Published on: 06/14/2019, updated on: 10/14/2021

Best Dog Food for German Shorthaired Pointer: Proper Nutrition for This Bold, Boisterous Breed

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The German Shorthaired Pointer is a relatively midsized dog. However, it's also extremely active, so if you're going to own one, you need a dog food that will support its lifestyle and health.

As many purebreds are prone also to health problems, it's essential to make sure that your companion is getting high-quality ingredients and food that are appropriate for its size, age, and personality. Otherwise, you may end up with a dog that doesn't like their food – or perhaps likes it a bit too much – and you don't want to cut your dog's life short, so good nutrients is an absolute must.

Taste of the Wild High Prairie Grain-Free dry dog food is our choice for the best dog food for German Shorthaired Pointer adults that will provide high-quality protein and fats for a happy, healthy, and active dog while avoiding grains that might upset your dog’s stomach and digestive system. It’s also one of the cheaper options on the market.

Best Dog Food for German Shorthaired Pointer Reviews

1. Taste of the Wild High Prairie Grain-Free Dry Dog Food

Taste of the Wild High Prairie Grain Free Dry Dog Food 1

Taste of the Wild High Prairie dog food, as mentioned above, is our pick as the best dog food for German Shorthaired Pointers. It has a number of protein sources available in it and is grain-free, to give your dog the best options for healthy, non-irritating food.

It has added vitamins, antioxidants, and other nutrients, which will help keep your dog happy and healthy. It’s focused on giving your dog the most support possible for digestion, running around, and living its best life.

Features

  • Real fruits and vegetables
  • Added nutrition
  • Highly digestible
  • Grain-free

This excellent dog food is sustainably and carefully sourced and has no grain, corn, wheat, filler, artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives. Made using a natural recipe, Taste of the Wild is high in all the nutrients that your dog needs and wants to be its healthiest and happiest self.

Despite all its benefits, this formulation is not particularly expensive, so you don’t have to worry about being eaten out of house and home if this is your particular choice of food for your dog or ends up as a particular favorite.

Pros

  • Grain-free
  • No fillers or artificial ingredients
  • Probiotics and prebiotics
  • Multiple protein sources

Cons

  • Not explicitly formulated for the breed

While not specifically made for German Shorthaired Pointers, this food is still the best choice for them due to its incredible nutritional content, reasonable price, and great taste. It has a strong customer base that will undoubtedly continue to be pleased by the results of this unique formulation.

Overall rating: 4.2/5

Taste of the Wild High Prairie Grain Free Dry Dog Food, 30 lb bag

2. Victor Yukon River Salmon & Sweet Potato Grain-Free Dry Dog Food

Victor Yukon River Salmon Sweet Potato Grain Free Dry Dog Food 2

Victor Yukon River Salmon & Sweet Potato dog food is an excellent choice for high-nutrition, fish-based food for your dog. It's allergen-free and great for dogs of all sizes, so it would go over particularly well in a multi-dog home.

It’s also excellent across life stages, so if this is a dog food that works for you, you don’t need to worry about whether you need to change it up in a year or two.

Features

  • Grain-free
  • Formulated for all breeds of dog
  • Nutritional additives

This food is a fantastic nutrient-packed dish. It has a lot of different nutrients that are excellent for your pup, and the supplements will assist many dogs, throughout multiple sizes or stages of life. With minimal ingredients, it's safer for dogs with allergies and sensitivities and is highly digestible, so it's the most efficient in meeting the energy demands for your dog.

This brand takes its ingredients and food sourcing very seriously. The nutrients provided by this dog food brand are excellent for this breed, although it’s not for German Shorthaired Pointers specifically. These active dogs will be able to live happy, healthy, and full lives from the nutrition found in this food.

Overall rating: 4.5/5

3. Merrick Grain-Free Real Buffalo, Beef + Sweet Potato Recipe Dry Dog Food

Merrick Grain Free Real Buffalo Beef Sweet Potato Recipe Dry Dog Food

Merrick Grain-Free Real Buffalo dry dog food is a great recipe jam-packed full of whole ingredients, protein sources, and omega-3 fatty acids for a strong, healthy dog and life. The folks at Merrick have formulated these recipes to support bone, joint, skin, and coat health with ingredients sourced from trusted farmers.

Using exceptional ingredients and added nutrients to get the most health in every bite, you can be comfortable that this is an excellent choice for your German Shorthaired Pointer.

Features

  • Added nutrients
  • Grain-free
  • Multiple protein sources

This is an excellent food that makes sure the nutrients are coming from as many ingredients as possible in their recipe, to make sure that any dog will be happy and healthy when eating their food. Great for multi-dog homes, this food is fantastic across multiple breeds, and there is a high standard of quality maintained across their foods, so you don't need to worry about difficulty in switching your dog over to it.

Pros

  • Grain-free
  • Multiple protein-sources
  • Whole ingredients

Cons

  • Not specially formulated for size or breed

This food is an excellent choice for your German Shorthaired Pointer. It's got a lot of ingredients and nutrients that will keep your pup happy, healthy, and well-fed across their adult lifespan. It's affordable as well, so you don't need to worry about cost, or about cutting corners if you're cutting cost. Despite the friendly price tag, this is a delicious and nutritious meal for your dog.

Overall rating: 4.1/5

4. Taste of the Wild High Prairie Puppy Formula Grain-Free Dry Dog Food

Taste of the Wild High Prairie Puppy Formula Grain Free Dry Dog Food 1

Taste of the Wild High Prairie Puppy Formula is the best puppy food for German Shorthaired Pointers. It's a well-priced choice that has multiple protein sources and uses whole ingredients like sweet potatoes to provide carbohydrates for your growing friend. With added nutrients like antioxidants, amino acids, and essential minerals that help keep all parts of your dog happy and healthy.

Features

  • Grain-free
  • Multiple protein sources
  • Highly digestible

This food uses proprietary blends of nutrients, probiotics, and lean proteins to create a fully rounded nutritional profile that will keep your dog happy and healthy as they grow. Puppies need particular nutrients to grow in a healthy way and set themselves up for success as an adult dog. Making sure that they get the right nutrition early on will keep these dogs happy, healthy, and ready to tackle adult life and all the health issues they may encounter.

Pros

  • Nutrient-dense
  • Cost-effective

Cons

  • Not explicitly formulated for the breed or size

This dog food is great for German Shorthaired Pointer puppies that need to make sure they have the maximum amount of nutrients to keep themselves healthy and strong while they are growing up. There are many Taste of the Wild foods that you can transition your pup into as they grow, but in the meantime, they’ll be more than happy with the great, whole ingredients present in this food that will encourage their digestive, muscle, and bone health well as they grow.

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Overall rating: 4.1/5

5. American Journey Large Breed Chicken & Brown Rice Protein First Recipe Dry Dog Food

American Journey Large Breed Chicken Brown Rice Protein First Recipe Dry Dog Food 1

This dog food is an awesome option for those with German Shorthaired Pointers on the larger side. It's full of nutritious ingredients and is specially formulated for larger dogs, to make sure they are getting their caloric and nutrition requirements.

It's highly nutritionally dense, which is best for active breeds like German Shorthaired Pointers. It's got great added nutrition such as omegas, DHA, fibers, grains, and vegetables. In addition to all its great ingredients, it excludes poultry by-product meal, wheat, corn, or soy to make sure that you don't upset your dog's stomach at all.

Features

  • Controlled levels of minerals added to support bone health
  • Omega-3s and DHA
  • Whole grains
  • No poultry by-product meal, wheat, corn, or soy

This dog food is an excellent choice and one of the best dog food for German Shorthaired Pointer adult dogs. It is full of nutrients and is fantastic for larger dogs like this breed, with high amounts of calories, fats, and fiber to help them grow and stay active as they grow.

It’s allergen-friendly, so you can be sure that your dog will be ok no matter how they’re feeling. It’s also excellent for higher-energy dogs such as this breed.

Pros

  • Whole ingredients
  • Added nutrients
  • Allergen-friends

Cons

  • Not grain-free
  • Not explicitly made for this breed

This food is an excellent choice for multi-dog homes with dogs that tend to err on the larger side and will continue to provide healthy options for your dog as it continues to grow larger as an adult. A solid choice for this high-energy breed, this food will give your dog all it needs.

Overall rating: 3.7/5

6. Fromm Family Foods Gold Puppy Food

Fromm Family Foods Gold Puppy Food 1

Fromm Family Foods Gold Puppy Food is an excellent choice from one of the best dog food brands for German Shorthaired Pointers. Made with high-quality ingredients, it’s a fantastic choice for any pet owner looking to provide their new puppy with high-quality food that will help them grow into a strong and healthy adult.

While not grain-free, it’s a fantastic food choice if your puppy doesn’t seem to have a particularly sensitive digestive system. It’s suggested by vets and breeders alike, and you can tell that it’s going to be a good choice for your pup.

Features

  • Not grain-free
  • Good for puppies only
  • No corn or wheat

This is an excellent puppy food choice for German Shorthaired Pointers, and Fromm’s makes many types of foods, so you’ll be transitioning the puppy to a similar formula after it eventually outgrows this specific food type.

It’s not grain-free, so not great if your puppy seems to have allergies, but it stays away from corn and wheat, which are the main offenders.

Pros

  • Excellent, highly rated food for puppies
  • No corn or wheat
  • Healthy ingredients

Cons

  • Not grain-free
  • Not explicitly made for this breed/size dog

This is an excellent choice for puppy food for your German shorthaired pointer. Coming from a trustworthy, well-known, and highly recommended brand of food, this dog food is an excellent choice for people looking for food for a new addition to their family when it seems like their pup is a living vacuum cleaner that doesn't get bothered by much – but they still want to make sure it grows up healthy.

Overall rating: 4.2/5

Feeding/Buying Guide

German Shorthaired Pointers need protein and energy when they’re young to accommodate the energy they’ll have as they grow into a high-stamina, high-energy adult. You want to look for foods that are high in both protein and fat, though it’s also important to be careful that you don’t overfeed and the puppy grows to fast.

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Overgrowth is a risk due to arthritis and other joint issues that may crop up with this breed later in life. The best way to do this is to tackle the problem with a large-breed puppy food that keeps your dog on track with appropriately-formulated ingredients and ratios.

Once the dog is an adult, an all-size or large-breed adult recipe is the way to go. You want one with a lot of protein that will help with maintaining lean muscle mass, one of the pointer’s characteristic traits. Moderate fat is also a reliable indicator to look for in the food since the breed has very high energy needs that the food has to compensate for.

This will continue to help with their growth as they also often contain glucosamine and chondroitin for healthy bones and joints. Once they slow down a bit more in old age, you may want to switch your dog to a lower fat formula to make sure that they are kept at a healthy weight.

In general, you want to look for natural ingredients, animal protein, and moderate levels of healthy fat, and digestible carbohydrates as well as joint-supporting nutrients. You’re going to want to make sure that any food you get for your dog will keep them energized and is easy to digest, so it doesn’t interrupt their natural energy and exercise that they naturally trend towards.

While this breed no longer works as hunters most of the time, they are energetic, loyal, and have a great, water-resistant coat that needs to be kept healthy and whole with their food choices. Choosing the right food to keep this dog as sharp, healthy, and sleek as can be doesn’t have to be difficult, as there are many brands that help keep them this way.

Since they're active, they generally need 3,000-3,500 calories per day as an adult, and 1,250 calories a day as a puppy if they’re to be a healthy weight. 2-6 cups of food per day tends to be sufficient for this breed, although particular needs do vary with exercise and lifestyle.

As with many breeds, you want to avoid rice, corn, gluten, wheat, soy, and similar fillers. While all breeds want to stay away from these types of fillers, it's especially bad for lean dogs like German Shorthaired Pointers which are particularly susceptible to bloat.

Fatty animal proteins, no fillers, and healthy added nutrients will point you towards the best food for German Shorthaired Pointer dogs, regardless of age. If you follow these guidelines and perhaps try some of the foods listed above, you’re sure to find a food that keeps your dog happy and healthy throughout its entire life!

Final Thoughts

German Shorthaired Pointers are a great breed. They are friendly, loving, and energetic. Finding a dog food that matches their lifestyle and needs doesn't need to be challenging and can be chosen easily by looking at their particular needs and at what each dog food brand advertises.

There are many options out there that will do the job to keep your pointer happy and healthy as it grows from a little guy to a senior pup. Our best dog food for German Shorthaired Pointers reviews has highlighted the top products in the market but our favorite is Taste of the Wild High Prairie Grain-Free dry dog food . This natural recipe offers complete and balanced nutrition for good health. It is also easy to digest and contains protein rich ingredients for strong muscles.

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