Importance of Kibble Shape for Dogs:
It’s essential to feed your dog foods having proper kibble shape. Small-shaped kibbles are suitable for small breed dogs and pets with brachycephalic jaws. For example, Dachshunds have dental genetic problems, so feeding them food with dental benefits and specific kibble size helps them with their genetic disorders.
How Do I Choose the Right Food for My Dog?
Breed should help determine the kibble that you choose, but shouldn’t be the only decision point when choosing food for your favorite furball. There are a few different factors that directly impact which type of dog food is right for your furry friend including:
Simply put, the size of your dog when full grown is a big deal when choosing dog food. Accordingly, dog food is typically separated into three different categories depending on the general size of your dog’s breed:
By sorting breeds into different sizes, you can better address their specific nutritional needs. There are some distinct differences in terms of energy requirements depending on your dog’s size. For example, smaller dogs typically have higher metabolisms than their larger breed counterparts. Meanwhile, larger breeds may require more substantial portions to support their sizable bodies. By following the feeding instructions on a size-specific formula, you can help ensure that your best friend gets the right amount of food she needs for her specific frame.
While the overall size of you breed is a key factor, so is your dog’s age. Puppies, adults, and seniors all have very different dietary needs. Puppies are actively developing and require frequent feedings of a high-quality puppy food packed with protein and nutritional support to help sustain healthy energy levels while they grow.
Over time, your puppy will transition into adulthood and will need a more appropriate adult dog food for her metabolism. The timing of this transition typically depends on the size of your dog and when they are fully grown.
By the time your best friend gets older, she’ll need a formula suited to help her age gracefully. Senior dogs still need the same high-quality protein to support muscle mass and key body functions, but they don’t need the same levels of fat as their younger selves. A good senior dog food will contain controlled levels of fat and protein and a blend of gentle fibers to help support a mature, active lifestyle and easy digestion for a seasoned canine. As with puppies, the beginning of senior status can depend on the size of your dog.
So I began my research and below is what I found.
I took a sampling of their adult and puppy breed specific foods, and looked at their ingredient list. Not surprising to me, it was all really similar. And in my humble opinion, not great ingredients to boot!
Breed |
Main Ingredient List |
Why Manufacturer Says this is Food is for this Breed |
| Labrador Retriever puppy | Chicken by-product meal, brewers rice, brown rice, corn gluten meal, wheat gluten, corn, chicken fat, natural flavors, dried plain beet pulp, fish oil. | Kibble is formulated as a donut shape because labs tend to eat quickly. Should slow them down. |
| Golden Retriever puppy | Chicken by-product meal, brewers rice, wheat gluten, corn, brown rice, chicken fat, wheat, powdered cellulose, natural flavors, dried plain beet pulp, fish oil. |
The size, shape and texture are designed to be easy for this breed to pick up and encourage chewing. |
| Yorkshire Terrier puppy | Chicken by-product meal, brewers rice, chicken fat, corn, dried plain beet pulp, natural flavors, brown rice, wheat gluten,grain distillers dried yeast. | The kibble is designed with the optimal size, shape and texture to encourage chewing. |
| Poodle puppy | Chicken by-product meal, brewers rice, corn, chicken fat, wheat gluten, corn gluten meal, wheat, natural flavors, dried plain beet pulp, fish oil. | The size, shape and texture are designed to be easy for this breed to pick up and encourage chewing. |
| Pug puppy | Brewers rice, chicken by-product meal, corn, chicken fat, dried plain beet pulp, corn gluten meal, natural flavors, wheat gluten, fish oil | The cloverleaf shaped kibbles are designed to be easy for this breed to pick up and encourage chewing. |
| Labrador Retriever adult | Chicken by-product meal, brown rice, oat groats, brewers rice, corn gluten meal, natural flavors, chicken fat, pork meal, dried plain beet pulp, powdered cellulose. | Kibble is formulated as a donut shape because labs tend to eat quickly. Should slow them down. |
| Golden Retriever adult | Brown rice, chicken by-product meal, oat groats, brewers rice, corn gluten meal, wheat, chicken fat, natural flavors, powdered cellulose, dried plain beet pulp, fish oil, wheat gluten | The size, shape and texture are designed to be easy for this breed to pick up and encourage chewing. |
| Yorkshire Terrier adult | Brewers rice, brown rice, chicken by-product meal, chicken fat, wheat gluten, corn gluten meal, corn, natural flavors, powdered cellulose, dried plain beet pulp, fish oil. | The size, shape and texture are designed to be easy for this breed to pick up and encourage chewing. |
| Poodle adult | Corn, brewers rice, wheat gluten, chicken by-product meal, chicken fat, corn gluten meal, natural flavors, dried plain beet pulp, vegetable oil, fish oil, grain distillers dried yeast. | The size, shape and texture are designed to be easy for this breed to pick up and encourage chewing. |
| Pug adult | Brewers rice, chicken by-product meal, brown rice, corn, corn gluten meal, oat groats, chicken fat, natural flavors, wheat gluten, dried plain beet pulp, fish oil. | The size, shape and texture are designed to be easy for this breed to pick up and encourage chewing. |
If you look closely at the table above, most of the ingredients are the same, they just may be ordered differently. And the reason for the “breed specific” nature of the food is generally that the kibble size and shape is formulated differently for each breed.
Do You Need Breed Specific Dog Food?
As responsible pet parents, we make sure to do our homework before choosing the right breed for our lifestyle. That means reading up on books, blogs, and forums, asking the opinions of our friends and family, and even seeking the advice of strangers at the dog park!
We want to know it all. The breed can determine how much exercise a dog needs, how they should be trained, and of course, how much food they need at every meal. But, we often tend to overlook the type of food that is best for particular breeds, usually just going by the vague recommendations on packages at the pet store.
How important is it that we select food based on breed, and what effect does it really have for the overall health of the pup? Today, we’ll examine this key question from every angle, and help you figure out the best food to buy for certain breeds.
Like us humans, a dog uses its stomach and intestinal tract to digest food fully. But while most of our digestion takes place in the intestines (70%), it’s the other way around for dogs. That means the stomach does most of the heavy lifting for dogs, and every breed has super high levels of enzymes and acids to break down food after it’s scarfed down.
You may have noticed that dogs aren’t always big fans of chewing their food, so it makes sense that their stomachs must be equipped to get the job done. With that in mind, remember that there is no biological difference in the digestive structure between one breed to the next, only the size and length of the organs at work. A miniature poodle has the same digestive process as the big dogs and every breed in between.
With all that said, there are a few key things to note when selecting dry food at the store, mainly the size of the pieces of kibble you pour into the bowl. Food should always be bite-sized, but every dog has a different sized bite! Large labradors and shepherds will have food pieces up to three times as big as toy dog breed food.
Macronutrient breakdown will also vary slightly from one breed to the next, but physical activity level and age are more important factors when determining levels of protein, fat, and carbs.
We’ve found that for most commercial dog foods, the basic components don’t differ. The folks at Rocky’s Retreat did a deep dive into the various types of food marketed at different dog breeds and discovered little variation in content.
At the top of the list for most dog food ingredients is “chicken by-product meal”, which should raise red flags right out of the gate. While it may have a few grams of real meat and some residual chicken flavor, you have to recognize that this ranks as one of the least reliable and least healthy protein sources.
On the carbohydrates front, the most common products listed are “brewers rice” and “corn gluten meal”, neither of which are the most high-quality carbs on the market. Not only is brewers rice the most sugar-laden rice, but it can also lead to insulin issues. Yes, there’s such a thing as doggie diabetes! Corn gluten meal is also low in vital nutrients, and isn’t great for digestion, either.
Finally, we see “dried plain beet pulp” as a common ingredient in these products. Although this stuff may provide some antioxidants and check the box for providing vegetables, it simply does not deliver the same level of nutrition, vitamins, and minerals as real fruits and veggies. You don’t need a degree in nutrition to see that these ingredients are not optimal, and over the course of a doggy lifetime, they can cause some avoidable problems. According to a renowned Tufts veterinarian, it’s well known that the majority of breed-specific claims on most commercial dog food packages aren’t actually legit. What’s far more important is the quality of the ingredients within.
According to Pet MD, food that targets specific health conditions is way more vital to your dog’s well-being than food that claims to be formulated for a particular breed.
Vets know that a dog’s nutritional needs will change over the course of a lifespan, and certain health issues can arise that demand a new type of food.
While many medical solutions exist to these problems, it’s always preferred to make dietary tweaks that get to the root, rather than applying band-aids that only treat symptoms.
We’ve seen people turn their entire lives around just by making commitments to new ways of eating, and the same can be done for dogs if you have the right information and support.
Unlike some of the questionable ingredients in dry food we pointed out above, veterinarians recommend whole foods cooked right, just like our doctors suggest for us as humans.
The truth is that most of the main ingredients listed on these store-bought dog foods are the same. They may be listed in different orders or have unique flavors, but the ultimate result on your dog’s health does not vary.
At Ollie, we don’t accept this low standard, which is why we commit to using only the highest quality whole-food ingredients in every meal.
Real lamb, chicken, turkey, and beef kidney are some of the best-digesting proteins for dogs, so that’s what we use. For carbs, we rely on stuff like sweet potatoes, peas, and blueberries, all of which provide healthy, sustained energy and minimize blood sugar spikes. Finally, the fat we use in our recipes is mainly from cod liver oil, and chia seeds, both certified superfoods that we see in the healthy section of the grocery store.
Keep in mind that we don’t just serve up dry kibble in a bag. Instead, we cook fresh batches of tasty, fresh food that comes in many popular recipes.
This is not like other subscription services that bring the same old thing to your door every month. We’re constantly switching things up to keep it interesting for you and your dog!
On top of that, your doggie meal plan can be adjusted on the fly, based on factors like changes in activity level, allergies, health concerns or age. We give you a huge amount of control over your dog’s plan, and provide you with the expert advice you need to ensure optimal health.
This is far from a one-size-fits-all product. It’s a custom diet solution that makes a real impact on the health and happiness of your pup!