Male Hovawart grows from 8 kg and 30 cm at the age of two months to 45 kg and 70 cm at the age of one year. Female Hovawart is roughly the same height and weight at the age of two months, the adult dog weighs 35 kg and has increased to 65 cm. Speed with which this breed is gaining weight and growing, requires a certain diet.

Dry food, which is produced by the majority manufacturers of nourishment for dogs, is the foundation of any system of nourishment. Unlike man, dogs do not need a big variety of food. Dogs should follow a certain diet every day.

If you take the ratio of feed to weight of the puppy, then the puppy in the age of two monthes consumes more food than adult dog. It is important to monitor the growth of your pet and not give him too much food, to prevent the problems with the skeleton (for example the back pains) and obesity in the future. For your puppy is better to be skinny than to be overweight. Food of your puppy should be composed of 30% of proteins that are necessary for growth, food for adult dogs should contain less proteins, and their quantity depends on how active lifestyle is your dog leads. It is important to pay attention to the composition of the nourishment, make sure that proteins do not exceed 30% for a growing puppy or a very active adult dog. For more passive family dogs suitable feed containing is 25% of proteins. High-quality dry food contains all the necessary substancesfor your Hovawart.

A vet or a breeder will help you develop more accurate diet individually for your puppy. They also recommend dry food, which is the most suitable for Hovawart and specifically for your puppy, depending on the type of his life and his physical activities. In the phase of active growth puppies are often recomended to add variety to the diet supplements and vitamins. Such advice can be given to you only by an expert, as the excess of vitamins, as well as the lack of them, may become a serious problem in the future.

Dog at the age of 3 months should be fed 4 times a day, at the age of three to seven or eight months – 3 times, from 8 months and older – 2 times. If the dog is actively pursuing more than 3 hours per day, increase the daily amount of feed to 40%. For pregnant and lactating females should increase the daily quantity of food in a half. A diet for puppies needs to be maintained with high content of proteins.

Directly before feeding your Hovawart should not have any physical activities. So, coming back from a walk or training do not rush immediately to feed your pet, give him some rest. The period of relaxation after feeding and before a meal should ideally be 1 hour. Also ensure that after a meal your dog will never take activities, otherwise it can cause upset stomach or bloating. The dog must be calm for at least an hour after eating. Do not feed or water your dog to much during walk to avoid health problems.

If it is too hot and you go for a walk or a trip by car, do not forget to grab a quart of water and container (bowl) for drinking. Water for drinking should not be too cold, many veterinarians advise the temperature of 10 degrees Celsius as a minimum temperature suitable for drinking. The temperature of food (if you do not feed dry food, and natural products) should not also be too low, the dogs prefer the food at temperatures close to room temperature, at least, do not feed your dog the food from the refrigerator.

Water.

In addition to food, your dog needs to maintain the fluids to support life powers. The water that dog drinks, supported the proper level of fluids in the body and helps to support the distinct work of all systems of organism. At any time the dog must have permanent access to clean, fresh drinking water, especially if you feed it only dry food. Make sure that the bowl for drinking is clean and comfortable, frequently change the water. Limit the intake of food and fluid in the process of walking or training of a dog.

Water should not be cold, especially from the refrigerator. The right water temperature for the dog is above 10 degrees Celsius. For a walk in a hot weather take a small container with water, the dog will be very grateful for that.

Do not allow your pet to drink water from the waterlogged street puddles. As this water is teeming with bacteria and possibly pick up the gastro-intestinal infection.

Light snacks and vice versa.

Today, our pets in pet stores are offered a large assortment of snacks for dogs, which diversify the diet of your pet and allow him to spend his time happily. A variety of cartilage, ears, tails, offal special preparations, “bones” of the tendons and stuff, will be happily taken by your Hovawart.

Many of my friend’s dogs happy to eat fruits, vegetables and nuts. I think that reasonable quantities of these products will not harm your pet.

Do not ever give a dog a bone (especially birds), crude protein, chocolate, white bread. Horse manure, litter and so on is also not appropriate food four your dog. This is obvious for us. But it is not a grunted fact for your Hovawart. Watch your dog and prevent such attempts.

Exercises.

Life of a puppy mainly consists of meals, games and quite a lot of sleep. Avoid long, tiring walks with a puppy, they can damage the muscles and bones. At the age from two to eight months, the puppy is growing very fast. In the period from 2 to 4 months, the best option would be a few 15-30 minute walks a day, your puppy may want to walk a little longer, but after a long walk, he will feel exhausted. Once the puppy turned 5 months, the walk can be increased up to one hour. In any case, look at the condition of a puppy, walk should not exhaust your puppy so much that when he gets home, he will drop dead. Duuring any walk the scenario may be different, active running and playing with other puppies and older dogs, will get your puppy tired more quickly than slowly shuffling feet after his master. When the puppy becomes an adult, the walk will be even longer. It is safe to say that after a full walk with an adult dog, his master will feel more tired, than his pet.

All dogs need exercise, regardless of a breed. Passive way of life is harmful to both the dog and its owner. Hovawart is an active breed that loves to exercise, but you do not need to be a professional athlete to meet the needs of your dog in active exercise.

Games with the dog in the yard, as well as an opportunity for your pet to run freely in the open air, under your supervision, will be sufficient exercise for your pet. Games in which your dog will need to bring you a variety of items can be carried out in the street and at home, they will be the ideal exercise for active dogs, which they surely will also appreciate. Games associated with attempts to catch up with someone or something, are natural for all breeds. When your dog runs after a ball or other object, taught it to bring this subject for you to re-roll. Do not go and do not take the subject themselves, or one fine day you may find that you are chasing a ball, not your dog. If you decide to pursue active games with the dog outdoors, it should be done in an enclosed courtyard or walled area. Keep in mind that the dogs that are overweight, should not be subjected to excessive physical exercises: for such dogs physical exercises should be increased gradually. To keep your dog in shape, it needs not only physical exercise, but psychological comfort. Bored dog will find something to do, but these classes will be expressed in “bad” behavior and attempts to break something. Active physical exercises are needed to maintain emotional stability behavior of dogs.

The dog should have neither too large nor too little weight. Excessive or insufficient weight can cause illness or be a symptom of them. If your dog has normal weight, you should easily feel out the ribs, but they should not stick out too. It is very important for the health of your dog constantly check whether it weight comply with prescribed standards of this breed.