Best puppy chow?

Our breeder started all the puppies on Purina puppy chow. I figured this was ok, but the worker at PetSmart told me it wasn't the best and it would not satisfy the dog's hunger well. Since these folks can have an agenda (like pushing the store brand) I thought I would ask the experts on here.
Any opinions or recommendations?

30 years. always used purina puppy chow. good stuff. pups were always healthy

Yup, the only Purina product I go out of my way to get. Prefer other foods for adult dogs but for starting pups on solid food puppy chow is hard to beat.

Just Science Diet here..for my dogs.

I have hauled commodities into a lot of dog feed plants. Purina is picky about what they will accept. Every load is sampled and tested at an on site lab. Like all the cheaper brands its grain based. Corn and rice. There is proteans from the rendering side of beef and poultry processing plants as well.

Science Diet is more animal based feed. Fido tends to eat less. When I had hounds I could not tell any difference in energy levels.

Our Aussie Ranger was fed Fromm's at the breeder - and still eats it here.

I have always used Purina for the pups and switch to Diamond Naturals when they get a year old.

Fromm's here too

The best or the best deal? The best would be Blue buffalo, Rocky Mountain recipe or Fromms but you will pay 6 bucks a pound. Diamond would be the best value. I try to stay away from anything with "by products".

Pretty much the same.

My wife and I own a boarding kennel. We dont provide food with our boarding, we have the customers bring their own. Several veterinarians have boarded their dogs at our kennel over the years. Almost all of them bring basic food, mostly Purina dog chow or something similar. At first I was surprised they weren't bringing Iams, Blue Buffalo, or some other brand of $$$ food, nope. Unless the dog has allergies or needs prescription food, I'd keep it simple. We see plenty of dogs in the 12-16 yr old category that only ate the basic stuff. Most dogs that suffer illness isn't due to the food its eating, but rather genetics. Pure breeds have more predisposition to health issues than mixed breeds do. A vet once told me the most unhealthy breed is a golden retriever, they are more prone to cancers than other breeds for some reason. And larger breeds like labs, etc, have issues with their rear hips giving out as they age is a common issue we see a lot of. Keeping a healthy weight can help this issue, but not prevent it.

I’ve used purina for years. Have used high dollar stuff too. Can’t tell a difference. Slap an egg in the mix once a week and it’ll help with their coat, or so they say. When the colder weather hits I’ll switch to Pride food with a higher fat/protein content. That’s generally because I start hunting the dog harder and he’s kinda small anyway. Just helps him keep the weight instead of getting rail thin on me. But as they age, and if I’m not hunting them hard, I won’t switch. Pride is a good food if you can find it. I think Costco carries a grain free food that the local store gets (damaged bags) and sells cheap. I’m going to stock up and try it when the GSP gets here.

We’ve fed our 11 year old lab Purina for 3 months one time ( as an adult ) . And his coat went heck…dull and course. So kicked that stuff to the curb….and back on the Science Diet…and got that shimmering velvet coat back.

Beaver carcass's are good dog feed. Take the hide caster and oil sacs. Give fido the rest. Hounds can go hard fed whole beaver carcass. When I was hunting them hard I had them on full feed of dry food. (usually Purina) They didnt eat much of it when they also had beaver. When they got done all that was left was some feces from the intestines, the skull and part of the spine. took a few days but they ate most all of it.

It would pay you to do some research,

I'm sure there's good products at all but the lowest price points. Just my .02, puppy chow has been a good product for my use over the years. As for feeding adult dogs an all meat/raw may sound good but in practice and cost not really sensible, especially when good commercial kibble is available. The main thing I look for is a protein fat profile suitable for the dog's age, health and activity levels. Higher protein for an athletic working dog, less for a sedentary one. More fat for the working dog, particularly in winter. But use care not to over do either.
But the main thing is to check the ingredient list to determine just where the protein and fat are sourced. Ideally I want to see meat based meal high on the list with less grain fillers to bulk it up. The bulk gets passed as stool and is essentially waste in all meanings. When you kennel hounds this becomes important, trust me.
Diamond has been a good brand for me and my dogs have liked it. I've also fed sportmix and river run and had no issues. The main thing is do your homework pick a brand and stick to it. If you change up do so gradually mixing the two to avoid the potential for upset tummies and resulting mess.

BTW, if you have ready access to raw meat like danny then by all means incorporate it into their diet.

Just don't do table scraps, that goes to the chickens or hogs.

We have a Show dog and we feed her Purina Pro Plan

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PURINA Pro Plan doesn't effect the coat