Several times a day, well-meaning members of various Facebook forums will ask other well meaning members what they should feed their puppy. Members who are not vets, are not breeders and have not read the ingredients on their own dogs food will then tell new dog owners what food to buy usually based on what their dog "likes." And then inevitably, others will chime in criticizing the choice to feed kibble in the first place and at the end of the day I imagine many group members regret asking the question as they get a 50+ responses, none of the helpful,
So as not to be a hypocrite please remember that we also ARE NOT vets, but we are very careful about what we feed our dogs. We talk to our vets. We do our homework. We talk to other breeders. We read labels. We study dog nutrition. We also do not judge other people's decisions on what to feed, as long as they are doing the best they can for their dog. Every breed, every dog and every owner is different. We would encourage owners to investigate all of the following options: 

1. RAW FEEDING - This is a passionate and controversial topic. Those who support raw feeding feel that anything less is unacceptable. That being said, authorities we trust on this recognize that raw feeding is not for everyone. It can be very time consuming, there are contamination concerns and not all dogs can tolerate it. If you have an interest in learning about raw feeding, especially for Cavalier related breeds, we suggest you turn to Dr. Judy Morgan. Here is her recipe for puppy loaf, which is a great introduction in to raw feeding. For those that are interested in raw feeding, another easy introduction is prepared raw foods. We have fed Answers (found in your local boutique pet store), Primal Raw and Instincts Raw which are both highly rated and recommended. Most of our dogs enjoy and tolerate all of these convenient raw options. 
2. HOME COOKED - Many new dog owners get confused with the difference between "raw feeding" (which is based on foods that are not cooked) and "home cooked" which is simply preparing your dogs food at home from ingredients such as lean meats, vegetables and carbohydrates. This is easy to confuse. For example, we shared a puppy loaf above which can be served raw or cooked - it would fall in both categories. Home cooked can also be time consuming, more expensive and challenging (to make sure you dog gets all the nutrients needed). That being said, our dogs love home cooked meals and they've also been great for dogs with special dietary needs or severe allergies. Today's dogs also have another great option which is "home cooked" meals delivered to you and thawed. Our dogs are currently loving Ollie which we will discuss more in a future post. 
3. KIBBLE - Back to the original post, people are usually asking which kibble they should feed their dogs because kibble is the most commonly fed among the choices. Kibble has gotten a bad rap in the past several years due to misleading packaging, recalls and poor ingredients. That being said there is a place for kibble. For example, we like to offer raw and home cooked food for our dogs when we can, but we use kibble in training, when stuffing Kongs, to supplement feeding during pregnancy, when traveling and when transferring pups to new owners. There is a place for kibble BUT you do want to make sure you are feeding the best kibble possible. To that end, do yourself a favor and stop asking strangers on the internet what they feed their dogs because it really doesn't matter. Instead, consider doing the following: 
   1. Talk to your breeder. Why ask strangers instead of asking the person that bred and raised this puppy? I still don't understand why people immediately want to change their puppies food but if you can't resist you should ask your breeder for other suggestions. Assuming you used a reputable breeder, please make sure to ask your breeder WHY they chose the food they sent home with your puppy. You don't want to learn the hard way that your puppy is prone to an allergy or other issue that your breeder may be aware of.
      
   2. Talk to your vet. Yes, I realize that some vets only pitch the dog food they sell in their offices but many others will give you an honest opinion about the best ingredients and considerations for YOUR specific dog. Hear what your vet has to say and then . . .
   3. Read reviews from an unbiased resource that does not make their money from pet food sales. The one we recommend is DOG FOOD ADVISOR because it allows you to pick categories (puppy, with grain, without grain, senior dog) and then get several recommendations with explanations and ratings. Poke around and sample a few. Ones (all 4 star and higher) we have tried and keep in rotation include: 
      1. PawTree Dog Food (all varieties). Read about PawTree here. 
      2. Blue Buffalo Life Protection Puppy
      3. Orijen Puppy
      4. Victor Purpose Nutra Pro (Suitable for dogs and puppies)
      5. NuLo Freestyle Puppy & Adult Small Breed (Grain Free)
      6. Diamond Naturals Small Breed
   4. Go to your local boutique pet store. Yes, sometimes they are higher priced but they also give great advice (talk with the owner or an experienced associate) and often have free samples of the food for your dog to try before committing to a large bag. They also have rewards and loyalty programs that often reduce the cost of their food to be more competitive to Amazon, Chewy, etc. 

At the end of the day, dog food is a personal choice based on your dog, your time and your budget. Don't surrender that choice to strangers with little to no knowledge of any of those factors.

Paid Advertisement

We talk a lot about DNA and want to share a quick post on our preferred DNA provider, Embark Veterinary, Inc. We recommend Embark to the following people: 

• New breeders who want a comprehensive and easily understandable DNA test to determine if their dogs should be bred. 
• New owners who purchase from a rescue, puppy store, puppy mill or a breeder who did not do DNA testing. This is specifically important for those who relied on a health guarantee and want to detect any issues before it expires. 
• Dog enthusiasts who simply want to know more about their dog's traits, health and ancestry. It's particularly fun with rescue dogs when the family has been playing "I wonder if he has any ___ in him." 

While there are several DNA companies on the market, we specifically use and sought out Embark as a paid advertiser of our content because of the following:

• Their reports are easy to understand and can be easily downloaded to share with your vet. 
• They are constantly researching and identifying new information related to our breeds. They recently identified a new genetic trait and alerted us immediately that one of our dogs might be at risk. This was invaluable for our breeding program and our vet.
• They provide a wealth of knowledge for both owners and breeders. As a breeder, I love their new "matchmaking tool" which helps me identify potential DNA matches in other dogs for breeding (think of Match.com but DNA based . . . and for dogs). 
• We love that they provide us the ability to share our breeding dogs DNA reports by link to reduce fraud, forgery and false DNA often given by scammers and puppy mills. 

Attached is a sample page from our Embark DNA report on KoKo that shows she's DNA clear for all conditions. This is the gold standard for breeding.

​If you are searching for a puppy, please read our post on DNA TESTING and the role it plays in responsible breeding. If you are considering one of our puppies, please email us and we will gladly share our full Embark DNA reports with you for your review. If you are a new dog owner and want to test your puppy for any health conditions, please use the link below for current promotions being offered by Embark. ​

Covid. Time at home to train, loneliness, a desire to do something for the kids and general depression have lots of people looking for the same thing - a new puppy, man's best friend and companionship! The frantic search began the first week of March and has shown NO SIGNS of slowing down with tons of new posts on Facebook forums every day with a family looking for a new puppy. Sadly, many of them have just come up with this idea and don't realize they are weeks behind the masses in their search. Unfortunately, most reputable breeders (if not all) are wiped out of puppies. Several I know have even sold younger dogs they were intending to keep in their breeding program simply because they felt so bad for the families searching. Breeders I talk to and work with are getting bombarded by tons of inquiries every day, getting labeled as unresponsive because they can't keep up and yet have nothing left to offer except a position on a waitlist. 

High demand, low supply and desperation results in a several things: 

• Frantic consumers many who may have mentioned a puppy to the family before understanding the shortage. 
• Increased prices putting healthy puppies out of reach for some families. 
• Impatience and frustration from consumers who can't understand why there aren't puppies available. 
• Frustration and exhaustion from breeders who have nothing left to offer.

The exact same thing happens around Christmas. Now you can better understand why this is a perfect storm for two types of people: 

1. Disreputable Breeders - These are the breeders who don't health or DNA test their dogs. They may be high volume (like a puppy mill) or low volume (often called a backyard breeder). They've often been on the news for bad breeding practices but since customers are buying on the internet and relying on recommendations from someone they don't even know, the consumer is none the wiser until it's too late. This breeder knows once you've purchased and fallen in love with a puppy you aren't going to return it so they can offer worthless health guarantees and take advantage of your desperation, They know people will put down a deposit on anything right now and aren't doing their homework because they fear if they don't get this puppy then they will never find another one! 
2. Scammers - Disreputable breeders are bad, but at least they have puppies to sell. The other person taking advantage of the Covid puppy crisis is simply a scammer. They post fake puppies, respond to your forum request on FB telling you they have a puppy. They have photos. They may even have a website. What they don't actually have is a puppy to sell but again consumers will put down a deposit on ANYTHING right now and even if they get your $50 or $100 they're happy because they did nothing for it! As an attorney, I get asked to represent people in scams ALL THE TIME. Puppy scammers are the worst. They use your emotions. They have multiple fake names and follow you so they know what you're looking for. They show you a photo and tell you they have it -they don't.

Here are a few ways to protect yourself: 

1. Search their names on the forums and see their previous posts. 
2. Look at when they joined the forum, how many friends they have on their FB profile and whether or not you can actually find photos of them WITH their dogs. 
3. Ask to see the AKC pedigree of their breeding dogs. If they actually provide them (most don't), research the dog's names on the OFA to see who REALLY owns them.
4. Ask to see the DNA tests for the breeding pair. DNA testing can be forged or stolen from other sources but most scam artist are looking for low hanging fruit and don't go through this much effort.
5. As for their cell phone number and FACETIME them. Ask the see the puppy and parent dog (unexpectedly). If they don't answer, don't leave a message to prepare them for the call, just keep calling back. 
6. Search Google with their name (alone) and then followed by "scam" and "puppy mill." Also do this with ANY breeder you are considering. Just this simple search will turn up all sorts of information. It amazes me every single day that people recommend a breeder that they have never even searched themselves. 
7. Never WIRE money. If you are purchasing online use a method of payment with protection for your purchase!

As I've said many times on this page, I don't expect you to take my word on any topic - do your homework. If you don't think puppy scams are happening all around you here are a few links from one coast to the other: 
Better Business Bureau Report on Covid Puppy Scams
North Carolina Department of Justice Puppy Scam Alert
Three Oaks Farm Christmas Puppy Scam in Charleston
Concord News Article on Current Puppy Scams

Please protect yourself. Please check your local shelters as dogs will be surrendered every day due to job loss and related issues. Please find one to two breeders you trust and get on their waiting list - before you know it you WILL have that perfect puppy! 

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