What to Feed a 6 Month Old Puppy

A puppy feeding schedule for your dog's first year.

From what to feed a 6 month old puppy to how do I know my puppy is getting enough food?

Frequent puppy feeding questions are answered here.
Many of the answers depend on a number of variables.
What kind of puppy do you have? How active is the puppy? Is the puppy having growing pains?

We'll help you develop a puppy feeding schedule especially for your puppy.

Quality dog foods list meat as the first ingredient on the label. Although these brands may seem more expensive you'll find that your puppy requires less of these foods and there is less waste at the other end of the line......yup, every dog owner's dream, smaller poops.

How much should I feed my puppy? ~ What to Feed a 6 Month Old Puppy

• The short answer is... as much as he'll eat in a 10 - 15 minute period. Offer the food between 3 and 4 times per day to a puppy under 6 months of age. 2 times per day after 6 months.



• Remove uneaten portions of food after 15 minutes.



• Weigh your puppy every week to ensure that he is gaining weight at an appropriate rate.



• How much you feed your puppy will depend on the puppy and the food you choose. Your puppy will require less of a high quality food than other foods.



• Most dogs love food and their enthusiasm is often mistaken for hunger. If the pup is gaining weight but you can still feel his ribs you're feeding him just the right amount.



• Follow directions on the package for your pup making adjustments as he gains weight.



• Small breeds will reach maturity earlier than large breeds.

Here's a guideline for what to feed a 6 month old puppy based on his expected size at maturity.

* Toy breeds ~ 250 calories
* Small breeds ~ 650 calories
* Medium breeds 1000 calories
* Large breeds ~ 1900 calories
* Giant breeds ~ 2800 calories

What should I feed him/her? ~ What to Feed a 6 Month Old Puppy

• A puppy of any age should be fed a dry, quality, puppy formula at least 75% of the time. Follow label directions to determine proper amounts. Treats and moist foods can make up the balance of the puppy's calorie needs. (moist foods have lower nutritional values, higher calorie counts and no tooth cleaning benefit)



• Avoid rawhide chew toys and snacks as there have been health risks associated with the ingestion of rawhide.



• Don't indiscriminately change the puppy's food. Feeding him whatever's on sale that week or month can cause problems with diarrhea and vomiting which is not going to help your housetraining efforts. A consistent diet of a high quality food will serve both of you better.



• If your puppy experiences growing pains replace half or all of the puppy chow with a high quality adult dog food. Puppy chows are designed to provide nutrients and minerals to promote growth. Sometimes the puppy chow causes a pup to grow too fast.



• What to feed a 6 month old puppy will depend on the puppy's breed, size and activity level.

Yes, you can get gigantic bags of discount dog foods that cost less money. What most of these foods lack in nutrition is made up for in bulk and in the end, neither you nor your dog wins. Your dog doesn't get the health benefits of higher quality foods and you have to carry a kitchen catcher to pick up after him.

When should I feed my puppy? ~ What to Feed a 6 Month Old Puppy

• Start by feeding your puppy 3 or 4 times per day. As the puppy begins to show less interest in a feeding, eliminate it and adjust his feeding schedule. As adults most dogs are fed once or twice a day.



• Withhold food for 1 hour before vigorous exercise and delay a workout for half and hour after your dog consumes a large amount of water.



• Plan your puppy's feeding schedule at times when you'll be available to take him out for a bathroom break immediately afterward.



• Keeping mealtimes on a regular schedule will help with housetraining by making a more predictable voiding schedule. Also you are likely to notice changes in eating patterns more quickly

Attention Small Breed Owners

Free feeding or grazing (allowing puppy access to food all the time) is NOT recommended in most dogs. However, teacup and very small breeds sometimes have a tendency toward hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) These dogs should never be denied access to food.

How should I feed him/her? ~ What to Feed a 6 Month Old Puppy

Most dogs love food and that makes it a very effective training tool. Here's how to turn feeding time into training time.

• Offer the puppy a bowl of food 3 or 4 times per day for 10 to 15 minutes at a time. Take the puppy out immediately afterwards to void.



• You, as Alpha Dog, maintain control of the food. This is one of your best opportunities to constantly re eastablish yourself as leader of the pack. Every member of the pack (family) should take turns doing this and establishing their hierarchy in the pack.



• Hold the bowl of food out of puppy's reach and while you have the puppy's attention ask her to "sit". Do not place the bowl in front of the puppy until he is sitting. Hold him (or have someone else hold him) in a sitting position if necessary and keep her there while the bowl is placed in front of her. Lavish praise on the puppy for following your command.



• Follow the NILF (Nothing In Life is Free) training method. Give the puppy a command and expect her to follow through every time you feed or treat her.



• To prevent puppies from getting possessive and snappish about food. Keep back a small amount of food when you give your puppy her food and add the reserved amount while the puppy is eating. Not only does this train the pup to allow you to touch his food but he'll relate it to a positive experience.



• Give the puppy a fresh bowl of water each time you feed him and monitor his water intake. Dramatic unexplainable changes in water intake (more or less water than is normal) can be a sign of some medical conditions (like diabetes)



• Never withhold water from your pup and avoid giving your dog milk.

The feeding process is a powerful training tool To a puppy food is one of the great motivators. You can get a puppy to do almost anything for food but the trick is.... never give the puppy any food without expecting him to work for it.

This keeps you in alpha dog position and him well trained and obedient.

Food and positive reinforcement are your two most powerful training tools. Used wisely they can help produce a healthy, obedient dog who is welcome almost everywhere.

.

Caring for your puppy

Puppy developmental stages

Female puppy names.

Male puppy names

German Dog Names

Housetraining your puppy