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I have just bought a new Labrador puppy, what is the best food for him?
Congratulations on your new puppy!

When you are collecting your puppy, find out from the breeder what he is eating at that time. You should try to keep him on the same diet as he is used to starting out.

If you want to change him to another food do so gradually so as not to upset his sensitive digestive system. Mix the new food with the old food gradually and over the course of about a week or 10 days increase the amount of new food and decrease old food. 

An important thing to remember is that a puppy needs to be fed on a puppy diet, so we would recommended that you always feed your puppy on a ‘Puppy’ formulated food. These foods have been specially formulated to meet the requirements of your growing puppy, ensuring to look after all his nutritional needs. 

You have a Labrador puppy, which would be classed as a Large Breed dog. There are certain foods formulated specifically for the large breed puppy as they have different requirements from smaller puppies. They may have added glucosamine and chondrotin with a larger kibble to cater for the larger dog.
My dog is overweight, what is the best thing to do with her?
Obesity in dogs is becoming a problem these days. Each dog will have individual reasons for being overweight, but the following factors could be responsible for the weight gain.

Sometimes we feel that we need our dogs to live the same lives as we do, in that we want them to have the same diet as us.

When you are sitting at the kitchen table and your dog is staring longingly up at your dinner you need to be vigilant and not give in to feeding her scraps. If you do decide to feed scraps, which we don’t recommend, make sure you include them in her daily food allowance.

Also if you are using treats for your dog for training etc, you also need to include these in her daily food allowance.

Dogs need exercise as well, make sure she gets out and about enough, so she can run off all her excess energy. There are now specific products on the market formulated for overweight dogs, these would be lower protein, lower calorie diets.
My dog won't stop chewing everything
If this dog is still a puppy this is a very common problem. Puppies, like babies, have teething problems and like to chew on everything they see.

Try to make sure you provide your puppy with plenty of toys that they are allowed to chew on. Don’t let them into areas of your house that have items they can damage.

Unfortunately it is a difficult problem to solve, so one thing that should be done is just to make sure you don’t leave any of your belongings in their reach.

Excessive chewing can often be due to boredom, your dog being left alone for long periods. Make sure your dog gets plenty of stimulation and has enough company.
I have recently started using your food, but my dog won't eat it?
This is a common problem if you are changing your dog onto any new diet. Like with puppies, if you are changing a dogs diet, make sure to do so gradually.

Your dog will be used to the food he is eating, so to just change it instantly may not work. You should gradually introduce the new food, but mixing it in with the old food and after about a week the dog could be completely onto the new food.

This is not just because of your dogs preferences, a dogs digestive system is not good with changing diets, by gradually changing the food their system will adjust better to the food. If you don’t do this some dogs may not eat the food or may have digestive problems.
How do I choose the correct food for my dog, there are so many products on the market?
There is a huge choice in dog foods. There are many different types and brands for many different prices.

We would recommend that you read some literature on the products you are considering and think of the needs of your specific dog. Have a look at the packaging and make sure the food is suitable for your dog, i.e. give your puppy, puppy food.

All dog foods must disclose all information about the contents of the bag, so have a look at the ingredients and analysis and compare them. Keep an eye on meat content, protein levels, oil levels etc.
If you cannot find the answer to your question here, speak to our veterinary or nutritional experts.