Birth to 6 weeks
A newborn puppy is a virtual muscle, bone, hair and teeth-making machine. One of his main jobs in life (besides playing) is eating. He has to consume a lot of nutrition if he's going to grow from infancy to adulthood in just 12 months (a large breed puppy may take as many as 24 months to reach full development). Naturally, the better his quality of nutrition, the better the foundation you'll be laying for his future.
Mother's milk is the ideal first food. Although he won't be ready for weaning until six to eight weeks, he will start to nibble solid foods at three to four weeks. (Truth is, he'll mostly romp in and out of the food bowl, licking the food from his paws.)
Regardless, this is a good time to offer small portions of a high-quality puppy food like PURINA ONE™ Healthy Puppy Formula, moistened according to package directions. Unlike adult dog food, it will provide extra calories and nutrients your puppy needs for bursts of energy and rapid growth.
6 to 12 weeks
By this time, your puppy is turning into a real social animal. He's rolling and tumbling, relishing human contact and yearning to earn your praise and approval. Use playtime to start teaching basic commands, lovingly, of course.
After weaning at six to eight weeks of age, he'll typically eat dry or moistened food at will. So keep a bowl of dry PURINA ONE™ Healthy Puppy Formula within reach. It's a great way to make sure fresh food is always on hand.
In fact, it's a good idea to start with a good puppy food and stick with it. Consistency is important to a puppy's delicate digestive tract. Switching foods can create a finicky eater and cause tummy upsets and diarrhea (a real stumbling block during housebreaking).
12 to 14 weeks
This is an exciting time of exploration and curiosity for your puppy. Now is the time to expand his horizons a bit, showing him as much of the outside world as possible. He's just coming out of his timid stage and will enjoy exploring with you, little by little, meeting neighbors and other dogs (just make sure they are gentle dogs so these experiences will be positive ones). In other words, he's growing up. But he's still a puppy.
This is prime housebreaking training time, and establishing consistent mealtimes can actually contribute to your success. Take your puppy to his designated elimination area first thing every morning, last thing every night and immediately after mealtimes. Make it part of his routine.
6 to 12 months
Although he may look grown-up on the outside, your puppy is still developing on the inside. His bones are becoming stronger and his body is filling out. At this point, you'll be strongly tempted to switch to an adult food, but you need to resist the temptation. He needs the extra nutrients found in PURINA ONE™ Healthy Puppy Formula now as much as ever. So keep it coming.
One year old
Congratulations, your puppy is officially an adult. Your tender loving care and PURINA ONE™ Healthy Puppy Formula have turned him into a strong, healthy dog. He no longer needs the extra calories and nutrients he required during his growing stages, so it's time to make the transition to a high-quality adult food like PURINA ONE™ Chicken & Rice Formula.
Start by mixing the new food with the previous food, and gradually increase the proportion of the new food. The complete switch should take 7 to 10 days.
|