Boerboel puppy feeding and exercise
When it comes to feeding, many of you will already know that the feeding of large breeds plays a very big role during the puppy hood. It is absolutely essential to know what kind of nutrients your puppy is being raised on in terms of skeletal development. To support healthy joint and structural growth, limiting exercise, as well as fast movements, rough play and jumping, plays a major role in addition to feeding.
I strongly recommend that you base your diet on dry kibble specifically designed to support healthy and steady growth in giant breeds. Raw food is introduced at a later age when the ratio of nutrients is no longer critical for growth. Protein, fat and calcium ratios must be correct and raw feeding rarely achieves a ratio that is safe to base the whole diet on.
Only those who are familiar with raw feeding and nutrient ratios, as well as raw materials and their availability can possibly say go for it.
The predisposition to elbow and hip dysplasia in dogs is passed on in the genes, but feeding and exercise during puppy hood play a major role in the development of osteoarthritis and developmental disorders. It is therefore possible to have D hip offspring from A hip parents without the fault of feeding or improper exercise during growth, but especially the latter mentioned improper exercise or lack of exercise highlights the latent susceptibility.
We personally feed our dogs and puppies with dry kibble made from the highest quality raw materials, specially designed for giant breeds. We feed the puppies with Lenda Puppy Max food for as long as they grow (skeletal growth about 12 months) and also the bitches during the gestation period and during lactation. For adult dogs we feed Lenda Adult Max. Lenda’s foods for maxi breeds contain collagens, MSM, Chondroitin Sulphates and Glucosamines that
support the dog’s joints both as a growing dog and as an adult, so there is no need to add these to the diet.
However, if you are feeding your large dog a food that does not contain the above supplements, I would strongly recommend that you purchase one separately. Not only will these supplements help if your dog is already suffering from joint pain, but more importantly, they will support the diet to prevent joint problems from occurring in the first place.
Lenda foods are available in Finland through us.
Puppy exercise is a very critical part of healthy development. Primarily, a puppy grows by eating and sleeping, so it is obvious that adequate sleep must be ensured during the growing season. Those who have ever raised a puppy know that it is rare that they, on their own initiative, agree to get enough sleep. So it’s
your job as the puppy’s owner to make sure the puppy gets enough sleep. For this purpose, it is a good idea to use a confined space, for example a large crate, where all the various stimuli are kept out and the puppy feels safe there when it is napping. This way the puppy will be able to sleep and get enough sleep as it grows. This also makes it easier to train the puppy to be alone and calm down, as a Boerboel that has not been trained to be alone can be very destructive.
In addition to sleep, all exerci
se should be supervised and limited so that the amount of exercise does not overtire the puppy. The puppy should be allowed plenty of free and voluntary exercise, but so-called forced exercise should be avoided. With an adult puppy, you should not engage in vigorous exercise, forced running (ball games, jogging, cycling, etc.), jumping from a height, pulling loads, playing recklessly with larger dogs, etc.
A dog already past the growing season can be started on regular exercise which should support the dog’s health and muscular maintenance. In addition to physical activities, it is absolutely essential to remember that a dog bred to work also receives sufficient brain work to prevent boredom. Basic command and obedience training is a good stepping stone for a young dog into other dog sports and will tire out even an active dog. In addition, basic obedience training from puppyhood onwards helps build a bond between you and your dog, and plays a key role in raising a balanced and obedient dog.