Therefore, it's important for new puppy owners to ensure their puppy is fed a diet rich in the fat, protein, nutrients and minerals they need to sustain vital body function, boost immunity, and sustain healthy development. Your puppy needs a complete, balanced diet to fulfill their nutritional requirements.
However, owners should be wary of "all-meat" products. Canned food is generally more expensive than dry food, and more palatable. The best wet foods contain ingredients that are rich in fatty proteins and healthy sugars like muscle protein and no animal byproducts like hooves and tendons. If it can't be classified as one of those nutritional categories, it shouldn't be in your puppy's diet. Puppies need protein, fat, and fiber in their diet. Do your research on the ingredients that go into the different puppy foods and how labels are written so that you can make the most informed choice on which puppy food is best for your puppy. If you have any questions regarding exactly how much food your puppy should be eating in the course of a day you should consult your veterinarian or the breeder. Whether or not to feed your puppy wet or dry food is a common enough question to spark a fierce debate between dog experts over which is best. Your vet will happily inform you on breed specific nutritional requirements. Lean, agile breeds like the Vizsla and Greyhound will require more food than a Basset Hound or a French Bulldog. In general, the more exercise the breed requires to stay healthy, the more food they need to fuel their lifestyle. As your puppy grows its metabolic rate will change, and it will need more or less food depending on breed. Therefore, owners should consider their puppies size, and age in unison when creating a food plan. Large breeds like the German Shepherd, Rottweiler and American Bulldogs will require much more food than small breeds like the Jack Russel and Yorkshire Terriers. Does Breed Affect Feeding Schedule?īreed can play a factor in determining when to feed your puppy. After 10 minutes remove their food even if they haven't finished, though 10 minutes should provide enough time for your puppy to consume the entire meal. Feed your puppy then wait for them to finish their meal. Around 6 weeks you can begin feeding your puppy solid food according to the following chart.Īfter 8 weeks, puppies should learn that food will no longer be provided constantly throughout the day. Newborn puppies cannot consume solid food and should be kept on their mother's milk until weaning age. Puppies eat more when they are young, because they are constantly growing. How often you feed you puppy is determined by its age. Conversely, if you notice that your puppy is gaining too much weight for their age, you may need to limit the amount of food in their diet. If they appear skinny and eagerly finish every meal, then you may need to increase the amount of food in their diet. Not all foods are the same calories per spoonful and may need some adjusting.īe sure to monitor your new puppy's health and wellness. Don't forget to consult a licensed veterinarian before making any changes to your puppy's diet. This chart details how much food you should be feeding your puppy based on their weight and is a great place to start when creating a food plan. How much your puppy needs to eat is determined by its size and weight.
From the day they are born, they are on an accelerated growth path, and they need the fuel to reach their full potential.
How Much Food Do I Feed My Puppy?Įvery week brings a rapid cycle of changes in which your puppy grows, learns and especially eats. To make feeding your puppy as easy as possible, we've created a weekly feeding schedule detailing how much food your puppy needs how often they need to eat, and what types of food options you should have available. Puppies have very specific nutritional requirements that determine what foods they can eat, how much they should be fed, and when they should transition to adult food. Puppy Feeding Schedule/Timeline (By Week) To cut through the myriad of conflicting messages we've created this guide on how, when and what to feed your puppy. There is a lot of misleading information concerning dog foods, canine nutritional requirements and exactly what a puppy needs to eat.