Puppy Nutrition for Small-Breeds
The most rapid growth occurs in these first months of your puppy’s life. The immune system is developing. Bones are growing. Muscles are getting stronger. This rate of growth requires just the right mix of nutrients. To make sure your puppy is getting optimal nutrition to protect and maintain health and well-being, here are some key points to keep in mind.
Feeding Your Puppy
From the time your puppy’s weaned until 4 months of age, you should feed your puppy 2-3 meals a day based on the guidelines of the food label. After 4 months of age, your puppy should be fed twice a day on a regular schedule. Always have fresh water available.
More Energy, More Protein
Research shows that puppies need twice as much energy as adult dogs. Dramatic growth at this stage means your puppy requires an energy-rich, nutrient-dense, complete and balanced diet. Puppies also require more protein than adult dogs. High-quality, animal-based protein will help your puppy create new body tissue.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Not all puppies have the same nutritional needs. Small-breed puppies have higher metabolism rates per pound and reach their mature adult weight faster than larger-breed puppies. And small-breed puppies need higher levels of protein, fat, calcium and phosphorus to support growth and development of bones, muscles and other tissues. So giving your puppy a food specially formulated for his breed size is the easiest way to make sure he’s getting the right balance of nutrients for his growth rate.
Small-breed puppies have another special feature: small mouths and stomachs. Make sure your puppy’s food has small kibble for easy chewing. A nutrient-dense formula will help make sure he’s getting a complete and balanced diet even though his stomach can only accommodate what seems like a small volume of food.
Choosing Foods
Aside from energy and protein, there are other important nutrients and ingredients vital to your puppy’s diet:
vitamin-rich fish oils to support overall health
essential vitamins and minerals to help support the immune system and help your puppy stay healthy during this critical stage of growth
animal-based protein sources to help nourish growing muscles, vital organs and skin and coat
a fiber source that will help keep your puppy’s sensitive digestive system healthy, so more nutrition stays in your puppy
ideal levels of calcium and phosphorus to help your puppy develop strong teeth and bones
These are important building blocks of nutrition. Look for them when you choose dry or canned dog food and when you select treats.
The Switch to Adult Food
A small-breed puppy reaches adult weight by 9-12 months—faster than large breeds that aren’t fully mature until 24 months of age. You can probably begin feeding adult dog food at 10 months. Your dog may not welcome the change at first, but don’t worry. You can help ease the transition by gradually introducing the adult food. Try mixing 25% of the new food with 75% of his puppy food then gradually change the proportions over the next three weeks until he’s eating 100% adult food.
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Puppy Nutrition for Medium Breeds
Your puppy is changing in so many ways. In fact, the most rapid growth will take place in these first months of your puppy’s life. The immune system is developing. Bones are growing. Muscles are getting stronger. All of this requires a nutrient-dense diet, formulated specifically to a medium-breed puppy’s rate of development. To make sure your puppy is getting optimal nutrition to protect and maintain health and well-being, here are some key points to keep in mind.
Feeding Your Puppy
From the time your puppy’s weaned until 4 months of age, you should feed your puppy 2-3 meals a day based on the guidelines of the food label. After 4 months of age, your puppy should be fed twice a day on a regular schedule. Always have fresh water available.
More Energy, More Protein
Research shows that puppies need twice as much energy as adult dogs. Dramatic growth at this stage means your puppy requires an energy-rich, nutrient-dense, complete and balanced diet. Puppies also require more protein than adult dogs. High-quality, animal-based protein will help your puppy create new body tissue.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Not all puppies have the same nutritional needs. Medium-breed puppies actually have slightly higher metabolism rates per pound than large-breed puppies. And your puppy will reach his mature adult weight at 12-18 months—sooner than larger breeds who reach adulthood as late as 24 months. Your puppy needs protein, fat, calcium and phosphorus to support growth and development of bones, muscles and other tissues. And he needs more of these nutrients than large-breed puppies. So giving your puppy a food specially formulated for his medium size is the easiest way to help make sure he’s getting the right balance of nutrients for his metabolism and growth rate.
Remember, puppies have small stomachs. Make sure your puppy’s food is nutrient-dense so he’ll get a complete and balanced diet even though his stomach can only accommodate what seems like a small volume of food.
Choosing Foods
Aside from energy and protein, there are other important nutrients and ingredients vital to your puppy’s diet:
vitamin-rich fish oils to support overall health
essential vitamins and minerals to help support the immune system and help your puppy stay healthy during this critical stage of growth
animal-based protein sources to help nourish growing muscles, vital organs and skin and coat
a fiber source that will help keep your puppy’s sensitive digestive system healthy, so more nutrition stays in your puppy
ideal levels of calcium and phosphorus to help your puppy develop strong teeth and bones
These are important building blocks of nutrition. Look for them when you choose dry or canned dog food and when you select treats.
The Switch to Adult Food
A medium-breed puppy reaches adult weight by 12 months. You can begin feeding adult dog food at this time. Your dog may not welcome the change at first, but don’t worry. You can help ease the transition by gradually introducing the adult food. Try mixing 25% of the new food with 75% of his puppy food then gradually change the proportions over the next three days until he’s eating 100% adult food.
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Puppy Nutrition for Large Breeds
Your puppy is undergoing some pretty dramatic changes. In fact, large-breed puppies generally grow more rapidly than smaller-breed dogs. But your large-breed puppy is best fed a diet that supports growth without allowing him to grow too quickly, a circumstance than can contribute to abnormal skeletal development. To help give your puppy the right balance of nutrients, here are some key points to keep in mind.
Feeding Your Puppy
From the time your puppy's weaned until 4 months of age, you should feed your puppy 2-3 meals a day based on the guidelines of the food label. After 4 months of age, your puppy should be fed twice a day on a regular schedule. Always have fresh water available.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Not all puppies have the same nutritional needs. Large-breed puppies actually have lower metabolic rates per pound than smaller-breed puppies. And while his growth is more dramatic, your puppy will reach his mature adult weight at 18-24 months?later than smaller breeds that reach adulthood as early as 9 months. So large-breed puppies require less energy in their diets.
Large-breed puppies can also benefit from less calcium. Puppies who consume too many calories and too much calcium grow too rapidly and can develop bone growth or joint problems. With your large-breed puppy, the goal should be a moderate, healthy rate of growth. That's why it's important to choose a diet with precisely balanced amounts of fat, calcium and phosphorus, designed specifically for large-breed puppies.
Choosing Foods
To help your large-breed puppy grow at a healthy rate, look for these features:
adjusted calcium and phosphorus levels to support healthy skeletal development
reduced calories and fat to help maintain ideal growth rate
vitamin-rich fish oils to support overall health
essential vitamins and minerals to help support the immune system and help your puppy stay healthy during this critical stage of growth
high-quality, animal-based protein sources to help nourish growing muscles, vital organs and skin and coat
a fiber source that will help keep your puppy’s sensitive digestive system healthy, so more nutrition stays in your puppy
These are important building blocks of nutrition. Look for them when you choose dry or canned dog food and when you select treats.
A Caution About Supplements
You want to give your puppy the very best nutrition during these months. Some people assume that this can best be achieved by supplementing their puppy's diet. But this may lead to a variety of health problems. Whether feeding vitamins, calcium tablets, table scraps, yogurt or meat, you could be upsetting a balanced interaction of nutrients and minerals. That balance is important. Too much of one mineral can affect a puppy's ability to absorb other minerals. And excess amounts of calcium may lead to bone growth problems, especially in large-breed puppies. A high-quality pet food, carefully formulated for life stage and breed size, will give your puppy complete and balanced nutrition?without supplements.
The Switch to Adult Food
A large-breed puppy reaches adult weight by 18-24 months. You can begin feeding adult dog food at this time. You can help ease the transition by gradually introducing the adult food. Try mixing 25% of the new food with 75% of his puppy food then gradually change the proportions over the next three days until he's eating 100% adult food.
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Lawn Alert
Is your backyard a safe haven or a health hazard? Lawn chemicals, fences and mowers all spell danger for dogs.
Your backyard, with its colorful burst of flowers, chirping birds and sunny disposition, may seem like a perfect springtime retreat. But it can be a big, bad world to your pet. Everything from lawn chemicals to the fence around your private sanctuary can be dangerous to your dog.
So what's a pet owner to do? Obviously, keeping your dog cooped up inside isn't the answer. But taking a few precautions will let you both enjoy the great outdoors safely.
"Owning a dog is like having a 3-year-old," says Dr. Patricia Talcott, a veterinary toxicologist at the University of Washington College of Veterinarian Medicine. "You don't throw out Tylenol® because of children. You store it safely. It's the same with a dog in your yard."
Danger Ahead
Whether your yard is the envy or the laughingstock of the neighborhood, it has hidden dangers. For example:
Chemicals. If used properly, most chemicals pose little risk. An exception is 2,4-D. The diethylamine salt in this weed killer can cause serious health problems in dogs. (Agent Orange used in Vietnam contained 50 percent 2, 4-D.) Rodent and insect repellents also are problematic, usually because people forget they've applied them.
Plants. The list of plants toxic to dogs includes yew, rhododendron and tulip and daffodil bulbs. Check with a nursery if you're wondering about your plants. If you do indeed have the plants above, remove them or prevent access to them.
Equipment. Moving objects are enticing to dogs, which is why lawn mowers, weed trimmers, chain saws and similar equipment are off limits. Keep dogs away from hot barbecue grills, too. (They love those meaty smells!)
Fences. Although they provide a barrier to the outside world, collars can get hooked in sharp-edged chain-link fences, and wooden fences can give splinters. A break-away collar would be the answer here. Unless fences are tall, some dogs can jump over them.
Play It Safe
Creating a safe haven isn't as hard as you might think. View your yard through your dog's eyes. Is he a digger? Add pavers at the base of your fence. Does he like to chew? A chew toy will keep him from plants.
you need to act like a parent. "You wouldn't just lock your toddler in the yard and run to the store," he says. "The best way to avoid trouble is to not leave your dog unsupervised in the yard."
Tips for Housetraining Puppies
Housetraining
As with most things in life, there are hard ways and there are easy ways to get things done. Rubbing a puppy's nose in a mess is an inappropriate way to housetrain. Using ample amounts of supervision and positive reinforcement is the easy way.
Starting Off On the Right Track
The first course of action in housetraining is to promote the desired behavior. You need to:
Designate an appropriate elimination area outdoors
Frequently guide your dog there to do his business
Heartily praise him when he goes
By occasionally giving a food reward immediately after your dog finishes, you can encourage him to eliminate in the desired area. The odor left from previous visits to that area will quickly mark it as the place for the pup to do his business.
Timing Is Important!
A six- to eight-week old puppy should be taken outdoors every one to three hours. Older puppies can generally wait longer between outings. Most puppies should be taken out:
After waking in the morning
After naps
After meals
After playing or training
After being left alone
Immediately before being put to bed
Eliminating On Command
To avoid spending a lot of time waiting for your puppy to get the job done, you may want to teach him to eliminate on command. Each time he is in the act of eliminating, simply repeat a unique command, such as "hurry up" or "potty", in an upbeat tone of voice. After a few weeks of training, you will notice that when you say the command your puppy will begin pre-elimination sniffing, circling, and then eliminate shortly after you give the command. Be sure to praise him for his accomplishments.
Feeding Schedules
Most puppies will eliminate within an hour after eating. Once you take control of your puppy's feeding schedule, you will have some control over when he needs to eliminate.
Schedule your puppy's dinner times so that you will be available to let him out after eating.
Avoid giving your puppy a large meal just prior to confining him or he may have to eliminate when you are not around to take him out. Schedule feeding two to three times daily on a consistent schedule.
Have food available for only 30 to 40 minutes, then remove it.
The last feeding of the day should be completed several hours before he is confined for the night. By controlling the feeding schedule, exercise sessions, confinement periods, and trips outdoors to the elimination area, your puppy will quickly develop a reliable schedule for eliminating.
Expect Some Mistakes
Left on his own, the untrained puppy is very likely to make a mistake. Close supervision is a very important part of training. Do not consider your puppy housetrained until he has gone at least four consecutive weeks without eliminating in the house. For older dogs, this period should be even longer. Until then:
Your puppy should constantly be within eyesight
Baby gates can be helpful to control movement throughout the house and to aid supervision
Keep them in the crate when unsupervised.
When you are away from home, sleeping, or if you are just too busy to closely monitor your pet's activities, confine him to a small, safe area in the home.
Nervous Wetting
If your puppy squats and urinates when he greets you, he may have a problem called submissive urination. Dogs and puppies that urinate during greetings are very sensitive and should never be scolded when they do this, since punishment inevitably makes the problem worse.
Most young puppies will grow out of this behavior if you are calm, quiet, and avoid reaching toward the head during greetings. Another helpful approach is to calmly ask your dog to sit for a very tasty treat each time someone greets him.
Direct Him Away from Problem Areas
Urine and fecal odor should be thoroughly removed to keep your dog from returning to areas of the home where he made a mess.
Be sure to use a good commercial product manufactured specifically to clean up doggy odors. Follow the manufacturer's recommendations for usage.
If a carpeted area has been soaked with urine, be sure to saturate it with the clean up product and not merely spray the surface.
Rooms in the home where your dog has had frequent mistakes should be closed off for several months. He should only be allowed to enter when accompanied by a family member.
Don't Make Things Worse
It is a rare dog or puppy that can be housetrained without making an occasional mess, so you need to be ready to handle the inevitable problems.
Do not rely on harsh punishment to correct mistakes. This approach usually does not work, and may actually delay training.
An appropriate correction consists of simply providing a moderate, startling distraction. You should only do this when you see your dog in the act of eliminating in the wrong place.
A sharp noise, such as a loud "No" or a quick stomp on the floor, is all that is usually needed to stop the behavior. Just do not be too loud or your pet may learn to avoid eliminating in front of you, even outdoors.
Practice Patience
Do not continue to scold or correct your dog after he has stopped soiling. When he stops, quickly take him outdoors so that he will finish in the appropriate area and be praised.
Never rub your dog's nose in a mess. There is absolutely no way this will help training, and may actually make him afraid of you.
Success!
The basic principles of housetraining are pretty simple, but a fair amount of patience is required. The most challenging part is always keeping an eye on your active dog or puppy. If you maintain control, take your dog outdoors frequently, and consistently praise the desirable behavior, soon you should have a house trained canine companion.
. This seems like alot to go through but if you want a happy healthly puppy/dog for a life time , all the time you put into your dog he will be the most wonderful family member. that pays you back!