It’s important to make sure that you are one hundred percent ready for the responsibility if you own a “power” breed like a pit bull, German Shepherd, or Rottweiler – Caesar Milan
The German Shepherd’s appetite for life is matched only by its appetite for spending time with those it loves the most.
Fiercely loyal and devoted to its family, the Shepherd takes its duty to its immediate flock seriously, and its fidelity and fealty have helped it to earn its reputation as a ferociously protective companion.
Dig a little deeper though, and underneath the Shepherd’s bluster and bravado, you’ll find a dog who, at the end of a busy day loves nothing more than cuddling up with his pack and adores them as much as they worship him.
It’s the German Shepherd’s unceasing devotion to his nearest and dearest that makes him such a cherished and beloved member of any family.
He’s the sort of dog that Hollywood used to make films about, as he’s bright, curious, loves to learn, and doesn’t let anything get in the way of making the most out of every day and living every single second like it’s his last.
But we don’t have to tell you that, as you already know how incredible the German Shepherd is, and that’s why you’re here, as you want to make sure that your boy lives a long, happy, and healthy life.
The simplest and most effective way to make sure that your German Shepherd greets every single day with the same zeal and energy is by ensuring that he’s fed the right diet.
Figuring out how to do that is easier said than done though, as the sheer volume and variety of available brands means that finding the perfect food for your boy is like trying to find a needle in a haystack, it’s next to impossible.
That’s where we come in.
We’ve spent a lifetime around German Shepherds, and we’ve discovered through a gradual process of trial and error, the food that our boys look forward to having their bowls filled with and that satisfy all of their dietary and nutritional requirements and needs.
And we’re going to share our list of the five best German Shepherd-friendly dog foods with you and tell you why you boys will love each and every one of them as much as ours do.
So let’s dive straight in, and find out which of the Shepherd foods is the right one for your best friend…
Contents
Best Dog Food For German Shepherds Reviews
Taste of the Wild Dry Dog Food With Roasted Lamb
The primary ingredient in every single variety and flavor of food that Taste Of The Wild makes is protein and accounts for twenty-five percent of the ingredients.
And the other seventy-five percent is made up of fruits and superfoods which are designed to mimic the diet that your dog would have eaten in the wild, way back in the mists of time.
Packed with protein, vitamins, omega fatty acids, and Taste Of The Wilds proprietary blend of probiotics, their Sierra Mountain dry dog food was created to make sure that your dog’s muscles stay lean and strong, his joints remain supple, his coat and skin stay healthy and that he isn’t plagued by the sort of digestive woes and troubles that other dog foods can create.
And even better, thanks to its unusually high concentration of roast lamb, as soon as your best pal catches the first whiff of Taste Of The Wild when you open the bag, he’ll be waiting in line ready for his bowl to hit the floor.
Sierra Mountain was created to make your boy look forward to dinner time and keep his tummy happy, and that’s exactly what it does.
Pros
- Protein Heavy – It’s packed full of the protein that your Shepherd adores, and the main problem that you’ll have to deal with is making sure that you don’t keep topping your boy’s bowl up when he starts asking for a second, and even a third helping.
- Probiotics, Prebiotics, And Antioxidants… Oh My! – As well as the fruits and superfoods that’ll keep your Shepherd’s taste buds happy, it’s full of vitamins, nutrients, omega fatty acids, prebiotics, probiotics, and antioxidants. In other words, it includes everything that your boy needs to stay fit, active, and healthy.
- American Made – Taste Of The Wild is a family-owned, American company that sources all of the ingredients from local and global sustainable suppliers that they know, and trust. They know what’s in every bag of dog food that they make.
Cons
- Change Isn’t Always Good – According to a number of long-time customers who have fed their dogs an exclusive Taste Of The Wild menu since they were puppies, a recent recipe change has meant that their dogs no longer enjoy it as much they used to. Our boys still clean their bowls every time we put it down for them so how much validity or weight there is to the supposed recent change of customer heart is anyone’s guess and it’s something that you’ll have to make your own minds up about.
Royal Canin German Shepherd Adult Breed Specific Dry Dog Food
Royal Canin is a brand that has attained near-legendary status in the dog lovers world, as it was established by a veterinarian in the nineteen sixties to ensure that dogs were fed the sort of food they needed, and wanted to eat.
They believe that dogs deserve the best and their team of dedicated nutritionists and experts work around the clock to constantly improve all of their formulas and recipes.
Their breed-specific recipe has been specifically designed to cater to the everyday needs of adult German Shepherds and includes all of the vitamins, minerals, fibers, and proteins that they need to bound through life with effortless grace and ease.
And if that wasn’t enough the German Shepherd-friendly formula also includes glucosamine and chondroitin that help to ensure that their joints remain supple and strong.
The best thing about Royal Canin’s breed-specific dry dog food though is that each and every chunk of kibble has been made with a German Shepherd in mind and has been designed to be easy, and enjoyable to chew for you boy.
It’s a kibble that was made for Shepherds and Shepherds alone and every mouthful will taste good and help your dog to live his best life.
Pros
- Made For Shepherds – It’s a breed-specific food that was created for German Shepherds, The kibble was formulated with their mouths in mind, and was made to ensure that it isn’t just enjoyable for them to chew, but contains all of the nutrients and vitamins that you dog needs in order to stay healthy, fit and active.
- Packed Full Of Goodness – In case you were worried that Royal Canin was just full of hot air and that they may have just put the picture of a Shepherd on a packet of food and claimed that it was supposed to be “breed-specific”, don’t be. Their team of veterinarians and nutritionists are constantly looking for ways to improve their recipes and work around the clock to make sure that every dog has the food that is best suited to them and their dietary requirements.
- It’s All About The Chicken – And as Royal Canin uses chicken as their primary protein, you know that you boy is going to adore it.
Cons
- The Price Barrier – There’s no way to avoid the fact that feeding your boy the Royal Canin way is going to hurt your pocketbook. It’s expensive, but since when did money matter when it comes to ensuring that your boy gets nothing but the best to eat?
Best Breed German Dog Diet
Okay, we know that it says “German” breeds on the packaging and that might be enough to draw you to this dog food by itself, but that isn’t why you should feed it to your boy.
Let’s face it, the only thing that your Shepherd has in common with a Rottweiler and a Doberman is his size, and that’s the all-important factor with this brand. Size.
It’s a large breed dog food that was specifically formulated by a holistic veterinarian Doctor Gray Cooper after he kept on treating the same breed-specific problems in Rottweilers, Shepherds, and Dobermans.
The formula uses an exclusive blend of fibers that are enriched with taurine to aid your boy’s digestion and green sea muscles (that are a natural source of glucosamine and chondroitin) to keep your dog’s joints healthy and supple.
It’s completely natural dog food that doesn’t include any of the packings or bulking agents that can make dogs ill, and while it’s enriched with nutrients, vitamins, and everything else that your dog needs and the slow cooking process that Best Breeds Ohio kitchens use to make it ensures that they don’t cut any corners, or compromise on ingredients and quality.
You wanted the best, you got it.
Pros
- The Holistic Veterinarian Way – Formulated by Doctor Gary Cooper to ensure that all of the dietary needs of large breed dogs was met, this delicious kibble has been a smash hit with Shepherds since it first hit the market back in the nineties.
- Digestion Is Key – Doctor Gary knew that digestion was key to ensuring that a German Shepherd would get everything that it needed from its daily meal, which is why he made sure that this food was and is… well, easily digestible.
- American Made – Best of all? Every mouthful of Best Breeds is made right here in the USA and cooked in the brand’s Ohio Kitchens. If you feed your boy Best Breeds you’ll know where every single chunk of kibble came from.
Cons
- No Middle Ground – Best Breeds is a middle ground food, and your Shepherd is either going to love it or hate it. And the only way to discover which came your dog falls into is by letting them try it for themselves. Our best advice? Introduce it to your boy gradually, and you’ll soon know whether he’ll clean his bowl or walk away from it.
Canidae PURE Grain Free
The only way that you can ever be sure that you know exactly what you’re feeding your dog is by choosing a limited ingredient food, and one of the best LID (limited ingredient dog foods) available to man and beast is Canidae.
They don’t use corn, wheat, or soy as bulking agents and their food is one hundred percent grain-free, so it’s easy for your boy to digest.
But the things that our Shepherds love about Canidae is the same thing that every other dog loves about it, and that’s the thing that matters most to the nutritionists who create the menu, the primary ingredient and the thing always comes first in every single one of their recipes.
Protein. Sure, there’s a number of different recipes that you can try, but if it was our money that we were going to spend on Canidae, we’d always go for Lamb. Our boys adore it, and we’re sure that yours will too.
Even though Canidae keeps the ingredient list to a minimum so that you’ll know exactly what you’re feeding your dog every single time you fill his bowl, every mouthful still includes all of the probiotics, antioxidants, and vitamins that he’ll need to meet each and every day head-on.
Pros
- Limited Ingredients – They keep the number of ingredients down so that they, and you, know exactly what’s in every bowl of food that you feed to your Shepherd. You care about what you eat and put it into your body, what should your dog be any different?
- Protein First, Everything Else After – The first ingredient in every Candiae recipe is protein. Everything else is secondary. They work out how to use the canine big gun and then design everything else around it. Which is the way that dogs like it…
Cons
- It’s Not Exactly Cheap: Limited ingredient, protein-heavy, natural dog food comes at a cost and it’s a cost that your bank balance will feel the full weight of. But, as nothing is too good for your dog, we’re sure that it’s a price that you’ll happily pay.
Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Dog Food
There was a saying that used to be sort of popular when we were still in college, “Go big or go home”, and it’s a philosophy that Nutro seems to have taken to heart, as their Natural Choice dog food offers all of the taste, nutrition, and vitamins that every big dog needs to be exactly who they were meant to be.
And what’s more, their food is completely natural too.
There are no GMO ingredients, no chicken meal by-products, no soy, corn, or wheat bulking agents, it’s just a protein-rich dry dog food that includes all-natural ingredients that have been formulated to make sure that your dog gets all of the vitamins, nutrients and fatty acids that he needs to keep his muscles lean and strong, his joints supple and his skin and coat shiny and healthy.
It’s an all-in dry dog food that every German Shepherd will go crazy for at dinner time.
Pros
- It’s All About The Protein – Nutro believes that the most important thing about dog food is that it’s completely natural. And that the second most important thing is the way that it tastes, which is why they use protein as their primary ingredient and work around that to create a recipe, and healthy food that your dog will crave.
- The Way They Feel – The unique combination of all-natural ingredients that Nutro uses ensures that your Shepherd will stay healthy, happy, and active and will keep on enjoying bowlful after bowlful of this delicious lamb rich dog food.
Cons
- Taste Costs And This Is Where You Start Paying – Again, there’s no way to avoid the fact that Nutro’s all-natural approach to making the sort of dog food that your boy will love will have a long-lasting impact on your bank balance. It’s expensive, but it’s absolutely worth every single penny that you’ll pay for it.
Buyer’s Guide
Which Is The Right Food For My German Shepherd?
While all of the foods on our list are perfect for even the pickiest German Shepherd, there is one food that stands head and shoulders above all of the others, and if given the choice is the one that our dogs would eat day in and day out for the rest of their lives.
And that’s Royal Canin. If money is no object, and you can afford it, it’s the best way to feed any German Shepherd.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is A German Shepherd?
A German Shepherd is a working dog that was originally bred in Bavaria to herd sheep and cattle.
Prized for their fierce loyalty and intelligence, German Shepherds are known for their complete and total devotion to their families and owners, and for their protective instinct.
Favored by police forces all over the world, Shepherds are incredibly obedient, easy to train, and, thanks to their seemingly boundless energy, love to work, be given tasks to perform and having a “job” to do.
Excellent family dogs, German Shepherds are large breed dogs who don’t know the meaning of work quit and are both fearless and tenacious.
