Over the years what I have told people and what I do now have changed. We no longer recommend Puppy Chow as it gives your puppies loose stool and has a lot of ingredients that I would no longer recommend.

At this time we have our puppies on Wild Calling dog food. Many dog foods these days are for all life stages. Meaning it is puppy to adult. When you feed a lesser quality food the puppies need a puppy formula to make up what an adult food is lacking. So when you feed a high quality, GOOD food, you don't have the problem of puppy to adult. So when you read many of the bags these days it says pup/adult or all life stages. Wild Calling food has some of the most natural ingredient and the bag is from puppy to adult. It is also a rotational diet meaning when you change flavors it should not upset their tummy.

1) I will answer the first question first: all dog food discussed is DRY dog food - canned dog food not recommended - rots teeth
My preferred food for puppies is Wild Callings Rabbit, Duck or Bison formula. If you cannot find it locally, you can find it on Chewy.com. But there are other foods that are just as good. Keep reading below to find out what I recommend and what I do not.

If you choose to change foods, all puppies can get loose stool during this process. This could last from two days - two weeks. Be patient don't keep changing the food. Give them at least 2-3 weeks to adjust to the new food. That is why I put them on a food you can find on Chewy.com when they get to you. Some puppies have sensitive stomachs and this is too rich for them until they are 4 to 6 months old. If this is the case they should receive a salmon based or fish based food. It is because it helps to ensure harder stool.

Also what helps is Pumpkin in a can. The same you would put in Pumpkin Pies. Walmart or any food chain has this for usually less then a $1 a can. This will help per meal to harden the stool.

We also recommend if you have one of those puppies that prolonged has softer stools (usually 1 out of 10 pups) then you can also get Endosorb Tablets or liquid. This seems to work wonders on loose stools. And helps keep it firm. You can find it on line and purchase without a prescription.

The first ingredient listed on any quality dog food should be meat. Remember that potato, sweet potato, Garbanzo beans, rice, and all of those type of things are fillers. And they are also protein based foods. So just reading the protein and fat is not what knowing about your dog food is about. You need to see the whole picture and where that protein source is coming from. Your dog wouldn't have a potato and just sit down and eat that in the wild. So why would you have that as a primary source of protein. Most of all I think people just don't know how to read a bag of dog food weather ingredient or any other thing.

As your puppy gets older I suggest a variety in their diet. If you sat down for dinner and ate Steak-Baked Potatoes-Green Beans your meal would be great. But if you ate that every day for the rest of your life you would most likely be lacking in things. I do suggest a variety in your dogs diet and not to just choose one dog food. Mixing where first ingredients would be Lamb, Chicken, Salmon or different ingredients is highly recommended. Supplementing with fresh fruits and vegetables is also recommended. See below -14.b. What about supplements? My preferred food for adult Malamutes is mixing Wild Calling, Merrick, Wellness Core, or any other high quality food. See my page #43 List of Graded Foods and How To Grade Foods

So if you came to my kennel and looked at our food there would be at least three meat sources of dog food mixed in one meal. I recommend that you choose two different brands also - prefer three different types of food and mix them but for some this is to much.

2) Here at Hudson's, my dogs "free feed". They are fed a mixture of Wild Calling Rabbit, Elk, Whitefish, Turkey, Alligator/Chicken and other flavors. There is no corn in my dogs diet any longer. Food is always available to them and they do not overeat. Free feeding puppies can be difficult for potty training, Getting a puppy on a schedule but not limiting the amount that the puppy can eat is important. So allowing the pup the food they want only on a schedule is what I recommend for the little guys and gals. Free feeding is my recommendation for adult dogs that are potty trained as food should be available to them at all times. On very few occasions a Malamute will overeat and make themselves obese(I have had one dog in 20 years). So these rare cases you can hand feed your dog so your mal will not be at an unhealthy weight.

In the past I have had people who have purchased a pup call and say the dog was eating garbage, stealing any food they could and even eating other dogs feces or their own feces. This is a cause for concern in many cases. In all of the cases that I have encountered were precipitated by a vet recommending limiting food intake. These dogs were starving. So they would eat anything that was available to them even if it meant eating feces. Each breed is different and should be recognized as an individual not grouped with thousands of other breeds/dogs. Always be aware of your dogs individual needs. And your vet does not specialize in each breed of dog. They do not know every need of every dog. So understand that my recommendations and advice comes from many years of learning my breed. DO NOT LIMIT THE INTAKE OF FOOD FOR YOUR MAL...

At Hudson's we would like to feed raw beef at least every week. But USDA has now limited the availability to get this raw. So you as an owner owning just a few dogs I would suggest if you can afford it to give raw meet once a week. I also like to give my dogs raw Chicken when I can. And yes that means chicken bones. Chicken bones are only dangerous when cooked. It makes the bones brittle and can poke holes in their intestines. So only feeding chicken without bones if it is cooked. We also give "boiled" or cooked eggs to our dogs it's good for their coats and very healthy for them. Raw eggs are not good for them as they can tear up the lining of their stomach and make them spit up blood (known by experience). Also remember nothing in excess. Feeding only raw without proper vitamins is not suggested. Experienced owners ONLY should feed only Raw diet. Always remember NOTHING IN EXCESS....

14.a. How much should we feed?

Monitor, but do not limit the amount of quality dog food your puppy eats. On some puppy food bags, the instructions have you limiting a growing puppy to "x" amount of cups per day. Do not do this or you will limit the growth of your puppy. During their fast growing periods pups can average 6 to 8 cups of quality dog food per day. Some days they will have 12-16 cups a day, and others 4 cups a day. It is my experience that they will not overeat unless they feel food deprived.

Again I will stress - Here at Hudson's, my dogs "free feed". That is, the food is always available to them and they do not overeat.

14.b. What about supplements?

Pet-Tabs vitamin & mineral supplements are an excellent daily supplement for your dog. They are also tasty & chewable. Available from your veterinarian, local pet store or at Amazon online.

Dogs are "omnivores", not just "carnivores". This means in addition to eating meat, they also eat vegetables and fruit. Carrots and apples in moderation are good for dogs. One a day of each is an excellent dietary supplement (and they love them!) Also, a large carrot is great for the "chewing need".

As I stated above, I also like to give my dogs real meat once a week, it's good for their coats.

14.c. What about table scraps?

Not a good idea if you do not know what you are giving! Dogs do not need processed sugar, fats or all the starches we eat. Not only don't they need them, they aren't good for them. So no processed foods !!! But anything all natural is fine. (green beans, left over steak, etc.)

Dog Food brands recommended

• Wild Callings

• Merrick

• Wellness Core

• Taste of the Wild

• Orijen

• Natural Balance

• Earthborn

• Acana

• Prairie

• Fromm

Dog Food Brands I would NEVER recommend or buy

• Kibbles and Bits

• Pedigree

• Science Diet

• Ol' Roy

• Pedigree

• Alpo

• Gravy Train

• Canidae

• Eukanuba

• Iams

• GO - made in Canada

• Purina Beneful