When puppy feeding a complete balanced diet is a very important part of the development of both the puppies brain and limbs.
The food given to a puppy must contain the correct balance of vitamins, minerals, protein, carbohydrates and fats.
Over time as the dog grows with age the balance of these vital ingredients will change.
At puppy age, protein is required in higher volumes because it is important in the growth of tissue like muscle Carbohydrates are the bodies energy store and as anybody with a puppy knows, they are very active and need lots of energy.
Calcium is required for building strong teeth and bones just as it is for young children.
Expert advise should be sought before supplementing a puppy feeding as too much of certain vitamins and minerals can be harmful for the puppy.
Due to the fact that when puppy feeding the balance of a puppies diet is very important, homemade food is not recommended because it is very hard to fully control the balance.
This said it leaves you with two options, Dry complete & Semi moist food (tinned food).
Dry Complete Dry complete consists of small biscuit like pieces that are carefully produced to contain the exact balanced diet the puppy needs.
The amount needed will depend on the age and breed or size of dog and this information will be found on the back of the packet.
This information is usually given in number of scoops of the food, so makes it easy to give the puppy the exact amount needed.
Due to the dry nature of the food, if the puppy does not eat all that is given it can usually be taken away and saved for the next feeding time.
Leave the food down for about 10-15 minutes before taking it away.
The dry biscuit nature of the food also makes it good for tooth care by helping to keep the teeth clean.
Also because of its dry nature, these foods are available to buy in large quantities because they will keep for a longer time than that of a tinned food.
The dry complete food is available from a number of manufacturers and made in different formulas to suit all age groups from puppy to senior.
Some puppies may be reluctant to eat dry complete food straight from weaning and if this is the case it can be moistened with a little water.
Remember that you get what you pay for so please buy the best food you can afford.
Semi Moist (tinned food) Tinned food is good at providing part of the essential parts of a puppies diet such as protein, but cannot provide a complete diet and so needs to be fed with a dry mixer added to provide the rest of the required vitamins and minerals.
This said it is still a very popular way of puppy feeding even though it is a more expensive choice of diet.
As with dry food, tinned food is made for the numerous stages of a dogs life and it is important you buy the correct stage to suit the age of you dog.
Tinned food is now being made ready mixed but is more expensive.
You will know if your puppy is happy with its diet (an empty bowl is a usual sign) but if changes are needed they need to be made over a period of a week or so to give the puppies digestive system chance to get used to the change.
Treats Treats such as doggie chocs and chews should only really be used as a training tool and not as a tool to stop a puppies barking or crying.
Treats contain some of the attributes of a puppies diet that you are providing by there feed so too many treats can easily unsettle the finely balanced diet you need to set up.
The preferable form of treats are the hard dog chews as they help to keep the dogs teeth clean.
Remember normal chocolate that you would eat is poisonous to dogs so under no circumstance should you feed it to your puppy.
Puppy feeding can be easily be overdone, by too many treats or table scraps on top of the diet recommended by the food manufacturer.
This is why obesity is a huge problem in puppies and can cause serious heart and liver problems.
A puppy is a serious responsibly just like having a baby.
You need to be strict with yourself to do the best for your puppy.
Resisting the temptation to give a begging puppy some of your own food or a choc.
If you buy the best food you can afford and stick to the serving amounts given to you on the packaging and provide plenty of clean drinking water your puppy will be happy and growing strong and healthy.