Royal Canin German Shepherd Puppy
Dry Extruded complete Clear label
Is Royal Canin German Shepherd Puppy a good dog food?
We score it 47/100 (Average). This reflects the ingredient quality, composition and label transparency of the recipe as declared on the label.
Why this score?
This recipe achieves an overall score of 47 out of 100 based on several key factors. The overall quality of the ingredient list adds +3.6 points, while printing percentages on the label contributes +3.2 points. Conversely, the processing format takes away -7 points, and ingredients without printed percentages deduct -13 points from the total.
Only part of the analytical constituents are declared, so the nutritional picture is incomplete.
100% of this recipe has no printed percentage. Estimated shares are model estimates, not label facts.
- Recipe47
- Nutritionallow100
- Transparency50
- Safety100
- Evidencelimited33
The Recipe score measures how attractive and transparent the declared ingredient list is. It is not, by itself, proof that the food is nutritionally appropriate for long-term feeding. The Nutritional and Evidence scores measure what we can verify towards that stronger claim.
Complete extruded dry food for puppies, with dehydrated poultry proteins, rice and vegetable protein extracts as the main ingredients.
Why you might choose it
- Prints ingredient percentages on the label.
- High in protein: 30% protein on a dry-matter basis.
- Nutritionally complete: formulated to be fed as the whole diet.
Why you might not
We found no significant drawbacks in the data we hold for this product.
Estimated composition
Typical analysis (as fed)
- Protein
- 30%
- Fat
- 16%
- Fibre
- 2.70%
- Ash
- 7.30%
- Calcium
- 1.26%
- Phosphorus
- 1%
Additives & feeding info
Nutritional additives
kg) Vitamin a 30500 IU, Vitamin D3 800 IU, Vitamin E 620 mg, E1 (Iron) 38 mg, E2 (Iodine) 3.8 mg, E4 (Copper) 12 mg, E5 (Manganese) 49 mg, E6 (Zinc) 128 mg, E8 (Selenium) 0.08 mg; kg) Vitamin a 30500 IU, Vitamin D3 800 IU, Vitamin E 620 mg, E1 (Iron) 38 mg, E2 (Iodine) 3.8 mg, E4 (Copper) 12 mg, E5 (Manganese) 49 mg, E6 (Zinc) 128 mg, E8 (Selenium) 0.08 mg
Storage
To be stored in a cool, dry place.
Feeding guide
see table
Reviews
177 reviews on this product · 4.8/5
Who is this food for?
Suits
- Labelled by the manufacturer for puppies
- Doesn't list beef, lamb, venison, pork, duck as ingredients
Consider something else if:
- Your dog avoids chicken: the label lists dehydrated poultry proteins
- Your dog avoids turkey: the label lists dehydrated poultry proteins
- Your dog avoids fish: the label lists crustaceans
- Your dog avoids grain: the label lists rice - white
- You want a single-protein recipe: this one lists more than one animal protein
These points are derived from declared ingredients and analysis, not a substitute for veterinary advice. If your dog has a diagnosed condition, food choice is a medical nutrition decision: speak to your vet. Use the homepage filter to find foods that fit your dog.
Ingredients (20)
| # | As declared | Matched | Category | Tier | Declared % | Est. % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | dehydrated poultry protein | Dehydrated Poultry Proteins | meat | good | - | 7.2 |
| 2 | rice | Rice - white | carb | medium | - | 7.0 |
| 3 | vegetable protein isolate | Vegetable protein extracts | carb | poor | - | 6.8 |
| 4 | wheat flour | Wheat | carb | poor | - | 6.6 |
| 5 | maize flour | Corn flour | carb | medium | - | 6.4 |
| 6 | animal fats | Unspecified Animal Fats and Oils | oil | poor | - | 6.2 |
| 7 | hydrolysed animal proteins | Hydrolysed Animal Protein | meat | medium | - | 6.0 |
| 8 | beet pulp | Beet Pulp | fibre | medium | - | 5.8 |
| 9 | vegetable fibres | Vegetable fibre | fibre | medium | - | 5.6 |
| 10 | fish oil | Fish Oil | oil | good | - | 5.4 |
| 11 | minerals | Vitamins and minerals | supplement | medium | - | 5.2 |
| 12 | soya oil | Soybean oil | oil | medium | - | 5.0 |
| 13 | fructo-oligo-saccharides (0.34%) | Fructo-oligosaccharides | supplement | good | 0.34 | 0.3 |
| 14 | psyllium husks and seeds | Psyllium | fibre | good | - | 4.8 |
| 15 | hydrolysed yeast | Yeast | supplement | good | - | 4.6 |
| 16 | source of manno-oligo-saccharides: 0.05% | unmatched | - | - | 0.05 | 0.05 |
| 17 | hydrolysed crustaceans (source of glucosamine) | Crustaceans | meat | good | - | 4.4 |
| 18 | yeasts extracts | Yeast | supplement | good | - | 4.2 |
| 19 | marigold extract (source of lutein) | Calendula | veg | good | - | 4.0 |
| 20 | hydrolysed cartilage (source of chondroitin) | Hydrolysed Cartilage | supplement | good | - | 3.8 |
Brand
Trust and provenance
- Recall history
- No recalls recorded in our database
- Label data last checked
- 2026-09-09
- Scored with
- Model v2 (methodology)
- Product page
- www.royalcanin.com
Recall history is presentation-only and never affects the score. Dates are when we recorded the data, not when the manufacturer last changed the recipe.
Spotted a mistake in this listing? Report it here and we'll take a look.
Recipe: how the 1-100 score is calculated
Scored with model v2 on 2026-09-22. Each component is the feature value for this product multiplied by the model's published coefficient.
| Component | Input | Coefficient | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base score | - | 32.336 | +32.34 |
| Average ingredient quality | 0.4 | 9.915 | +3.61 |
| Meat share of dry matter | 18.3% | 0.116 | +2.13 |
| Carb share of dry matter | 27.0% | -0.113 | -3.04 |
| Oil share of dry matter | 18.6% | -0.088 | -1.64 |
| Supplement share of dry matter | 18.9% | -0.009 | -0.17 |
| Recipe graded poor | 19.7% | -0.045 | -0.88 |
| Number of poor ingredients | 3 | -0.868 | -2.60 |
| Largest single poor ingredient | 6.8% | 0.056 | +0.39 |
| Undeclared quantities | 99.6% | -0.131 | -13.04 |
| Prints ingredient percentages | yes | 3.194 | +3.19 |
| Complete diet | yes | 1.703 | +1.70 |
| Meat share × printed percentages | 18.3 | -0.073 | -1.34 |
| Additive penalty | -0.60 | 0.236 | -0.14 |
| Processing multiplier | 1.00 | 32.336 | +32.34 |
| Processing: Dry Extruded | yes | -6.996 | -7.00 |
Show all 40 components
| Component | Input | Coefficient | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base score | - | 32.336 | +32.34 |
| Average ingredient quality | 0.4 | 9.915 | +3.61 |
| Meat share of dry matter | 18.3% | 0.116 | +2.13 |
| Carb share of dry matter | 27.0% | -0.113 | -3.04 |
| Oil share of dry matter | 18.6% | -0.088 | -1.64 |
| Vegetable share of dry matter | 0.7% | -0.002 | -0.00 |
| Additive share of dry matter | 0.0% | 0.177 | +0.00 |
| Supplement share of dry matter | 18.9% | -0.009 | -0.17 |
| Other share of dry matter | 0.0% | -0.371 | +0.00 |
| Unrecognised share of dry matter | 0.0% | -0.022 | -0.00 |
| Recipe graded poor | 19.7% | -0.045 | -0.88 |
| Poor-quality meat in recipe | 0.0% | -0.182 | +0.00 |
| Number of poor ingredients | 3 | -0.868 | -2.60 |
| Largest single poor ingredient | 6.8% | 0.056 | +0.39 |
| Undeclared quantities | 99.6% | -0.131 | -13.04 |
| Prints ingredient percentages | yes | 3.194 | +3.19 |
| Complete diet | yes | 1.703 | +1.70 |
| Frozen or chilled fresh | no | 11.440 | +0.00 |
| High meat (30%+ of dry matter) | no | -0.506 | +0.00 |
| Low meat (under 10% of dry matter) | no | -1.988 | +0.00 |
| High carb and low meat | no | -1.250 | +0.00 |
| Meat share × printed percentages | 18.3 | -0.073 | -1.34 |
| Meat share × fresh | 0.0 | -0.339 | +0.00 |
| Fresh × high meat | 0.0 | 16.475 | +0.00 |
| Additive penalty | -0.60 | 0.236 | -0.14 |
| Processing multiplier | 1.00 | 32.336 | +32.34 |
| Processing: Raw | no | 13.322 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Fresh Chilled | no | 7.712 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Fresh Frozen | no | 6.583 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Fresh Refrigerated | no | 4.857 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Fresh Shelf | no | 0.072 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Dry Freeze Dried | no | 11.127 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Dry Air Dried | no | 9.320 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Dry Cold Pressed | no | 4.569 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Dry Baked | no | -2.321 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Dry Extruded | yes | -6.996 | -7.00 |
| Processing: Dry Semi Moist | no | -6.833 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Dry Muesli | no | -10.711 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Wet Pate | no | 2.935 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Wet Chunks | no | 2.292 | +0.00 |
- Processing-type offset
- -0.01
- Additives declared on label
- +1 transparency bonus
- Subtotal
- 46.8
- Final score
- 47/100
Contributions are rounded to two decimals, so they may not sum exactly to the subtotal. The full coefficient table is published on the methodology page.
Nutritional: declared analysis vs reference ranges
How the declared analysis compares with FEDIAF reference ranges for puppies and growth. The label prints as-fed values; we convert to a dry-matter basis before scoring, and the bands are dry-matter ranges. Scores rise to 100 at the band midpoint: the reference is adequacy, not maximisation. Nutrients with a published upper limit taper again above it; fat is policed through calorie density rather than a direct penalty.
Scored against FEDIAF growth minima; puppy scoring is under review.
| Nutrient | As fed (label) | Dry matter (scored) | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein | 30 | 32.6 | 100 |
| Fat | 16 | 17.4 | 100 |
| Calcium | 1.26 | 1.4 | 100 |
| Phosphorus | 1 | 1.1 | 100 |
| Calcium:phosphorus ratio | 1.3 | 1.3 | 100 |
Scored over 5 declared nutrients (combined weight 70); undeclared nutrients do not affect the score. Moisture was not declared and was estimated at 8% from the food type.
Low confidence: partial analysis or moisture estimated from the food type.
This measures agreement with published reference ranges, not suitability for an individual dog. For medical conditions, follow veterinary guidance.
Transparency: what the label discloses
How much the manufacturer discloses, measured against the FEDIAF Code of Good Labelling Practice and Regulation 767/2009. Mandatory items dominate the weighting.
| Item | Points |
|---|---|
| Ingredient list on the label (mandatory) | 10/10 |
| Printed percentages on the label (0.4% of the recipe mass) (voluntary) | 0.1/20 |
| Analytical constituents declared (mandatory) - not on file | 0/15 |
| Additives declared (mandatory) | 5/10 |
| Energy value declared (voluntary) - not on file | 0/5 |
| Complete/complementary designation (mandatory) | 5/5 |
| Feeding guidance given (mandatory) | 10/10 |
| Manufacturer identity and address (mandatory) | 5/10 |
| Country of manufacture stated (voluntary) | 10/10 |
| Batch and date labelling (mandatory) | 5/5 |
Capped at 60: mandatory items missing (Analytical constituents declared).
Safety: recall history
Recall and safety-notice history, time-decayed. This dimension is shown alongside the score and never feeds the headline number.
No recalls recorded in our database.
See all current recalls we track.
Evidence: what the brand claims, and what supports it
The marketing claims made on the pack and product page, and how much evidence sits behind them. We record the claims as stated; we do not assess whether they are true.
| Claim | Type | Substantiation |
|---|---|---|
| helps support your puppy's natural defences, thanks particularly to a patented complex of antioxidants - including vitamin E (on page) | Functional | Manufacturer assertion |
| help to support optimal digestive health (on page) | Functional | Manufacturer assertion |
| helps to maintain a healthy intestinal balance, thus contributing to good stool quality (on page) | Functional | Manufacturer assertion |
| contributes to supporting healthy and strong bones and joints (on page) | Functional | Manufacturer assertion |
| helps to maintain an ideal weight (on page) | Functional | Manufacturer assertion |
| Specially for German Shepherd puppies - Up to 15 months old (on page) | Content | Manufacturer assertion |
| Complete feed for dogs (on page) | Content | Manufacturer assertion |
Limited: at least one claim rests on manufacturer assertion alone.
The full scoring method is published. See the methodology for exactly how the headline score and each dimension are calculated.
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