Expert: Jana Connell RVT, CVT - 6/2/2010

Question
I'm am getting a 7 week old Labrador Retriever puppy and we have built him a dog house outside for him to live in, and I was wondering how old should he be before we keep him outside? Personally I would like to keep him inside but my family is not on board. I was also wondering if you would approve of the Eukanuba Labrador Retriever Formula? Link is below.

http://eukanuba.com/en-US/product/labrador-retriever-formula.jspx

Answer
Thanks for sending me the link Jordan.
I have some real issues about any dog being outside in a dog house, especially when you live in a colder climate like Canada. Dogs are not wolves, and they are not meant to be outside alone in a cold dog house.

They are pack animals and we are their pack. You are going to be his alpha dog to him- the leader of his pack. You keep him separated by leaving him outside from you and you are going to have a very unhappy and unhealthy dog.

He can be an indoor/outdoor dog- stay out during good weather but sleep with you in the house. That is how a dog should be raised and cared for. Dogs left outside become sullen, barkers, whiners and some of them actually can have some major behavior problems. They are exposed to more diseases that way as well as wild animals that carry rabies.

So I would really try and convince your family that he needs to be inside more than outside and certainly NOT at night. If you cannot get around it he shouldn't be put out there until he is at least 6-7 months old. I would get him neutered first.

As far as the Eukanuba goes, I don't recommend it anymore since they gave up their fixed formulation. What they do now is buy what ever is cheaper on the docks and add that to the next batch going into the cooker.

Science Diet is now the only brand that I know of that still uses a fixed formulation.What that means is that the same ingredients go into to food every time, every batch.

Food for a Retrievers is a gimmick- just like the gimmicky food that Canidea makes. None of it makes the slightest bit of difference when it comes to ingredients whether or not it's for a lab or a poodle.

But what I will tell you is that this is NOT a food for large breeds, which is what your dog needs. Adding Glucosamine and Chondroitin Sulfate to food for a dog that doesn't need it makes this an unnecessary nutrient and can actually be harmful for a large breed puppy. It is exactly excesses such as these that cause bone and joint problems with large breed puppies to begin with.

Too much calcium and phosphorus are also big problems in food for large breeds. This food doesn't even give you the correct amounts of their nutrients on the website.

That alone would make me distrust this food. Science Diet on the other hand, created the first ever food for large breed puppies and adults after doing a very long research study on what causes bone, hip and joint problems in large breeds. Science Diet has a 50 yr + history of researching and creating wellness diets for pets.

They created the Large Breed Puppy formula back then and since then have made a healthier start and life for thousands of large breed dogs. So that is the food I would start and finish with. Science Diet large Breed puppy formula until he is a year old then on to the adult formula.
The food had a money back guarantee and I have never had a client bring back a bag.

It is made with Hill's fixed formulation so each time you buy a bag it will be the same as the one before. With this food he will need no vitamins or any other kind of supplements. In fact, they are contradicted.

So that is the skinny Jordan. If you want to compare the brands here is the link to the real nutritional levels of the SD Large breed food. The guaranteed analysis is meaningless. It is only what they have to tell you by law. SD isn't afraid to put the real percentages of their food online:

http://www.hillspet.com/products/science-diet/sd-canine-puppy-large-breed-dry.ht...

Make sure you keep up with his vaccinations and heartworm prevention all year long. Good luck and let me know how he does.