Rest assured that there are any number of brands and formulas you could try with your puppy that he would probably do fine with. But you have to start with a choice somewhere, right? First, I would find out what the breeder is feeding and buy a small bag of that. If you feel you want to feed a different food for whatever reason, begin a slow transition a couple of weeks after you have him home. Let him get acclimated.
In this day and age, I believe choosing the company is as important as choosing the formula. I want a company that only makes pet food, sources their ingredients responsibly, and seems to have a good track record of quality control.
My dogs are on a kibble rotation for breakfast with Champion Petfoods (Orijen and Acana) and Natura (EVO which I use, and also makes Innova, California Natural and Healthwise). I'm planning on trying Horizon Legacy (from a Canadian company) soon.
For puppies, I try to find food with not less than 25% protein (preferably more) and 16% fat. Everything I've read says that protein and fat are the basic building blocks for development. I also want the protein to be meat-based and not plant-based.
You mentioned California Natural. I suggest the CN Chicken Meal and Rice Puppy over the CN Lamb Meal and Rice Puppy, because the over 2% calcium in the lamb formula makes me uncomfortable for a puppy.(young puppies can't excrete excess calcium). The chicken formula has 1.3% calcium. The Innova Puppy is a more complex formula which some do well with and others don't. And finally, Natura's Healthwise for puppies is very reasonably priced and has a great set of ingredients on paper.
I have a 2 yr. old lab that I raised on Orijen Large Breed Puppy and was very satisfied with. If the Acana Provincial line (by the same company as Orijen) had been available, I probably would have tried it with its more moderate protein % in the 30s. It's an "all life stages" formula.
So, there are numerous routes you can go. Sometimes you just have to pick one that fits your beliefs and budget and let the dog try it. After a couple of months you'll know how well it's working.
I agree with just about everything written.
