I have only had Djouli (4 yr old, 100# female Tibetan Mastiff) for a couple months, and she was on kibble only at her previous home. I tried a few samples from the local dog boutique, Taste of the Wild & Canidae, along with some Merrick and Evanger canned foods. Borrowed a couple cups of Trader Joes Lamb & Rice kibble from my neighbor which she seemed to like the best, and settled on a couple flavors of Merricks canned food. Last week, I tried some Natures Variety raw/frozen food, and wow, what a difference! Her energy is up, she is letting us walk further from home each day, she's overall more happy.
Not sure how much of this is just due to a normal transition period coming into a new home and changing from country/free roaming life to city/fenced yard & house life, but it's working.
If I were to start making my own mix of food instead of buying the Natures Variety at $7/pound, what would you recommend? One note, she doesn't chew bones much at all (but she loves the marrow!).