Best Dog Food For Australian Shepherds

Just like humans, dogs have basic needs: food, shelter, and love. Australian Shepherds, despite the name, aren’t really from Australia — this working dog breed originated from the United States. Dogs in general are hardworking and active, but Australian Shepherds need a special diet to keep their energy levels up as they can also help farmers herd livestock.

Top Food Options For Australian Shepherds

Nutritional Requirements For Australian Shepherds

The nutritional requirements of an Australian Shepherd depend on his age and size. Categorically, dog food formulas are categorized into three: small, medium, large, and giant. According to the American Kennel Club, the Australian Shepherd is a medium-sized dog breed.

When it comes to food type, Australian Shepherds are not picky. You can feed them kibble — moist, prepared raw, or just homemade raw. By default, feeding your pup with a homemade raw is the best option for your dog’s health.

However, making homemade food requires dedication, money, and time. You must work with your dog’s vet or breeder to determine your pup’s meal frequency and its contents. Of course, the constant availability of fresh water is a must for your dog’s health.

You should feed your pups (one to three months old) with softened dog food. Moist dog food is ideal; if you only have dry food, be sure to soften it by pouring boiling water on it.

After you’ve softened the food with boiling water, let it cool down for half an hour before feeding. Adding cottage cheese to the food is a recommended way to give them a more nutritional and filling meal.

Orijen Original Dry Dog Food, 4.5 lbs.

Orijen has a nice product line, which makes it easier for dog owners to choose the right dog food for their breed. It follows AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials) nutrient profiles. It basically means that Orijen or other dog food that follows AAFCO are complete and balanced.

Here are the products under the Orijen dog food line:

• Orijen Puppy
• Orijen Senior
• Orijen Tundra
• Orijen Original
• Orijen Six Fish
• Orijen Puppy Large
• Orijen Regional Red

Despite the label of the products, all but Orijen Senior can be fed to a dog regardless of its life stages, since it has the AAFCO nutrient profile of A, which stands for All Life Stages. Nonetheless, it is advisable to provide the pup the necessary line of product suited for it. But if in doubt or if you want to make things simple, Orijen Original is recommended — it’s packed with grain-free protein and locally sourced fruits and veggies.

Eagle Pack Natural Dry Dog Food

Eagle Pack is rated as an above-average dog food. It contains a decent mix of meat and plants. It also has a nice balance of carbohydrates (51%), protein (28%), and fat (13%).

Two of the company’s most recommended products are the Power Adult and the Small Breed. Both come highly recommended and have passed the standards of AAFCO. Power Adult has a nutrient profile of M (Maintenance) and Small Breed has a profile of A (All Life Stages).

However, there is a bit of a problem with Eagle Pack’s dog food — they contain brewer’s yeast. It is included because of the additional protein and nutrients it provides. But some dogs can be allergic to it.

Due to that, it is important to check first if your dog is allergic to yeast. Consult a vet so you can be sure. An alternative to knowing if your dog is yeast-intolerant is to let your pup take one meal of Eagle Pack and see if any adverse reaction happens.

Fromm Family Foods Gold Nutritionals Dog Food

Instead of the usual pork and chicken meat, you can have the choice of feeding your dog with duck meat, which is the primary ingredient of Fromm’s best-selling Fromm Four Star Nutritionals Duck and Sweet Potato.

If you want your dog to eat more vegetables, Fromm’s dog food products are an excellent choice. The company’s products usually have the following ingredients:

• Pearled Barley
• Sweet Potatoes
• Brown Rice
• Oatmeal
• White Rice
• Millet

Just like with Eagle Pack, Fromm dog food contains a controversial ingredient: tomato pomace  a byproduct of processed tomato products. Many people consider it as a cheap filler, which makes them feel they are not getting their money’s worth. However, it is a good source of fiber that your dog needs.

Nature’s Logic Dry Chicken For Dogs

Nature Logic dog food product line boasts of the most variety of meat flavor and content. Their dog food uses beef, lamb, rabbit, sardines, turkey, venison, chicken, salmon, and duck. All products have an A AAFCO nutrient profile.

With Nature’s Logic, you can easily determine which type of meat your dog prefers. But even though the variety of meat is Nature’s Logic’s strongest point, it is still considered a plant-based dog food. Nonetheless, Nature’s Logic provides above-average protein content and a good amount of fiber for healthy digestion and bowel movement.

Aside from that, most of the nutrients that Nature’s Logic products provide are mostly sourced from natural ingredients: alfalfa nutrient concentrate, montmorillonite clay, and chicory root.

Another thing that makes Nature’s Logic a good meal for dogs, especially Australian Shepherds, is that its kibbles are smaller than normal. This makes it easier for them to eat it. The only downside is you can expect that your dog will eat more than usual if you do not control the meal portions.

Stella and Chewy’s Freeze Dried Super Meal Mixers

Except from the Dandy Lamb and Tantalizing Turkey, most of Stella and Chewy’s dog food products are great. Unlike most of the previously mentioned products, Stella and Chewy’s are mostly prepared raw dog foods, which can be bought in two forms: Dinner Morsels and Dinner Patties.

Most of the dog food in the company’s product line have high protein content — mostly 50% and above. Its fat-to-protein ratio is around 73% and has carbohydrates of around 10%, so most of the calories that your dog will get from Stella and Chewy’s will be mostly from fat.

Because of that, Stella and Chewy’s is not suitable for some dog breeds, particularly small ones. While Australian Shepherds can handle such nutrient balance, it is still best to mix some vegetables or grains with the dog food to “dilute” the fat content a bit.