food and laziness

Question
i have a pitbull that is 9 weeks old and i was wondering how much should i
feed him i bought iams puppy food and i give him about 1/2 a cup of dog
food around lunch time and he eats it all and wants more and he also
drinks alot of water i am not sure if that is normal for a puppy or what.
How much am i supposed to feed him, how many times a day and when. and
also he always wants to lay down even when we are playing i bought a tug
toy and when we start playing he is happy for a while and play with me
then just lays down and holds on and wants me to pull and play with him.
he also wants to be carried every where does that mean he is going to be a
lazy dog or is there something that i can do to make him more active

Answer
Hi Shawnie,

Congratulations on getting a puppy!
Most veterinarians recommend feeding a dry puppy food because this type of dog food is less expensive than canned foods and the crunchy kibble helps to minimize tartar build-up on those sharp baby teeth.

You said you feed your puppy dog food, you should be feeding it a food especially made for puppies, it really does matter. You want your little boy to get all the nutrition he needs!

The amount you feed your puppy depends on his weight. Follow the feeding guidelines on the back of your puppy food package. Since your puppy is now over 8 weeks old, you can feed him twice a day. Try to always feed him at about the same time every day. Mornings and early evening are good times to feed. Your puppy will be teething. He may become a finicky eater or loose his appetite. Keep feeding him nutritious food twice a day. If he has an upset stomach for more then one or two days, take him to the veterinarian.

By 6 months old your puppy may look all grown up but he is still a puppy. He should still be fed puppy food for the added nutrition. Feed him the puppy food for the first year.

Here are some more puppy feeding tips:

Feed your puppy the same kind of food every day. Unlike humans, a dog's digestive system cannot handle changes in food. It can cause upset stomach and diarrhea.

When switching to a new food, gradually transition him to the new food by mixing portions of both foods until you slowly phase the old food out. Your puppy may experience diarrhea if his food is suddenly changed.

Always have fresh drinking water available.

Keep food and water bowls clean.

Don't overfeed your puppy. Follow the guidelines on the puppy food package for recommended feeding amounts.

Monitor your puppy's weight and activity level, and make feeding adjustments as necessary. Don't be alarmed if your puppy's appetite changes. It is normal for your puppy to lose his appetite or experience digestive upset occasionally. If your puppy's upset stomach becomes severe or last longer than a day or two, contact your veterinarian.

You don't have to worry about your dog becoming lazy. At 9 weeks old, it's still a tiny baby. If he wants to be carried, it's because he is tired. Take the time to hold and snuggle with him now, soon he will be too big to carry! In time he will be able to keep up with you and not need to rest so much.

I'm sure you know, as an adult a Pit Bull can be considered a dangerous breed, though I have known many sweet loving Pit Bull Terriers. You need to take special care to socialize your puppy now, while it's small, so he will not be shy or afraid of other people or other dogs or act aggressively towards anything.

Playing tug of war may be fun but you are playing an aggressive game that encourages competition between you and the puppy. Tug-of-war gives your puppy the opportunity to establish dominance. Many puppies use the same tearing action with clothing and household items. A puppy cannot distinguish between items that are off limits and those that may be used for play.

Some puppies tend to be biters. You are reinforcing this bad habit when you allow your puppy to bite you during play time. Never wiggle your fingers or hand in a teasing way at your puppy or encourage it to attack you. Such "attack games" may seem cute when your puppy is little, but the end result is usually an adult dog who bites.

If your puppy does not stop biting, confine it in a safe place until it calms down. Resume play later. Biting should never be rewarded. If you continue to play with your puppy after it has tried to bite you, it will think biting is part of the game.

I should mention that you should never EVER hit or yell at your puppy. He doesn't mean to misbehave - he is just doing whatever comes naturally. Instead, show your puppy what kind of behavior you want. For example, teach him to play with his toys. Make them fun and exciting. Let him know how happy you are and how good he is when he chews them. Then, when you see him chewing your furniture, firmly tell him, "Off!" and immediately show him one of his own toys. At that moment give him one of his toys to play with and chew on. Praise him profusely when he does so.

(this is important) If you don't catch him in the act, anything you do will confuse him. That means if you don't see him actually distroying something or in the process of having an accident in your house, it's totally useless to punish him. A puppy's memory isn't that long and you can't punish him for something he may have done 15 minutes ago! The only way you can instruct your puppy is to be there. If you can't be there, don't allow him to have access to places where he can get into trouble.

Another important point is that when the puppy distroys something or has an accident in your home, the fault is yours, not the puppy's. If you didn't put your things away, or didn't take the puppy for his walk, don't blame him!
A puppy is a blank slate that you must teach all things to. You are responsible to make his life a safe and happy one.

Here are some puppy training sites you may find helpful:
http://www.placervillevet.com/puppy_care_and_training.htm
http://www.perfectpaws.com/pupstuff.html
http://pages.tipking.com/pets/tip_145.shtml

I hope you have many years of happiness with your new puppy.

-Patti

Best of luck,
Patti