You will get some food with your puppy when you adopt from us. When you receive your puppy, he/she will be accustomed to eating 3 times a day (morning, noon & evening). Puppies are changing and growing rapidly & they need to eat more frequently (at least 3 times a day) to provide all the proper nourishment & nutrition for their rapidly growing bodies. Make sure your puppy always has access to fresh water throughout the day. Once your puppy is older, he/she can taper down to one or two feedings a day. Your vet can help you determine the frequency & amount you should be feeding your puppy based on the needs of your puppy, size (over/underweight), activity level etc. You can either feed him/her on a set schedule (which will help you know when he needs to poop) or you can have food available at all times. Just be sure to only give what he/she needs for that day.
You should use a puppy formula until your puppy is at least 1 year old. While he/she may look like a fully grown dog, your puppy is still finishing his/her growth and bone formation and needs those extra calories/nutrients. When they are 1 year they should transition to a high quality, small or medium dog, adult food. I now feed all of our new puppies Mini Starter from Royal Canin (available from PetSmart & other reputable pet stores, as well as directly from the company), & We couldn’t be happier with the results. We strongly encourage each of our clients to use this wonderful puppy chow for at least the first month after you receive your puppy. Puppies are stressed when they are taken from their mothers & litter mates & sent to their new home, so anything that can be done to reduce further stress is important & this means not abruptly changing their diet.
If all is going well with your puppy after being in your home for a month or so, you can start transitioning over to another high-quality, small or medium dog, puppy chow if you choose. If you plan on changing dog food brands we advise making the change gradually so the sudden change does not cause any irritation to the digestive tract, which may result in loose stools & diarrhoea. If you decide to change brands of dog food, mix the new brand with your existing brand on a 1×3 ratio. If he/she tolerates this well, mix half & half for a few days. If he/she is still doing well, mix the new brand with the old brand on a 3×1 ratio for a few days. If things are still going well after a few days, switch over completely to the new brand. I strongly recommend a high protein (at least 27%), high fat (at least 15%), & high-fibre dry puppy chow that has meat as the first ingredient and rice as the main filler.
We try to avoid wheat & corn fillers as they can be harder on your puppy’s digestive system & can also make him/her gassy. Costco (Kirkland brand) has a high-quality chow meeting our recommendations at a very reasonable price, but you can purchase high-quality puppy food from any pet shop, vet’s office, Wal-Mart, IFA, etc. If you are feeding your puppy a high-quality small or medium adult dog food (if he/she is over 1 year old) or puppy chow (if he/she is under a year old), you can probably get by without special supplements. However, to be sure that all of our dogs are getting all of the nutrients they need to maintain strong, healthy bodies & good coats. We have started giving each of them a NuVet tablet every day — and it has made a noticeable improvement in our home, especially with the pregnant & whelping females.
We were told about this supplement from a breeder friend of ours who obtained fantastic results in her kennel by using this supplement every day with each of her dogs. She said she solved several problems (from skin rashes to low milk production in mothers, along with several other nagging health issues) when she started giving each dog in her kennel one of these supplements daily. We believe you & your puppy will also benefit from these outstanding supplements.
Snacks Foods for Your Puppy!!!
Raw ground beef, lamb, venison, cooked chicken or pork, raw eggs (free range small farm) or soft boiled from the store, yogurt, cottage cheese, small cubes of cheese (you can freeze them for summer treats), watermelon with rind, bananas, apples with core, carrots, and any fruit or veggie they are willing to eat. Keep in mind when you use these foods as snacks not as a part of a raw diet, use fruits and vegetables in small amounts – no more then 1/4 of an apple in size a day and a meat portion, about size of a small meatball once a day. Remember “They are what they eat, so choose wisely”