What should I feed my new puppy?
specific age
Choose foods made specifically for puppies. As a general rule, it’s best to buy brand-name puppy foods rather than generic or low-priced foods. You can’t really tell from the ingredient whether a particular food is good or bad.
Many things you’d look for on food labels you buy for yourself (extra protein or vitamins) can actually harm your pet. Over-supplementation can be a major factor in your dog’s health problems, including contributing to hip dysplasia or other orthopedic issues.
specific size
Look for large breed puppy food if you have a large breed puppy (Great Dane, Rottweiler, German Shepherd, etc.). It’s not just the size of the kibble that’s different, large breed food is actually shaped differently than regular puppy food. It is specially designed for very fast growing puppies.
How often should I feed my puppy?
Very young puppies do best when offered food three times a day. As they get older, they will require fewer feeds, but will eat more at each feed. If your pup doesn’t seem to be hungry as often, reduce the feeding to twice a day.
After ten or twelve weeks of age, you should only offer him food twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening. Even adult dogs should eat twice a day. If you are currently feeding your adult dog two cups of food once a day, try feeding one cup twice a day.
Dogs that are only fed once a day are often overly hungry and then overeat when fed.
How much should I feed my puppy?
Let your pup eat as much as he wants in fifteen minutes and then pick up the food bowl. Once again, this is also true for adult dogs.
Having food always available encourages overeating. Pet obesity is on the rise, and many people don’t realize that the effects on their dog are just as deadly as they are on people.
Free-feeding puppies are often never very hungry, so they become picky eaters, leading to treats. Treats are fine, but don’t let them become a major part of your diet.
Remember, those cute little chubby puppies will grow up to be fat adult dogs with orthopedic problems like hip dysplasia, torn cruciate ligaments, dislocated patella, etc., as well as the same heart problems that humans suffer from.
canned food vs. dry food.
We used to think that canned food was bad for your pups’ teeth. But, research has shown that is not the case. The myth that dry food is better for your dog’s teeth has turned out to be just that: a myth.
In fact, for young dogs, canned food is probably the best option overall due to the added moisture content. Though I’ll be the first to admit that dry food is cheaper and easier to use.
To remember:
- Feed age-specific foods
- I feed brand instead of generic
- Feed Size Specific Food
- Feed very young puppies 3 times a day, then reduce to 2 times a day
- Canned or dry food is a personal preference, not a health issue