy food till they finish growing as it will mean you have a nice healthy adult dog with no/fewer health problems eg if they didn't get enough calcium bad bones

I have a tight budget so changed them when fully grown to a supermarket own brand with the correct levels and they are in perfect condition no loose stools since the switch, no gas i swear it cant be the same dog better skin condition and less hyper so in all on a cheap supermarket food i have dogs which are healthier and calmer than i ever have done before

Check the label's for a gsd puppy they should be about
Protein 28%
Fat/oil low teens%
Crude ash 7/8%
Fibres 2/4%

Adult dogs need less protein so around 22-24%

Don't be put off by cheaper foods like i was but make sure you check the levels first, the levels are only guidelines by the way my dogs are all on 22% protein :)

Have a little look at a review www.whichdogfood.co.uk/dog-food-reviews/0060/royal-canin-medium-adult It really isn't a good quality food.

True but in all honestly nothing these days is "good quality" everything is done as cheap as possible for the most profit whether dog food or what we buy for ourselves so I've only given my honest opinion on what i have experienced iv never had any cause for complaint but all dogs are different and wont react the same

Thats fair enough Ferrets but I just wanted to point out there is a world of difference between my dog has done okay on it and it being an amazing food. There is much better out there for less. Skinners for one as mentioned by the op is rated 3.5(working duck and rice) as opposed to 2 based on ingedients list and yet is £20 cheaper than RC based on rrp!

It just winds me up that glossy marketing over rides quality. There is a difference in the quality of ingredients used in many dog foods, but it doesn't always go on you get what you pay for what you pay for!

When I got.my pup he came on Eukanuba at £18 for the smallest bag In reality it is poorer quality than some foods which cost half that.

Our lab pup loves millies wolfheart, grain free and good quality protein. It Fixed months of problems with loose poos and smelly wind (caused by Eden which was too high protein for him)

Thanks for your views everyone, it all helps with the decision making! I think I might go for the Skinner's puppy or field and trial puppy or Beta, will just go and research all the levels, I thought that 28% protein was a bit high ferrets? because you want a larger breed to grow more slowly...or have I got that wrong? Argh, off to do more research on PC as phone screen too small for all those numbers my eyes are crossing

If you want answers to any questions you can ask mark on the millies wolfheart Facebook group, he knows loads about protein levels, sources etc. they usually answer questions really quickly.

Thanks WeAll I'll have a look on there too

Skinner's Puppy Lamb and Rice has these levels:

Analytical Constituents:

Crude Protein: 24%
Crude Oils & Fats: 12%
Crude Fibres: 3.5%
Crude Ash: 8%

And the Skinner's Field and Trial Puppy has these levels:

Analytical Constituents:
Crude Protein: 27%
Crude Oils & Fats: 18%
Crude Fibres: 2.5%
Crude Ash: 8%

The lamb and rice one says it has good balanced levels of calcium for slow, steady bone growth, which I thought was important for large breed puppies like GSDs? But the field and trial has more protein and oils. Which of these would you think would be better?

Off to investigate the Beta Puppy now. Thanks for your help, I never realised how complicated this would be!

Field and Trial Ingredients are: Chicken meat meal (min 30%), maize, chicken fat, white rice, oats, maize gluten meal, sunflower meal, whole linseed, beet pulp, whole dried egg, vitamins, minerals and trace elements, yeast, MOS.

And the Lamb and rice ingredients are: Whole rice (38%), lamb meat meal (19%), oats, sunflower oil, pea protein, linseed, whole peas, brewer’s yeast, beet pulp, sunflower expellers, whole dried egg, vitamins, minerals and trace elements, culinary herb mix, MOS, FOS.

So field and trial has a higher meat content, this is good right? But it also has maize in which is not so good... The lamb and rice seems to get a lot of its protein content from peas rather than meat, surely meat is better for dogs?

Used Royal Canin when my gsd was small, it came well-recommended. Eventually we switched to a brand the local pet store recommended with similar levels, but I don't think it's widely available.

But I think the best was when we bought meat straight from the butcher - had a lovely butcher who made a nice quality dog food blend of good red meat, not all scraps and fatty bits. I think we gave him about an 80/20 blend of meat to kibble then. He was very energetic and healthy then, but it was quite expensive we moved away from that butcher.

The Beta Puppy seems quite high in protein, and cereals and I'm not keen on the 'Meat and animal derivatives' bit...

Composition: Cereals (wholegrain 20%), Meat and animal derivatives (meat 14%, chicken 4%), Vegetable protein extracts, Oils and fats, Derivatives of vegetable origin (dried beet pulp 1.1%), Vegetables (dried chicory root 1.1%), Minerals.

Any opinions? I promise I'll shut up about what to feed him after tonight !

Go with the higher meat content! Never a grain as the main ingredient. Also, forget to mention, do be wary of his skin. GSD's can have very sensitive skin - if you notice him itching excessively and/or getting inflamed, red skin, the food will be irritating him. Knock out anything with yeast or sugars and supplement with fish oils.

Skinner's Field and Trial Puppy it is! Thanks MissPryde I will keep a close eye on his skin, really hope the change in diet will help his tummy too, as first morning poo is not a nice job at the moment! Thanks for the help everyone