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What and When?
From roughly 3 ½ weeks old, our puppies are raised on Kirkland Signature Puppy and I also like Iams Large Breed Puppy Formula. By just over 5 weeks, they are no longer getting mom’s milk, they are strictly on kibble softened with hot water. At 8 weeks old, they are on dry kibble with fresh water available. They have also been cut back to three feedings per day, from the four that are necessary for them at the younger ages.
From eight weeks old until about six months, a good schedule is three feedings per day, roughly at the same time of day. We like breakfast at 7:30 AM, lunch around 1:00 PM, and dinner around 7:00 PM. You will obviously have to adjust the feeding schedule to meet your needs. The first day or so in your home, your pup may not be that interested in their food. Part of that will be that they are missing their littermates; competition at the food dish is one of the main driving forces for puppies to eat!
To get your pup interested in his dinner again, you may want to revert back to adding some hot water to his meals and making a big deal about how delicious it looks! However your pup is quite capable of eating dry kibble and you shouldn’t get a case of the guilt’s if he turns his nose up at it. A healthy dog will not starve himself!!
Getting your puppy on a regular routine will greatly assist with housebreaking! If you haven’t read this post yet, you should!
An active lifestyle will lead to an appetite eventually! Our pups are introduced to plain yogurt as soon as they start puppy mush. As they begin to fill their mouths with teeth, we add fresh fruit such as bananas, blueberries, watermelon, and apples to their diet. We also like to feed steamed vegetables, such as broccoli, carrots, snap peas, green beans, and sweet potato, to name a few.
Other additions include good quality fats such as coconut oil, fish oil through tinned sardines (we don’t offer those often because they have added salt) and all natural peanut butter. Other sources of protein such as whole raw eggs with the shell, frozen turkey necks, and raw liver. A variety of these items are added carefully and sporadically as your puppy ages. If you are truly concerned about your pup’s weight and appetite, contact your breeder, or your vet for further instructions. And as always with my posts, feel free to contact me.
At bedtime I like to treat puppies to hard biscuits. The hard crunchy biscuits help to keep your pup’s teeth clean as well as giving them a little in their belly at bedtime. I like to put the treats into the puppy’s crate so he happily goes to bed. However too much treating can lead to obesity and a host of problems related to it! Please use discretion when treating your pup! A fat dog is one that will have a shorter lifespan and many health problems.
Other treats that we choose to give our pups and adult dogs occasionally are beef pizzles, natural smoked bones, beef jerky, and the best baby sitter …. Tarter Busters! Please DO NOT give your dog rawhide. It can be deadly!! If they ingest it and can’t pass it, it can cause potentially deadly and definitely expensive intestinal blockages. Rawhide is not digestible and therefore will not break down over time, it must be surgically removed!
Bones as listed above, are very good for their dental health, and it helps to divert their attention from other chewing activities! Other than treating for dental health, we do not treat often! Remember, that treating is a human thing, not a dog thing! If you like to treat often, please consider a low calorie offering such as Nutri Bites Freeze Dried Beef Liver! They are a great single ingredient treat made in Canada. Our dogs also love Beef Tendersticks which are also one ingredient and are also made in Canada!
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Bottom line is; feeding your dog a good quality food, and treats may cost a little more at the checkout, however you won’t be spending that money and more at the vet’s office! Not to mention that the quality of your pet’s life will be far better and probably longer for it!
Any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask! Comments are also appreciated!
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