Food: Feed only a high quality food of approximately 25-26% protein and 14-16% fat. As a puppy you MUST use a brand specifically made for large breed puppies. Feed the puppy 3 times daily until 6 months of age, and then 2 times daily. Do not let the puppy or the adult get overweight.
Exercise: Do not force exercise on the growing puppy. Let it exercise at its own pace. Do not let it jump in and out of vehicles or over obstacles 1 foot high and do not do draft work before 12 months of age. After 12 months, pulling weight should not exceed ¼ the puppy?s body weight until 24 months of age.
Handling: Do not use excessive force on the puppies rear end when teaching it to sit. Do not apply excessive pressure oh the back and forequarter area of the puppy.
General: Do not let the growing puppy routinely walk, run, play, or sleep on slippery surfaces.
Medical Care: Keep the puppy?s vaccination up to date. Get veterinary care immediately when a medical problem is suspected. Bloat and gastric torsion are a major concern. Make yourself familiar with the signs of this often deadly condition. Follow your veterinarian?s instructions as to routine prevention measures such as deforming, heartworm, prophylaxis, etc. If the puppy gets sore for any reason restrict his exercise and walk him on a leash. Do not let him keep reinjuring himself. Crate the puppy when you are not there to supervise his activity level. If the puppy is sore for more than 48 hours, contact your veterinarian.
Environment: Keep flee numbers down by fogging or use of applications such as Front Line. Large breed puppies are extremely quick growing. As such, they will be prone to getting pano (growing pains) and trauma induced shoulder lesions (flap of cartilage forms in the shoulder joint.) Don?t let him roughhouse on hard surfaces. Encourage having the puppy play on grass. If you lift your puppy, please keep ALL the legs supported at ALL times. Don?t let small children carry around by the front legs. Put carpet remnants down over all the hardwood and linoleum floors until the puppy is 18 months old. Living on hard, slippery floors can induce hip dysplasia, pano, and OCD lesions. Crate train, and use padding in the crate. Try not to let the puppy jump off high surfaces like porches, trucks, cars, stairs, beds, etc.