Feeding puppy, any advice?

Taiga

Ok, sorry, I'm looking for yet more advice from you knowledgeable dog owners.

I'm feeding the little guy Red Mills Leader Puppy dry food. I use tiny pieces of cheese, chicken and liver when training him. He is not eating his kibbles with gusto, which worries me due to what happened our last little fella. I'm feeding him 3 times per day, so far today he has eaten one lot, and only because I added a spoon of tuna to it. It's now 8:30pm. He's 12 weeks old.

I guess my questions are:

Is the Red Mills ok for him? If not suggestions welcome.

Can I mix dry and wet?

Can I add a little tuna, sardines etc at this age to make it tastier?

I'm thinking he's waiting for better as his treats are so nice for him, but he's waiting a long time!

He had a vet check yesterday and vet said he's a very healthy little fella.

Thanks guys. I know there are lots of puppy threads but I'm only confusing myself.:rolleyes:

Knine

The food is fine if it suits your pocket & him. I remove food after 10 mins if they don't eat it & don't offer them anything else until the next feeding time. If you only just got him, it is fine to mix something nice in it but it can be a bad habit to get into. You could also try soaking it in warm water as his mouth could be sore from teething. You can mix wet & dry no problem.

I don't go by the guidelines on the bag as each puppy is individual & puppies don't tend to overeat the way adults do. Just make sure he is well covered body condition wise.

Taiga

Thanks Knine. I forgot to say I put a little warm water on it. He ate it for a couple of days at first but not since.

He looks well. He's growing a little.

Sheepdish1

Could you very gradually reduce what ever you are mixing with the dry food? Eg if it’s a spoon of wet your are mixing could you cut it down very gradually?

Sheepdish1

Could you very gradually reduce what ever you are mixing with the dry food? Eg if it’s a spoon of wet your are mixing could you cut it down very gradually?

Taiga

Hi Sheepdish, I'm not mixing it with anything, only warm water. Today I put a little chicken in it and he ate it. He also goes to the press where I keep the food and treats and waits hopefully. He's had no training treats at all today, only lots of praise.

ILoveYourVibes

What type of dog is he op?

tk123

Are you feeding often enough - at 12 weeks I'd still feed 4 times a day?

Taiga

He's a Jack Russell cross (I think) and I'm splitting his food into 3 times a day.

ILoveYourVibes

Why no wet food? We've always done a mix of both at every meal.

I mean like a can of wet food a day ...split it in three ..mix it up with dry food.

Puppies can have canned food and pouches of meat etc.

wiggle16

I would mix in a tiny bit of dripping from whatever you cooked for dinner (eg, bacon fat or butter from a frying pan) with the dry food - only a tiny bit, a little goes a long way in terms of what a dog can smell and taste. Once you get him accustomed to eating the dry food he should continue to eat it once you've "weaned" him off the dripping, puppies form habits very quickly.

I would avoid switching straight from dry to wet food, obviously it depends on the dog but that can upset their stomach, especially with pups. Whatever you do, do it gradually.

ETA: you might be feeding him too often - not in the sense of too much food, just that he might still be feeling full from his last meal. My dog eats once a day, even if there is always food in the bowl.

jimf

funny little guys dogs but if food is available they wont starve to death

my vet always says hunger is a great sauce

hes young and small breed without a lot of exercise he wont be working up an appetite

ask your vet about vitamin b12 got it years ago from my vet for a picky springer I had it was a red syrup it worked brilliantly after a few weeks I couldn't feed the fecker but as said on vets advice

Sheepdish1

Taiga wrote: »

Hi Sheepdish, I'm not mixing it with anything, only warm water. Today I put a little chicken in it and he ate it. He also goes to the press where I keep the food and treats and waits hopefully. He's had no training treats at all today, only lots of praise.

Are you using the chicken and treats when training him? That’s good as it will motivate him to train with you. If he was my pup I’d be keeping chicken for training only as you need the food to be higher value than regular meals to motivate to train.

Could it be good to mix a small amount of wet food (eg a spoon) in with his dry food just while he’s getting used to it? It will make the kibble smell more pleasing to him .

Has he had a vet check yet ? I have read that the dry food can be better to feed versus wet food in terms of tooth plaque in some dogs so you could ask vet.

You could very gradually reduce the amount over time and hopefully switch him to dry food completely if that is what you would like to do.

Sheepdish1

Taiga wrote: »

He's a Jack Russell cross (I think) and I'm splitting his food into 3 times a day.

That’s good, you should measure food to make sure he’s getting the required amount

muddypaws

wiggle16 wrote: »

ETA: you might be feeding him too often - not in the sense of too much food, just that he might still be feeling full from his last meal. My dog eats once a day, even if there is always food in the bowl.

Puppies have tiny stomachs and need to be fed little and often. If the pup was only fed once a day, they would excrete most of it, little and often - 3 or 4 times a day - ensures the food is digested.

Taiga

Guys thanks for your help. I might try a little wet (tiny bit) mixed in for a while until he settles. I try to keep the good stuff for training but the clever fceker knows and I think he's holding out for it. I weigh out according to the guide on the bag and split it into three. So far he's eaten brekkie and half his lunch. He's very active and we're having 15 minute walks in the neighbourhood to socialise and get him used to being on the lead.

Cherry Blossom

My sheltie when he was a pup only ate about a third of the amount stated on the bag. To this day he still requires very little food and i need to be careful he doesn't put on too much weight. The guidelines on a lot of dogfood bags are vastly over stated and some dogs just naturally need less food. I wouldnt worry if he is in good condition, he'll eat if he is hungry.

Taiga

Thanks Cherry. I'll keep that in mind and keep an eye over the next week or so.

Gael23

Red Mills leader is a decent enough food.
He’s not eating the kibble because he is holding out for something nicer, such as the cheese and liver you give him.

Taiga

Well I'm in the process of changing his food. I'm doing it very slowly, maybe a little too slowly but we're in no hurry. I just found he pooed for Ireland and his windy episodes were HORRIFIC. I'm switching to Real Nature and he loves it, does a dance at meal times. Also so much less wind and much less stink. Not pooing as much either. Sorry if tmi! Hopefully he'll continue to do well on it going forward.

Do any of you stop feeding puppy food when adult teeth come in? I've read some old posts on it and found the idea interesting. Maybe it makes more sense with large breeds but I'll look more into it.

jimf

Taiga wrote: »

Well I'm in the process of changing his food. I'm doing it very slowly, maybe a little too slowly but we're in no hurry. I just found he pooed for Ireland and his windy episodes were HORRIFIC. I'm switching to Real Nature and he loves it, does a dance at meal times. Also so much less wind and much less stink. Not pooing as much either. Sorry if tmi! Hopefully he'll continue to do well on it going forward.

Do any of you stop feeding puppy food when adult teeth come in? I've read some old posts on it and found the idea interesting. Maybe it makes more sense with large breeds but I'll look more into it.[/QU
OTE]


his puppy food would have all the protein etc he needs for his age

maybe hes overloaded


not very technical but what goes out one end tells you of the suitability of what goes in the other

Taiga

True Jim. You can't beat a well-formed nugget!:pac:

Hope all is going well with your little pup.

jimf

hes great taiga thanks for asking

wired arseways just nuts


hopefully he will grow into his legs soon he reminds me of a baby giraffe after 10 pints of Heineken


bet your little guy is loving all the attention u just have to love puppies

Taiga

That's a great discription Jim lol. My fella's not much different. He's nuts. Keeping us well busy.;)