We got our puppy Nala when Bandit was 2 and it took him a while to warm up to her. Now he really likes her (sometimes he even LOVES her and sometimes he hops on the couch to get away from her lol-- but he does really like her now, it just takes a while).
As far as the food, it's better all around to pay or high quality food. They'll be healthier and if it's a higher quality food it will be more nutritious and he'll eat less. Two foods that have been great for us are Wellness and Acana (which we are using now)
I love the name you chose
Glad you joined YT, I learned so much here!!!