Proper nutrition is easily maintained by feeding a high quality dry dog food available in many feed stores and grocery stores. Puppies should stay on a growth formulation for the first year. After that, your dog’s food may be changed to an adult maintenance diet. If he is in a stress situation (hunting, field trialing, or rigorous training) he should be on a performance diet with higher protein and fat content.
Fresh water should be available at all times. The availability of today’s well balanced dog food precludes the addition of table scraps, cottage cheese, oil, vitamins and mineral supplements.
Above all, DO NOT OVERFEED. Remember that your athletic breed should be hard muscled and lean. Fat dogs die younger than well conditioned dogs. With proper care, the average Shorthair will have a life expectancy of 12 to 16 years.
Feed a high-quality dog food that is appropriate to the dog’s age (puppy, adult, or senior) and activity level. A pup under 6 months old will need to be fed more than twice a day; once the GSP reaches adulthood, a meal morning and evening should be sufficient. Because the breed is subject to bloat, they should not be fed immediately after running or other vigorous exercise, nor should they be allowed to run or exercise for at least an hour after eating and drinking. The ideal evening mealtime would be after physical activities are through for the day.
Unless you intended to show your dog, the best thing you can do from a health standpoint is to spay her or castrate him. Neutering dramatically reduces the chance of prostate cancer and eliminates testicular cancer in males. Uterine cancer in spayed females will be eliminated, and the incidence of deadly breast cancer in females is markedly reduced if spayed before her first season.
(Courtesy of AKC and German Short Haired Pointer Club Of America)