Your little ball of fur has lived exclusively on mother’s milk for the first 4 weeks of its life and now it is time to start the transition to solid dog food.
ASPCA nutrition experts say that puppies use about twice as much energy as adult dogs, thus they suggest that pups eat food which high in protein (25 to 30 % of their dog food should be proteins).
If you need more detailed guidelines for how much to feed and how often, your veterinarian will also help you determine your pooch’s dietary needs.
Growing Up
As your pup grows up, you should start dividing his daily food intake into four equal portions throughout the day. Later, cut down on the number of feedings, while gradually increasing the amount of each serving.
Breed and activity level determine at what age exactly you should make those changes, but generally speaking, your canine buddy is to be fed 4 times a day until he’s about 4 months old, and over the next 2 months you can cut back to two feedings, which will become the feeding regimen for the rest of your dog’s life.
On the other hand, some dogs like to be fed free choice. This means leaving food out at all times and your furry friend will have a snack every now and then throughout the day. However, this method is not recommended for puppies and young adults as they have a tendency to subscribe to the “all you can eat program” and can easily become overweight.