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Feeding Your Puppy

What, When, And How Much?

Feeding Your Puppy Requires a Routine Feeding Schedule and a Good, Quality, Premium Puppy or Dog Food.

Before completely switching your new puppy to any new dog food you should continue feeding your puppy exactly what he or she was eating when first acquired to prevent disturbing your puppy's digestive tract. Your puppy has just begun all new life-changing events in his life on the first day you brought him home. The only thing unchanged so far is his food. For the first few days, continue feeding what the puppy was already eating, then gradually introduce a new puppy food. Regardless when you introduce a new food to your puppy, you should begin feeding your puppy in a routine schedule.

Introducing New Food To A Puppy

Once the first two or three days have passed, begin introducing a new food. Do so by giving 75% of the old food mixed with 25% of the new food for a few days, then gradually increase each day over the course of 7-10 days until you are 100% feeding the new food.

What Type of Food To Feed A Puppy

Typically it is better to feed your puppy quality premium dog food (also called dry kibble) rather than canned food because of the calorie content in canned food. It is not only healthier to feed dry kibble dog food it is economically better for you too.

If your puppy is very young, (up to 6-8 months) a good premium puppy dry kibble is best. If noticing a weight gain, cut back on the amount of food given. Ask your Veternarian. Ask which type of food they recommend. More often dry kibble is suggested for numerous reasons which benefit you and the dog. Feed your puppy the same food everyday. Unlike us humans, a dog's digestive system can not handle changes in food often as it could cause stomach upset and diarrhea.

What Not To Feed A Puppy

Table Scraps:  Avoid feeding your puppy table scraps, especially from the dinner table. What he doesn't know is good - so don't start him on any people food or it could result in unnecessary and unwanted behavior problems. Table scraps are high in calories and do not offer vitamins or minerals which a dog requires. It could also create diarrhea or gastrointestinal problems because their digestive tracts aren't done growing.

Cheap Economy Dog Foods:  Avoid cheap or economy brands as they use cheap ingredients and lower grade proteins resulting in lower digestibility. Stay with premium or performance dog food because they are better for the digestive tract.

Become a Dog Food Ingredient Label Reader!

Knowing what ingredients to look for and also which ones to avoid will help you get the best value for your money and your dog. Learn to interpret a dog food manufacturer's label, and you will feel better understanding just what is in your puppy's food. The ingredients will determine the quality of the food.

On A Personal Note:  When Hogie was 5 months, our obedience trainer had us take our puppies off puppy food. Why? It was for the sole reason that puppies are already loaded with protein. Protein is also a key reason why puppies urinate so often! At five months we went straight to an adult food diet.

How Often and How Much Food?

How Often:
Typically, puppies under 4 months should be fed about 3 times a day. Morning, Noon, and Dinner. As your puppy gets older my suggestion to you is to split the total daily portions into two and begin feeding twice a day. Morning and Dinner. Put your puppy on a routine feeding schedule so he (or she) learns when to expect to eat.

Amount:
The amount of food given with each meal should never be dictated by what is on the back of the puppy food bag. Our own personal experience has shown us to feed less than what any of the manufacturers put on their lables. If you feed the requirements on the manufacturer's label you may quickly have an overweight dog on your hands. At the same time, you don't want an underweight dog either. Keep a watchful eye on their growth!

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Feeding Puppy With A Routine Schedule:

When potty training a puppy use a typical daily routine feeding schedule. Why? Feeding schedules will correlate with their house training since puppies usually eliminate after they eat. Start this daily routine the first day of their arrival. These little furballs quickly learn what is expected of them once their daily routine is set up.

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