Young dogs grow quickly, meaning it’s important to consider how much to feed your puppy. You also need to think about the type of food that you serve up to your canine companion, as well as how often you feed them.
Not only are the ingredients in many pet food brands potentially harmful to your pup’s development, but research also shows that unhealthy dog food even contributes to a range of human afflictions. The good news is that you’ve come to the right place. These top tips will help you develop an appropriate feeding schedule and ensure your pup thrives.
How much food to feed a puppy?
Puppies require lots of calories to fuel their rapid growth, and they grow most quickly during their first five months. That being said, every puppy is unique, and the amount of food that you feed your pup will depend on various factors.
Given the nuances involved in working out the correct amount of food to feed your puppy, you can use our food calculator to help you. Simply input your dog’s age, weight, activity level, and condition, and we can advise you on the most suitable feeding guide for your pup.
How often should I feed my puppy?
It’s really important to get your puppy into regular feeding habits from an early age. Most puppies benefit from three meals a day at regular intervals, ideally at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. When your pup moves past the six-month mark, you can reduce this to two meals per day.
Make sure you’re consistent with your feeding times and don’t leave your dog’s food sitting on the floor for more than twenty minutes. When it comes to table scraps, feeding your pup bits and pieces from the table is perfectly fine if they’re not toxic to your dog’s health (chocolate being an example of a food to avoid).
It’s also important that you don’t encourage or reward bad behaviour when you’re feeding your puppy table scraps. Ensuring that they sit before being fed and limiting the amount you feed them from the table will help to manage their behaviour when you’re eating your family meal.
Are there any ingredients to avoid in puppy food?
Just because a food is branded as “puppy food,” it doesn’t necessarily make it a healthy choice. For instance, avoid the likes of artificial colours and preservatives, corn syrup, nondescript fats, and added salts.
We explain the dangers associated with such ingredients in this recent blog post. Ultimately, you need to be mindful of the ingredients within your dog’s meals, as they will contribute to their growth, development, and quality of life.
What’s the best food to feed my puppy?
The best way to think about your dog’s food is to consider what you would eat yourself. Unhealthy human diets consist of highly processed ingredients, and the same is true for our canine companions. To help your dog live their best life, you need to invest in nutritious, wholesome food that helps them develop.
At Pure, all of our customised meal plans contain natural, high-quality ingredients and are 100% free from nasties. Our food enables you to treat your pup like one of the family and ensure that they have the best possible chance of developing into a fit, healthy, and happy adult dog.