Getting a puppy is a exciting occasion, but with that comes the responsibility of supporting their dietary needs so that they grow up BIG & STRONG! All puppies experience rapid growth in their 1st 6 months and for smaller breeds can reach maturity by 12 months, or for larger breeds this can be up to 2 years. Your puppies calorie and dietary requirements will change at each new phase but here are some of our top starter tips for those first few months.
Rule #1: Understand your dogs breed and weight.
Certain breeds will have specific dietary requirements and you can use their weight as a guide to their daily feeding measurements which are often displayed on the puppy food you buy or advised by your breeder.
Rule #2: Keep the same diet as the breeder (at least for the first few days).
A sudden change in diet will lead to a puppy with a very upset tummy (which nobody wants). If you are planning to change their food, it is a good idea to gradually make the change over a 7 day period to help their little tummies learn how to digest the new food.
Rule #3: Soak the dry good ahead of eating time.
Puppies take a while to fully develop there little shark teeth, so by creating a softer meal you are making chewing a hell of a lot easier for them!
Rule #4: Start your pup off with 3 meals per day.
Just like their small baby teethe, puppies bellies also start out teeny-tiny so they are only able to digest small amounts of food at a time. Keeping their meals to small and frequent will prevent any unwanted digestion issues.
Rule #5. Ensure you are feeding them puppy specific food.
Puppies have completely different nutritional requirements to adult dogs so it's important their food has all the correct calories and nutrients to support their development. Make sure that your food is correctly designed to suit their puppy needs.
Rule #6. Have plenty of water available at all times.
This one may seem obvious, but it's a good one to keep on the top of your mind so you can make sure it's always accessible to your pup (and always filled!)
Rule #7. Puppy treats should be factored into their overall daily meal size.
As a rule of thumb, dog treats should be capped to 10% of their total daily intake. This means reducing what's in their dog bowl by 10% to make sure your pup does not become obese which will result in a array of different health concerns.