How much you feed your adult Doberman Pinscher depends
primarily on the dog's activity level. If your dog
regularly exercises, participates in agility training, or
is a working dog, they will need more calories. For dogs
that get an average amount of exercise, feed the Doberman
Pinscher according to the dog food manufacturer's
recommendations for a medium-sized dog. Make sure you
divide the dog's daily ration into two to four meals per
day. Look at your dog at mealtime. If your Doberman
appears overweight and you can't feel the ribs, cut the
ration. Your dog may require a diet food, or a food
higher in fiber. Doberman Pinschers should be muscular
and agile; if your dog seems either overweight or underweight, consult with your
veterinarian to determine a correct feeding schedule
and ration.
What Can Miniature Pinschers Eat?
As a member of the toy breeds group, the Miniature
Pinscher is a small, spirited dog with high
energy levels. While the breed can essentially eat
anything, some foods are more suitable than others.
Choose kibble available in mini-bites to fit the mouth of
the little Miniature Pinscher, and avoid feeding anything
hard that is larger than one-half inch in diameter
because the dog may swallow it whole, and it could become
lodged in the esophagus.
Food Types
Miniature Pinschers can thrive on wet or dry
commercial food, raw
food diets, or home-cooked meals. Puppies and
young adults that get plenty of exercise benefit from
a performance diet rich in protein, while older or
less active dogs may need a diet with sufficient
fiber and reduced fat to prevent them from gaining
weight. Some owners prefer to feed raw food diets,
which consist of human-quality raw meat protein mixed
with fruit, vegetables, and bone meal. Check with
your veterinarian before feeding your dog raw meat.
Wash your hands, kitchen utensils and surfaces
thoroughly after handling raw meat to avoid bacterial
contamination. Miniature Pinschers love dog treats,
and dried, baked calves' liver is not only delicious
but rich in nutrients and iron content.
Quantities
When feeding commercial dog food, select the
appropriate product for the weight and age of your
Miniature Pinscher. The correct quantity to feed
varies, depending on the dog's activity level.
Active, growing puppies require less than 1 ounce of
dry dog food per pound of body weight each day,
spread across three to four meals. Adult Miniature
Pinschers, however, only require around half an ounce
per pound, and you can feed them all the food in one
or two daily meals.
Home-Cooked Food
If you prepare home-cooked food, use approximately 50
percent meat, poultry or fish protein, such as
skinless chicken or turkey, lean muscle meat, or fish
with a high oil content such as salmon. Include
complex carbohydrates such as sweet potato, brown
rice, barley, or quinoa to make up 30 percent of the
recipe. The remaining 20 percent can be fruit and
vegetables such as green beans, carrots, pumpkin,
apples, pears and bananas. Cook all the ingredients
in a large pot with just enough water to process the
rice. Debone the meat or chicken, mix the cooked food
together and freeze it until you need it.
Never feed your Miniature Pinschers chocolate,
grapes, raisins, macadamia nuts, avocados, or milk.
Chocolate, coffee, and caffeine all contain
methylxanthine substances, which are found in the
cacao seeds used to make coffee and other products.
These can cause vomiting, seizures, and even the
death of your dog. Onions, garlic and chives,
although harmless to humans, cause irritation of the
dog’s gastrointestinal tract, and large quantities or
regular ingestion could cause damage to the dog’s red
blood cells. Avoid giving your dog table scraps,
because these can contain more salt and fat than the
dog’s system can handle, and long-term exposure could
lead to pancreatitis and weight
gain.
More on Dog Nutrition
Large Breed Dog Food and
Nutrition
The Proper
Nutrition for Feeding a Puppy
What's Your Dog's Ideal Weight?
