Interesting, though, I fear at the puppy stage a diet like that would be very high in protein content which can be detrimental for a Great Dane's growth progress. It will actually make them grow too big, too fast causing issues down the road.
Right now, I'm feeding her Taste of the Wild Roasted Lamb which has about a 25% protein profile, compared to the other Taste of the Wild feeds which are mid-to-high 30's.
So far, no instance of pooping in the house and only one pee accident. Could I have gotten any luckier with a 6-week puppy?
Yeah as a puppy it's probably best to find a quality product designed for that stage of life. My sister started the natural diet thing middle age with one of her dogs a long time ago and now introduces her dogs to the "natural diet" around 1 year. Starting with a small percentage and slowly trading out the dry food over time.
I don't know near as much as my sister on the subject, she did a lot of research on it (she has taken college courses on animals and worked with animals on farms etc. and raised quite a few dogs, so she has experience too). Anyway, the diet she ended up with is far different than just tossing out a steak. That alone won't provide the nutrition the animals need. I think that's why there are some naysayers, who say a natural meat type diet is bad...they didn't do their homework to ensure a balanced diet.
Anyway, I think it's partially a scale thing too. It'd be hard to get the right mix of natural stuff if you have a small dog that doesn't eat much (you can't perfectly blend meat, bone, organs etc). Dry foods should have a much more consistent nutrient mix, and for them the percentage of waste product in dry food isn't going to add up to much.
For example, lets just say top quality dry food is 70% good 30% waste, if you have a dog that eats 2 cups a day you've only got a few ounces of waste. But when you have a dog that eats ~3lbs a day you can end up with a pound of crap or more. And lets just say for example the natural diet ends up 85% good 15% waste...doesn't sound significantly better, but it's the waste percentage that makes the crap. Half that and you half the poo.
Now as far as veggies and such go, there are certain ones you need to avoid like garlic and onions and tomatoes. I think grapes/raisins were a no-no also, and obviously chocolate...anyway you can google this if you plan to give them any "people food".
Make sure to peel and remove seeds from anything that has it.
She uses veggies as treats, usually they only get a bit of fruit when she is having some (I know apple, banana, orange are O.K.). The veggies are pretty easy to do any time though, she has sliced peppers and celery, a bag of baby carrots, green beans, and a bag of small florets of broccoli. This helps keep them trained and disciplined and makes em feel spoiled. It wouldn't be good to give them a bunch of dog cookies, raw hides, etc all day like she does with the veggies.
Like she makes them wait near the door any time to come or go, keeps you from getting run over or tripping on them when carrying groceries or whatever. They wait until they are invited with a treat. Anytime they go out for a poo and come back she gives them a treat. If she needs to have them out of the way (like when cooking) she has them wait/stay with a treat. Her current place is 2 floor and has horrible stairs so she makes them wait if she is going up or down and then give em a treat. Other times throughout the day they'll get treats too, even if it's just to practice a command. This way they all get a little mix of veggies.
I know peanut butter, sweet potatoes, and real pumpkin (don't know about canned) are safe too, she has used these to cook special things for birthdays and whatnot. There's some other things that are good too, but I don't recall them all.
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