Discover the essential know how on feeding your puppy

Give your puppy some time to warm up to his new home!

The number of meals you give your puppy should be fixed. While adult dogs can have just 2 meals a day, a puppy must be given 3 meals at regular times. Ration the amount of food you need to give your puppy every day. Your puppy may refuse to eat, no worries, it is probably because of the change of home. Be gentle and give your puppy some time to get used to his new home. If the problem persists longer than a few days, talk to your vet.

Puppies have fragile digestive systems. Therefore, the transition from old food to new food needs to be a slow and gradual process. Mix the new food with the old food in small amounts, increasing the amounts everyday. Continue this till your puppy's diet only contains the new food.

Say a no?no to snacking

Avoid giving your puppy snacks in between meals. This will upset his diet and lead to excessive weight gain. It will encourage your puppy to develop bad habits such as begging for food between meals.

Acute sense of smell

Puppies are more sensitive to smell than taste. Their sense of smell is more developed than humans. They can distinguish between four basic flavours: sweet, sour, salty and bitter. The aromas play an important role in determining the food your puppy likes. Thus, you need not worry about constantly changing your puppy's food.

#FoodFact: Distinguishing taste is due to the presence of taste receptors on the surface of the tongue. While humans have 9,000 taste buds, dogs have only 1,700 on an average.

Small tummy! Small meals!

While Dogs only require two meals a day, puppies should be given several small meals. Depending on your puppy's age, the meals should be scheduled at fixed times. Up to 3 meals a day can be given for puppies that are 4 months old.

In all, overfeeding or going off diet can be harmful to your puppy's health. Before feeding your puppy, review the serving guidelines and measure each portion accordingly.

Fresh and clean!

Make sure your puppy always has access to a bowl of fresh clean water. Change the water regularly as puppies tend to play with it, which in turn dirties the water.

Everybody loves a well-mannered dog

It is important for your puppy to acquire good eating habits at a young age. Make a separate place in your house, only for your puppy's meals. Always place his food and water bowl in the same location. This way, he will know where to find fresh water and food during mealtime.

The transition from puppy to adulthood

To prepare you for the later stages of your puppy's life, we will now discuss the transition period from puppy to adulthood. As stated earlier, feeding a dog is different from feeding a puppy. Make sure your puppy's diet is specific to his life cycle.

The transition from new food to old food should be a gradual process that takes place over a period of 7 days.

On the first day, start by mixing your puppy's regular food with 25% new food. Every alternate day, increase the percentage of new food by 25 %. This slow transition will help promote a healthy digestive system during the diet change.

When you keep a dog, you gain a faithful companion for life. Use this guide to take good care of your dog and give your dog the healthy and happy life he deserves. For more information, visit Royal Canin.