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When should my large breed puppy transition to adult dog food?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | German Shepherd | Male | unneutered | 8 months and 26 days old | 50 lbs

I have a 9-month-old german shepherd/ belgian malinois mix puppy, and I was wondering when should I change him from puppy food to adult food.

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on May 11th, 2023

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question, which is a great one. You should switch Ranger from his puppy food to an adult food when he is 12 months of age. Given that he is a large breed dog, I recommend that when he is 12 months old, you feed him a large breed dog food. Brands I recommend include Royal Canin, Hill's Science Diet, Purina ProPlan, and Iams. When you do make the switch, you will need to transition him slowly to prevent stomach upset. You do this by mixing together the puppy food and adult food, slowly increasing the amount of adult food and decreasing the amount of puppy food until he is eating the adult food only. I hope this helps!

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