• Part 1: Puppy Diet
• Part 2: Adult Diet
• Part 3: General Care

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Breakfast 7.00 - 9.00am

1/3 cup barley flakes, rolled oats, or *Tukka Thyme or a mixture.
*Tukka Thyme is a Herbal Muesli.
For more information contact thyme@xtra.co.nz

Mixed in 1/2 pint warm milk with 1/4 tsp slippery elm powder and a dollop of honey, soak overnight.

In morning add 1 tablespoon of unsweetened natural yoghurt and more milk if required.

Puppy might also like a piece of toast with honey or marmite.
Alternately 1 cup of good quality dry food

Lunch 12.00 - 1.00pm

1/2 cup cooked brown rice
1/3 cup cottage cheese
2-3 Sardines, Mackerel or Tuna either in oil or spring water..or beef mince or chicken mince..
1 tsp Bakers Bran
1/3 tsp Brewers Yeast
1 tsp Wheatgerm
1/3 tsp Kelp
1 alfalfa tablet or 1/3 cup fresh
1tsp oil, I vary mine between: Flaxseed, Olive, Canola, Avocado, or Cod Liver.
1/2 tsp dolomite powder (calcium) increased with age and growth, with a large pinch of calcium ascorbate to help the body absorb the calcium.
1/4 clove garlic crushed or chopped finely, increased to 1 clove in adulthood.
Grated carrot, chopped silverbeet, cabbage , parsley, mint, spinach - any good vegetable, all grated finely, (I use my fruit and vege juicer).

Note: Do not feed raw potatoes or onions.
Mix all together. An egg can be added 3 times a week (shell and all). Roughly one heaped tablespoon of veggies per meal.

Dinner 5.00 - 7.00pm

2 large cups of chopped or minced raw meat, this should be increased with puppies growth and appetite.

Or any of the following:
1/2 mutton flap (the secret to fat healthy puppies), chicken backs or portions, a large piece of brisket bone, these should be increased with the puppies growth and appetite

ALL meat to be feed RAW.

Supper - Bedtime

Warm Milk
1tsp slippery elm powder
1small tsp honey
1-2 home made biscuits, or good quality brought biscuits.

Natural Dog Biscuit Recipe
1lb wholemeal flour
1/2 cup rye flakes
1/2 cup wheat flakes
1/2 cup oat flakes
1/2 ground linseed or (1tsp linseed oil mixed with liquid)
1/2 cup course oatmeal (swill in cold water before adding).

Mix to a biscuit consistency with 1 tablespoon molasses and 1 teaspoon honey soaked in warm water as your liquid.
Roll out not to thickly and cut into shapes, bake in hot oven (200deg C) until golden brown.
Make sure biscuits are really cool before storage and they will keep well.

Alternative Meals:
These may replace any of those on the diet sheet.

Bosch or a good quality dry food: 1/2 cup either dry or soaked in hot water or mixed with sardines (increase with appetite)

Tukka Thyme: mixed with chicken, beef or mutton mince, soften with warm water, with either a tsp of honey or molasses.

A Favorite: Beef mince, grated carrot, ripe avocado, raw egg, & Tukka Thyme mixed together with honey dissolved in hot water.

If puppy becomes fussy with food:

• Give puppy 20mins with his meal then remove, discard...(don’t save for next meal)....
• Make pup wait for next meal.
• NO nibbles in-between....repeat exercise...pup will not starve but will learn to eat.
• Don’t make the meals to big to start.
• Supper can be stopped also.
• It is normal for some pups to go off their food when going to their knew homes...within a week they should settle into their new routine...
• Be consistent with their meals.
• The last thing your need is a fussy dog!!
• With children it is good to have them around when pup is being feed.
  (Kids must behave sensibly & quietly around pup when being feed though).
• Get them to put the food down for the pup or put the biscuits into the bowl….Maybe hold the bowl between their feet.
• This is the best way of getting the pup to become at ease and not protective with its food.

PART 2: Adult Meals

Breakfast:
Chicken mince, beef mince...I use both because of the amount of dogs but you could alternate (normally 1/3-1/2kg per dog)
Tukka Thyme (per dog 1/2 cup max)

1/2 tsp of:Brewers yeast, Kelp
and every 2nd or 3rd day 1 tsp of: Bakers Bran, Wheat Germ

1/2-1 cup Raw blended or grated veges (at the moment mine are getting grated carrot and diced spinach parsley and coriander)... + what ever you have left over from tea...this could be anything from pasta to salad

1dsp Cottage Cheese 1 egg couple of times a week shell and all crushed up.
1TB of oil...(as in puppy meals I use a variety).
1/2 clove garlic

*1/2 tsp Dolomite or I now use Dolomite tablets @ 1 a day....I hide it in the food (brand Thompsons)
*!/4 tsp of Vitamin C Calcium Ascorbate
*Calcium Ascorbate helps the body absorb the Dolomite

* only for my pups up to 15mths

Mix above ingredients with honey or molasses dissolved in hot water

Dinner:
Mutton flaps ...Chicken backs / portions....or brisket (growing dogs 2 each, mature dogs 1 each)
If your adult dog is overweight or has a tendency to see food and put on a pound....give more chicken than mutton.

Dobermanns are an energetic breed so need a fair amount of exercise. They need alot of time spent with them especially as young pups. So before you decide if the breed is for you you must look at your lifestyle. Do you have the time for a Dobermann. They are an intelligent demanding breed. They expect attention. If they do not get attention, training (socialization) and exercise they become destructive.

Being a short coated breed they need to be house dogs. They feel the cold in the winter and the Black and Tan Dobes feel the heat in the summer.

Because of their short coats they do not need to be bathed alot....normally a wet cloth wipe down is all that is needed. (Rosemary simmered in water and the strained liquid used as a wipe is great for their coats). Ours are country dogs so have alot of free running in the paddocks...during the winter the drains and paddocks can get quite muddy...The dogs have learnt that they must stand and have their legs and bellies hosed when they get home....A quick towel down after this and they are back to sparkling...

Toenails..this can often be an owners nightmare.
Normally when your puppy comes home he or she will have had their nails done each week by the breeder...KEEP IT UP!!!!.....even if their little nails don't really need it go through the motion of handling every toe.

When young we use guillotine clippers but from around 3mths we use a grinder...the brand we have is a cordless Dremel.
The sound can be a little off putting to start ..but stay calm...if you are calm the pup will be calm. Be firm. Get someone to help you if you are not sure. I normally sit the pups on someone's knee to start with..as they get older I use an appropriate corner, ours is in the kitchen, this way they cannot back away, do front feet first...as illustrated below.