When you pick up your Bullmastiff puppy from me, he/she will be eating a high-quality, dry, large-breed puppy food. He/she is eating this because I have determined that this is best for the puppy's health. I recommend that you continue to feed your puppy high-quality, dry, large-breed puppy food until the puppy is 4-6 months-old.
Most premium
brand, dry, large-breed puppy foods are good. Iams, Eukanuba,
Innova, Nutro, Nature's Recipe are good choices. There are others.
I do not care for Science Diet. I use Iams. In fact, since your
puppy will be eating Iams dry, large-breed puppy food when he/she
leaves here, I recommend that you keep him/her on Iams unless
you have a specific reason to switch brands. Switching food can
cause stomach upset and diarrhea. When you must switch to a different
food, do so gradually, over a period of about a week. Add a little
of the new food to the old and increase the amount of new food
versus old food over the course of the week til the dog is eating
the new food by itself.
After age 4-6 months, you should slowly switch your Bullmastiff to a high-quality, dry, large-breed adult food. Look for a food with a protein level between 20%-24% and a fat level of about 14%-15%.
Recently, Iams pet foods have become available in grocery stores as well as pet specialty stores. Iams is the only brand available in a non-pet specialty store that I would recommend. Pedigree food as an emergency fill in is OK, but it gives my Bullmastiffs dandruff because it doesn't have enough oil/fat in it. I don't care for anything from Purina. Store brands are best avoided. In general, you get what you pay for. Cheap food is probably made from cheap ingredients by poorly trained and poorly supervised employees. Your dog wants to be your best friend. Don't go cheap on him/her.
Avoid bags of dry dog food that are torn. These may be contaminated with insects or rodents. Have them get you a bag that isn't ripped.
I used to recommend getting an elevated dog feeder for your Bullmastiff. This is a frame that usually holds two bowls in an elevated position so that it is easier for the dog to eat. Current studies show that raised feeders actually increase the incidences on gastric torsion (bloat). Your dog's food bowls should be placed at floor level.
When feeding your dog, split his/her daily allotment of food into two meals. Feed one in the morning and one in the evening. It's the high point of his/her day so why not give them two high points. Two smaller meals will also help him/her to avoid gastric torsion (bloat). Of course, as a puppy your dog should have his/her daily allotment of food divided into 3 or 4 meals.
It used to be recommended to moisten your dog's kibble with water before giving it to them. Here again, current studies show that this actually raises the occurrences of gastric torsion (bloat). Adding a little bit of canned dog food or wholesome table scraps is also a good idea. No human junk food for dogs though.