How to Feed Your Puppy

#AlphaDogTraining #dogtrainingslc.com How to Feed Your Puppy Published by Alpha Dog Training https://www.alpha-dog-trainng-slc.com/ (801) 910-1700 The decisions you make about your puppy’s nutrition will affect his growth, development and even his behavior. Feeding your puppy a high-quality, complete and balanced puppy food helps set him up for a long and healthy life as an adult dog. This raises a lot of questions for first-time (and even veteran) puppy owners, though. What to Feed a Puppy When it comes to feeding puppies, there are a lot of factors to consider. Overall nutrition, breed size and the type of food all play a role. Here’s what you need to know: Puppy Nutrition Puppies need puppy food. Feeding puppies a complete and balanced puppy food ensures they get the proper nutrition to develop and grow into healthy adult dogs. Puppy foods are formulated with a balance of nutrients to help puppies grow up healthy and happy. Look for formulas rich in high-quality proteins to support their growing bodies. Fat and carbohydrates supply the energy active and playful puppies need, while calcium supports developing teeth and bones and DHA helps support healthy brain and vision development. Dry vs. Wet Puppy Food Although dry kibble is a popular choice, it’s not the only option. As you walk the dog food aisles, you may see both dry and wet puppy foods. This can make it harder to decide what to feed your puppy. Fortunately, as long as both the wet and dry formulas are complete and balanced for growing puppies, you can feed either one to your pup with confidence. You and your puppy may have a preference when it comes to dry versus wet. Feeding a combination of the two is also an option. If you’re feeding your puppy a combination of wet and dry food, it is extremely important to ensure the total caloric value does not fall short or exceed their daily energy requirement. Use the calories reported on the package to understand how much wet food will replace the dry and vice versa. This allows you to calculate the amount of each product needed to meet your puppy’s nutritional requirements. One thirteen-ounce can of wet puppy food may contain four hundred and seventy-five kilocalories and replace approximately one cup of a dry puppy formula with a similar value of kilocalories per cup. In this scenario, you could substitute a thirteen-ounce can of wet food for one cup of the daily dry food recommendation. Remember puppies will grow at various rates and body condition may change rapidly. As a result, it is extremely important to monitor your puppy’s body condition and adjust calorie intake as needed to prevent over- or underfeeding your puppy. The brand websites and your veterinarian are great resources and can help you develop a feeding plan specifically for your puppy’s needs. When to Feed a Puppy Once you know the daily feeding amount, you need to create a puppy feeding schedule. Take the total amount of food your puppy needs each day and divide that into two to three smaller meals. Give those smaller amounts to him at regular intervals each day. An easy puppy feeding schedule to follow is to feed him when you eat—at breakfast, lunch and dinner. Remember to feed him early in the evenings so he has time to digest his food before bedtime. This can help prevent accidents inside. Consistency is key. Feeding puppies at consistent times each day helps them get used to the routine. When to Stop Feeding Puppy Food Eventually, you’ll need to stop feeding puppy food and switch him to a complete and balanced adult dog food. This transition is dictated by breed size, just as the amount to feed a puppy depends on his breed. Larger breeds may take longer to reach full maturity, so he may need puppy food for up to two years. In general, however, expect to make the transition to adult dog food between one and two years of age. Talk with your veterinarian to determine the right time to make the switch and for tips on making the change easy on your pup. What about Puppy Treats? How can you resist rewarding your puppy with some tasty treats? In fact, treats make an effective training tool It’s important to keep the 90/10 rule in mind, whether you’re rewarding your puppy for good behavior or just want him to feel loved. Of his daily calories, 90 percent should come from his complete and balanced puppy food. The other 10 percent can come from treats. Following the 90/10 rule can help prevent weight gain and other health problems in adulthood. Those puppy eyes are hard to resist, but remember, you’re building—and training—a dog. Don’t give in to feeding him human food when he begs. Not only are some human foods toxic to dogs, but you’re rewarding undesirable behaviors, which will be harder to break later.