A balanced diet and the right food for young dogs determine their development—some tips for dog owners on how to feed puppies properly.
Young dogs still grow a lot in the first six months of their lives. Proper nutrition has a significant influence on the healthy development of the little four-legged friends, especially during this time. It would help if you did not overfeed puppies or overfeed them. Otherwise, they grow unnaturally fast. Then the still soft skeleton of the dogs is overburdened by their excessive muscle weight.
Food for young dogs: the proper dosage
The correct dosage of food for young dogs is often not easy – especially for large dog breeds. However, if you feed too many or too few nutrients, your animal will quickly become ill or overweight. Therefore, take the following tip to heart: It is better to feed young dogs several small meals instead of one large one.
Your little friend’s stomach is comparatively tiny in the first months of life – and cannot yet digest excessively heavy feed rations. Therefore, a dog that is only three months old should be given three smaller meals a day if possible.
You can already feed twice a day from the 4th to the 12th month. And after the age of 1, you can safely provide one meal a day. Adapt the size of each portion to the frequency of meals. But how much should a dog eat up to the age of two? You can assume 6 to 10 per cent of your body weight as a rough guide.
When it comes to food for young dogs, don’t forget that your four-legged friend needs a little more food in winter or during prolonged exertion.
Tips for a balanced diet
The food for young dogs should be adequately portioned and correctly composed. Ensure that your little friend’s food contains sufficient protein, vitamins, trace elements and other essential nutrients.
Calcium is essential – after all, your young four-legged friend’s teeth should grow adequately. For this, you should feed them bones or liver. With a few tips from the experts, you can put together your dog’s food yourself. However, it is more advisable to stick to the already mixed offers.
The packaging of the respective food also states how much of it you should give your little companion.
