Bringing a puppy home. Usually, the first thing you do when you adopt a puppy is go to a pet shop and buy everything you need: a comfortable kennel, a collar, some toys, a water bowl, and finally, food!
‘Puppies are babies’: how to handle your new best friend
Bringing home a new puppy can be full of excitement and challenges. While the cute factor of puppies and young dogs can make us melt, some of their behaviour can drive us crazy.
From biting and barking to housebreaking problems that add new colour combinations to your carpets, trainers can help humans and their new dogs through all the stages of childhood. Puppies are children. Much of their developmentally appropriate behaviour does not constantly adapt to the human world. One of the biggest problems new owners have is prevalent puppy bites.
But it is painful. Puppy teeth are notoriously sharp. That pinching is a form of communication. While gnawing on our shoes or hands, puppies try to tell us: ‘I’m hungry, I’m tired, I’m thirsty, I need to go to the bathroom‘.
While determining whether one of those unmet needs is causing the behaviour, an immediate solution is to give the puppy something it can chew on, such as a toy or a specially designed chew stick. Then, praise the puppy when it stops chewing and takes the toy.
Another thing to consider is whether the puppy—like a baby—has had enough sleep. Without adequate rest and nap time, “you will see a puppy that starts to deteriorate behaviourally, gets overstimulated more easily, gets what we would call ‘grumpy’, prickly and biting,” which is simply frustrating for everyone.
Puppies are a concentration of power.
Puppies and young dogs have tons of energy, which is great for young, active families. However, if time is tight or schedules change, families should consider taking their dogs to a dog park to let them let off steam.
This does not necessarily apply to younger puppies. However, if puppies suddenly are surrounded by a group of unfamiliar dogs investigating the newcomer, ‘this can create lifelong fear that develops into reactivity, sometimes aggression.’
When dogs are older, visiting dog parks might be a good idea. Limiting a puppy’s access to the entire house can prevent accidents and damage to furniture caused by chewing.
Start by keeping them in a controlled space. Crate training is helpful, as is offering them a ‘designated space’.
A dog crate or small puppy-proof room where dogs can relax without humans hovering and telling them, “No!” is essential for their development. “We must be careful how many ‘no’s’ we say to our dogs during the day. " Otherwise, when necessary, the “no” becomes annoying white noise instead of direction.
How to choose the right food for our puppy
At this point, one is confronted with a vast selection of foodstuffs. Understanding which is most suitable for our dog is certainly not easy, and often, one tends to be attracted to the food with the most attractive packaging and perhaps the best price.
This choice, however, cannot be made lightly. It is always good to know that a complete and balanced diet, along with genetics and factors related to the dog's environment, is one of the fundamental building blocks for healthy growth.
Genetics is a predetermined factor, and the living environment is usually not adjustable. In contrast, diet is something we can act on directly and is one of the first choices every dog owner must make to ensure their dog’s well-being. Therefore, let us try to answer any questions you may have about your puppy’s diet.
The Vet Told Me That The Puppy Has To Eat “Puppy Food” And That The Adult Food I Give To The Other Dog Is No Good. Why?
The nutritional needs of growing dogs are different from those of adult dogs. For example, the minimum protein requirement of a pup is higher, so adult dog food might have a low protein count that is insufficient for a growing puppy.
It is also essential to consider that puppies need more energy because they have to gain weight until they reach the size they will be as adults.
“Adult” foods often have a lower energy density than “puppy” foods, i.e., they contain less energy at the exact dosage. This means that the puppy would have to ingest a large amount of adult food to be complete, certainly more than the amount indicated on the package label, based on weight. Hence, there is a risk of underfeeding our puppy.
Conversely, suppose the dosage is increased so that he can satiate himself. In that case, too high levels of some nutrients, such as calcium, can be taken by the doggy, which, if overdosed or vice versa (underdosed), can adversely affect bone development.
I just bought a puppy from a breeder and want to change its diet. How should I go about doing this?
An abrupt change in diet can cause gastrointestinal upset for your puppy, so it is best to introduce the new food gradually. The transition duration can vary and should be moderated according to the dog, but about a week is usually necessary.
It is advisable to start by replacing a small portion of the old food (e.g., a quarter of the dose for the first two days) and gradually increasing the percentage of new food (50 per cent for two more days and then 75 per cent for two more days) until the previous diet is wholly eliminated.
If possible, do not change your puppy’s diet immediately after you get him. Wait a few weeks so that he can cope with one change at a time, as he has already been removed from his mom.
How do I choose the correct dosage?
In addition to choosing the right food, quantity plays a key role. We must know that a dog's ability to reach a certain weight as an adult is programmed by genetics. In practice, if you feed him more, he will not grow more than his genetics predicted, but he will only do so faster.
We wrote an article about how much I should feed my dog on this subject.
This is not good because too rapid growth, especially in large puppies, can predispose them to orthopaedic growth disorders. However, overfeeding could lead to early overweight conditions in small dogs or those predisposed breeds.
Usually, the dosage is given on puppy foods according to the puppy’s age and expected adult weight. However, if the dog is not purebred, it can be difficult to estimate correctly the weight it will have when it grows up.
Therefore, it is essential to monitor growth with the treating veterinarian, weigh the canine at least once a month, and correct the dosage according to the dog’s characteristics when necessary.
I am bringing a puppy home. How many meals should I feed him?
For medium-sized dogs, it is advisable to provide at least three meals a day until they are about six months old. After that, it is possible to gradually switch to two meals daily. The times may be slightly shorter or longer for small or large dogs.
There is a new puppy at home. Should I give him supplements?
It depends on the supplements and needs: if the basic food is complete and balanced and the dog is healthy, accessories are not strictly necessary, especially those based on vitamins and trace elements such as iron, copper, zinc, etc.
However, supplements containing specific functional ingredients to support intestinal well-being, for example, during diet changes or immune defences during the vaccination period, may be helpful. In medium- and large-sized puppies, administering chondroprotective supplements may also be appropriate.
If a home diet is chosen instead, it must be formulated with a veterinary doctor experienced in nutrition, and mineral-vitamin supplements are needed.
Can I give milk to my puppy?
This might sound like a good idea, but it’s not always the case: after weaning, “lactases” (i.e., the enzymes that are used to digest lactose) are reduced, and some dogs can become lactose intolerant, which is why it is not recommended to feed dogs any cheese containing lactose.
Small amounts of milk are usually well tolerated, but increasing the dosage could cause gastrointestinal problems, such as abnormal fermentation and diarrhoea. Furthermore, adding milk is unnecessary if the basic food is complete and balanced.
What foods should I avoid?
Toxic foodstuffs such as chocolate, garlic, onions, grapes and sultanas must be avoided. It is also preferable not to accustom your puppy to receiving leftovers or treats from our table, as it is easy to overdo the daily calorie intake. If you overdo it, you can also unbalance your diet.
Also, pay close attention to bones, especially if cooked. They can fragment into sharp splinters and become dangerous if they perforate our puppy’s intestines.
How long should I give the puppy food?
It is generally said that ‘puppy‘ food should be provided up to the age of one year. In reality, however, the larger the dog’s size, the longer it will grow.
Large or giant dogs will not reach adult weight until 18-24 months at the earliest, and they should be fed puppy food throughout this period. Conversely, tiny dogs (such as toy breeds) may reach maturity around 6-8 months, when they can transition to adult food.
I am bringing a pooch home. What should I do if I doubt my puppy’s diet?
The first thing to do is consult your four-legged friend’s attending veterinarian. The veterinarian can provide all the necessary information to feed your pet correctly and ensure his healthy growth.
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