Well, if you’re planning on shopping for the dog food at Petco or PetSmart then the foods that they sell that are good are:

Wellness
Canidae

Both are very good foods which I feed Wellness to my toy breed dog, and he’s done marvelous on it. His coat is shinier, he’s less itchy, and is coming up to a healthy weight.

Stick to something that has chicken or turkey as the 1st ingredient-not parts or by products-and the protein content should not be more than around 23%. Anything with whole grains,vegtables and whole meat is always the best choice…..I feed my Great Dane (who is a healthy 160 pounds of lean muscle:)) Diamond Maintance which she has been on since she was 8 weeks old but it isn’t available at PetSmart….I would go with either Science diet or NutroMaxx….read the labels and compare the different options though and if possible see if they have a sample bag or try the web site for the dog food company and see if they have sample bags they can send you to see which one your dog likes best:)

The most important thing in feeding a large breed is to feed the right amount. An obese dog is more likely to have joint problems (which are painful and expensive). You should be able to feel (but not see) your dogs ribs easily and he or she should have a ‘waist’- a narrowing between the rib cage and hips. If your dog ever leaves food in his dish or you are free-feeding (letting him eat as much as he wants whenever he wants), he’s eating too much.
As far as food goes, you want around 20-25% protein and the first 2-3 ingredients should be a meat product, not corn.
Nutro Ultra is a great food and they have a special formulation for large breed dogs.
Best of luck!

Hello, there are alot of options out there. It depends on ur dogs likes…dislikes…..energy level etc. I have been in the pet nutrition industry for over 20 years and have had my share of experience with all the food out there. Please e-mail me at and I can help you with this.

Nutro is one of the best foods that is out there. E-mail me and I will give you a heck of alot of info.

What to LOOK for:

-First ingredient should be meat

-There should be healthy, REAL ingredients

What should NOT be in a dogs food:

-Corn
-Wheat
-Soy
-Boy-product
-Digest
-Beat pulp
-Salt

Etc., etc., etc.

NEVER buy dog food at a grocery store, or a drug store.

Pet Smart doesn’t have any really great food.

Pet Co on the other hand, has:

-Natural Balance
-Solid Gold

Both of which are in my Top 10 highest quality dog foods list.

If feed stores are available near you:

-Innova EVO
-Innova
-California Natural
-Wellness
-Canidae

The average dog food should have at least 25/26% protein, and as much as 30%. (Innova EVO has a high protein content, but is all natural ingredients)

I feed my dog Canidae and neither Petco or Petsmart don’t carry it but Pets Supplies Plus does. Go to Canidae’s website and plug in your zip code and you’ll find places that carry it locally. It’s the best….trust me! Human grade meats, no fillers or crap, easily digestible, good protein sources, no gluten. I could go on and on. Check it out for yourself.

make sure the first couple ingrediants don’t say byproduct or sugar or corn.

That is most important when looking for dog food. My dogs trainer said that you don’t have to go with high end food because you are paying more than necessary. She always recommend Natural Choice (I no longer use it because my 4 dogs didn’t like it but all dogs are different)

Keys to look for are the first three ingredients. They should not be corn or anything with the word parts in it (ie: chicken parts). Do a little searching online. I prefer: Natural Balance and California natural. About 23% protein levels are good. Watch out for fat. Look at what the dog is already being fed and decide if the switch is worth it. Also talk to other people who own the breed. The activity level of a breed and individual dog can influence the food. Also allergies and just plain what the dog will eat. Just because it’s dog food doesn’t mean he will eat it. (LOL!)