# Is standard poodle in large breed category?



## FireStorm

We switched Hans off of puppy food and to an all life stages food at about 4 months I think, but if you are going to feed puppy food I think large breed is a good idea. 

Are you sure she's underweight, though? Poodles are pretty lean. You should definitely be able to feel her ribs at the correct weight. This thread has some helpful info about how to tell if your dog is at the correct weight:

http://www.poodleforum.com/32-poodle-food/197258-am-i-feeding-right-amount.html

If you are going by the amount the bag says, I could never get Hans to consistently eat that much (and he's really active), so personally I found that they estimate on the high side. I found that if I feed him too much, he does seem inclined to skip meals. Also, when Hans was teething, he had days where he wouldn't eat, so that could be a factor.


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## antiseabearcircle

Good question! Standard poodles are technically considered a large breed; I've read that any dog that is over 50 lbs fully grown should be fed as a LB. I think you could go ahead and feed Orijen Puppy Large just to be on the safe side as far as the calcium/phosphorus ratios go. I've fed Wilson Orijen's Puppy Large since he was three months old - he's just over a year now and is around 45 pounds. Although he never grew to be large like some standard poodles, I felt more comfortable knowing that it's formulated for slow and controlled growth if he were to be on the larger side.


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## nifty

I think at 7.5 months old, her growth (upward at least) is slowing and she is naturally self-regulating her food intake . Poodles generally seem to be natural at that (not all, obviously, but many seem to eat what they need rather than eat and eat until the bowl is empty).

Depending on her height and build, I think 39-42 pounds sounds about right. My Dulcie is a slender build and 24 inches tall. She weighs right around 40 pounds -- in fact her range is exactly like your girl's 38-42 pounds, though she seems to settle around 40 for ht most part. Yes, I can feel her ribs and spine, and yet they are covered with a just right amount of fat and muscle too. I think poodles are generally meant to be lean and muscular.

P.S. I forgot to answer your main question! I think you are safe to use the large breed puppy formula if that is what you prefer. I understand that an all life stages formula is also fine for a SPOO after about 4 months and that is what I fed Dulcie. Her vet says she is an ideal weight and very healthy.


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## CharismaticMillie

Standard poodles are a medium to large breed. They are prone to the same orthopedic issues as large breed dogs, so I always feed large breed puppy food. It's more conservative to treat a medium breed dog as a large breed one, in regard to avoiding growth related issues.


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## ancientman

People in this forum are extremely awesome. I understand my girl is considered as a large breed dog.

I am little scared that my current food has 2.17% / 1.41% cal/pho ratio though.(EVO red meat). She loves high protein food so my choice were somewhat limited.

I'll order Orijen large breed puppy for her next food.


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## CharismaticMillie

ancientman said:


> People in this forum are extremely awesome. I understand my girl is considered as a large breed dog.
> 
> I am little scared that my current food has 2.17% / 1.41% cal/pho ratio though.(EVO red meat). She loves high protein food so my choice were somewhat limited.
> 
> I'll order Orijen large breed puppy for her next food.


Yeah that cal/pho ratio would make me less comfortable than one closer to 1:1. I generally feed puppies a food with under 2% calcium.


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## Countryboy

Mr. Picky can easily go two days 'til he breaks down and eats. I don't fuss with him. He's a big boy... he can eat when he likes.

He's always been slim. Tall and lanky.


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## lily cd re

Even though Lily has maintained a stable adult weight between 36 and 37 pounds we have always fed her large breed formulas. She is super healthy and flies like an eagle.


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## Viking Queen

ancientman said:


> People in this forum are extremely awesome. I understand my girl is considered as a large breed dog.
> 
> I am little scared that my current food has 2.17% / 1.41% cal/pho ratio though.(EVO red meat). She loves high protein food so my choice were somewhat limited.
> 
> I'll order Orijen large breed puppy for her next food.


I have fed EVO to Iris for nearly 14 years.....it is an all life stages food. I also used to work in a pet food store and attended lots of food seminars. My next kiddo will also eat EVO. I was and am comfortable with this food as Iris and others I know have really thrived on it. A couple of times I tried other foods but found she was often hungry and needed to eat more due to the lower protein levels. We always went back to EVO. Iris is a petite spoo, 21" and about 35-37 lbs. i don't think it would hurt your spoo baby to stay on EVO, but then Origen is also a good choice.

Viking Queen


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## ericwd9

You should be able to feel the ribs. If it is hard to do so, then a spoo is too fat. Muscle weighs a lot more than fat and will add weight quickly.
Eric


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## Motion

Origen is a really well respected company, and I wouldn't hesitate to feed any of their line to an active, healthy, poodle! Like the others have said there is nothing wrong with feeding a large breed puppy food or switching to the adult line at this point. A poodle should never be as padded over the ribs as a typical lab. Merlyn has always self-regulated his food intake too, he is a taller boy and stayed around 55lb when he was healthy.


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