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Who doesn’t love puppies? If you’re thinking about bringing one home, or the little yipping ball of fur is already in your house, then you really need to know what to feed and what not to feed the little guy.

You probably already know this but puppyhood is the most important developmental time in a dog’s life. A puppy’s nutritional needs are very different from that of an adult dog. What you feed him and how you feed him will play a large role in his development into a healthy active adult.

So are you ready for that first bowl of chow?

When you first get your new canine pal, find out what kind of food he was getting from the breeder or shelter. His young digestive system can’t handle big changes immediately and you should slowly take him off the original food and on to the brand you have selected.  Start with a mix of 90% original and 10% of your brand and work it down to 100% of your brand over a period of 10 days.

Speaking of brands, make sure you are using puppy food not adult food. Puppy food usually has higher concentrations of nutritional values needed to accommodate a growing dog.

Dog food comes in three varieties, dry, semi-moist and wet. Without question, the dry food is the best value and also offers a number of other benefits. Moist and semi-moist foods are between 25% to 60% water, have an odor, and do not provide the puppy with an opportunity to clean his teeth. A steady diet of wet food will result in dental problems in the future not to mention bad breath.

Dry dog foods have a higher concentration of nutrients by volume, are easier to store and serve, and provide an opportunity for your pet to chew something rough which will help clean his teeth. Know that with puppy food, you get what you pay for. The bargain brands use the cheapest ingredients and will not have the same nutritional value as the premium brands.

So that’s the “what to feed him” and now comes the “when to feed him”. If you think about it for a moment, controlling when the puppy is fed becomes one of the first steps in puppy training. Initially the puppy should eat three times a day. Remove his food bowl between meals as you want him to get in the practice of eating at specific times. Eating at specific times will also mean that he will have to do his business at specific times making it easier for you to housebreak.

That said, make sure the dog always has access to fresh water. These are durable little creatures who could lose half their body mass but if they lose just 15% of their water content they could die.

Okay, what shouldn’t you feed your new pal? Take a moment and run through these:

• Table scraps. Studies have shown that puppies, and adult dogs for that matter, who eat only dog food have a far healthier diet than we humans have. Table scraps will typically be high in saturated fat, salt and preservatives and these can not be digested by a puppy stomach. In fact it may result in diarrhea.
• Milk. Most breeds are lactose intolerant because they do not have the enzyme lactase to digest it. Consequently, don’t feed your puppy cow’s milk or milk products like cheese.
• Animal bones. I know that dogs have been chewing on these since the beginning of time, but most experts will agree that bones, particularly fish, chicken and pork, can get stuck in the dog’s throat. I can personally attest to the danger to humans after stepping on a gnawed to a razor’s edge pork chop bone and breaking my big toe in the process.
• Treats. Doggy treats should be used to reinforce good behavior, not as a mainstay of the puppy’s diet.

So there you have it. Know you know how to get your new pup off to a healthy start. I’m sure you know there are a ton of other areas that you are going to have to be ready to address like canine illnesses, behavior training and separation anxiety. The more you know about how to handle these areas the more enjoyable your relationship with your new furry friend will be.

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