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Why this matters:this is the highest-value conversation you will have, and the one most often rushed. A first-time customer who gets a good first two weeks becomes a regular for years. One who gets a bad first two weeks tells people raw didn't work for their dog.
Before you recommend anything:
That last question is the one people skip and it's the most useful. Someone here for a coat problem and someone here because their breeder told them to need different conversations.
Start simple. Pure Chicken or Pure Turkey — the easiest to digest and the least expensive way in. Never start a first-timer on rabbit or duck; save the novel proteins for when they're needed.
If they want the everyday option and there's no sensitivity in play, Gourmet Chicken or Gourmet Beef is equally fine.
Don't sell a 48lb case on day one. Even if they're keen. If the dog doesn't take to that protein you've given them a freezer problem and a bad first impression. Small first, case second.
And don't let them leave without the supplements. Pure and Signature need kelp and an omega-3; Gourmet needs an omega-3. This is the single most common miss on the shop floor.
The transition is where raw feeding succeeds or fails, and almost all of the failure is preventable with a two-minute conversation.
Tell them how to switch. Straight switch for most healthy adults: fast 12–24 hours, then start, serving at room temperature for the first few days. Gradual over a week for sensitive dogs or nervous owners: 25% → 50% → 75% → 100%.
Warn them about the first week. Softer stools in the first few days are normal — it's the digestive system adjusting, and it settles. A customer who isn't told this will assume the food is wrong and stop.
Warn them about the water. Dogs on raw drink noticeably less, because the food is around 70% moisture. That's expected, not dehydration.
Warn them about the poop. Smaller, firmer, less of it. That's the food being absorbed rather than passed through. It's also the change people are most delighted by, so it's worth mentioning.
Tell them treats count toward the daily total.
"Start on the chicken, switch him over the week rather than all at once, and expect softer stools for the first few days — that's normal and it settles. He'll drink less water, and the poop will get smaller and firmer, which is the bit everyone likes. Kelp and the fish oil go on top. Come back and tell me how the first week went."
That last sentence matters more than it looks. Invite them back. It turns the first purchase into a relationship and it gives them somewhere to bring a problem instead of quietly giving up.
