Vets usually recommend Science Diet, Purina or Iams, etc. It's sad really, but they often just don't know better or want to stick with what they've fed for years. Or they get a kick back for selling it.
I personally prefer grain-free. Dogs are carnivores and their DNA is 99.8% identical to that of their wolf ancestors, not much as changed. That .2% difference is accounted for in looks and size. Protein is a constant debate so just do some research on that.
I would stay away from by-products, corn, wheat and soy for sure. Look for meat in the first 3-5 ingredients, preferably meal meals rather than just 'chicken' for example.
The ONLY company I 100% trust right now is Champion Pet Foods, makers of Orijen and Acana. Their website
Champion Petfoods | Home has a very good video showing you WHERE their food is from, made, etc. However, the version of Acana you are looking at is not available in the US to my knowledge. The only Acana offered in the US is their grain-free's Grasslands, Pacifica and Prairie Harvest. Orijen offers a puppy formula as well which I would highly recommend!
Lots of us are avid Acana/Orijen feeders and our dogs do fantastic on it.
I also like Nature's Variety, Fromm, Go! Endurance and Wellness CORE alot.
Wellness is now available in Petsmart and Petco so it's sometimes a more convenient healthy option. Price-wise, Taste of the Wild is probably the cheapest grain-free food you will find. It's manufactured at Diamond Food Plant but I still think it's a really good food for the price.
Jackson has never really eaten just kibble by itself. Rarely anyways. So I rotate with different types of canned foods... I just pick up a few cans every week and I mix in a little bit of wet food w/ the kibble for his dinner. Don't be too concerned about the teeth on a mushy food, it's an old wives tale that crunchies clean teeth anyways. Really the binding agents in kibble when crunched can build up more than wet food often times. Good brushing and teeth care will help teeth. Cans range from NV Instinct to Wellness, etc. He does get the 'bad' stuff Cesar wet food about once every 2 weeks as somewhat of a 'treat' mixed in with his kibble. Breakfast is usually pre-made raw food (Stella and Chewy's or Primal) about 3-4x a week and he thrives. He has small little firm poopies, hehe, poops are less frequent, his coat is super shiny and I always get comments on it and is in perfect health.
Also, remember, higher calorie higher protein foods need to be fed less of. People can easily overfeed causing upset stomach, etc, and then blame it on a food when they were simply overfeeding. With that said, EVERY dog is different. What one dog does well on, another could do terrible on. So I'm just giving you my personal suggestions that have worked for US.
It's all a matter of finding that right food for your little one!