A reputable, licenced breeder or responsible rescues will provide you with detailed information of your puppy's current diet. You may even have been given a small supply of food.  

All puppies should be fed a complete, puppy appropriate diet. Even if it's not the diet you want to continue with long term, it's best to keep them on the same food initially. This will ensure a smooth transition into your home, without any tummy issues. Only if the food your puppy is on isn't appropriate, should a diet change can be made sooner.  

New food trends appear all the time. These can be very visible on social media but are not always best for your pet. Make sure you research diets well and look at sources from qualified and trusted professionals. 

Your puppy ideally needs a nutritionally complete, puppy-specific food. Your puppy will be growing around 20 times faster than an adult dog and will need the extras that these kinds of food provide: 

• More calories – due to the amount they run, jump and play, puppies need more calories to stay healthy and strong 
• Increased protein levels – helping support healthy growth, having extra protein in their diet is key 
• Essential nutrients – having the correct mix of essential nutrients, minerals and vitamins to keep up with a growing puppies needs, and ensure healthy bones, teeth and coat. 

Creating (and sticking to) a routine with puppies is important. Meals should be given at evenly spaced intervals. It’s generally not advisable to allow your puppy to free feed. Allowing your puppy unlimited access to food can lead to them growing too quickly. It can also increase the risk of obesity and poor joint or bone development.  

Generally, between eight weeks and four months old, it's best to feed your puppy four meals a day. At four months, this can be reduced to three meals a day. From six months old (and for the rest of their life) two meals a day are recommended. 

Food should always be weighed and portioned each day to ensure the puppy gets their required amount. Follow the manufacturer's instructions as amounts will vary between different puppy foods. If your puppy leaves part of their meal or is not interested in eating it, the food should be removed until the next mealtime. This encourages healthy eating habits and reduces grazing.  

Each puppy food will have slightly different feed amounts. Check the packaging feed chart to ensure you are feeding the correct quantity for their age and weight. Often feed charts calculate this using the expected adult weight of your puppy. Quantities recommended will be a daily allowance. This then needs to be split into portions or meals.  

To ensure your puppy is growing correctly and maintaining their deal weight it is recommended to check your puppy’s body condition score regularly (every 1-2 weeks). Body condition scoring will allow you to judge when your puppy requires an increase in their feed amounts. Puppies should not be dieted. If they are giving a higher body condition score than optimal, do not increase their feed amount until this corrects itself. If the body condition score is lower than optimal it is time to increase the feed sizes. If you are worried about your puppies' weight discuss this with your vet.  

Here are some top tips to avoid giving your puppy bad habits later in life: 

• Avoid feeding immediately before or after exercise 
• When giving treats, ensure they are only a small part of your puppy’s daily food intake. Never exceed more than 10% of their daily calorie consumption 
• Feed your puppy away from distractions such as children and other pets 
• Your puppy may make a mess when eating. If possible, try to feed in easy to clean spaces and use a mat under bowls 
• Dry puppy food is more energy dense than wet food and the same portion may look a lot smaller when weighed. Don’t be tempted to overfeed. Always weigh out food and stick to recommended portions unless there is a concern, and a vet advises otherwise 
• If you feed your puppy wet food, serve it at room temperature. The smell is a lot more appealing to them.
• Your puppy may find the kibble pieces in their dry food too hard. If this is the case, add a small amount of warm water to soften them 
• If your puppy does not eat a whole packet of wet food as one meal due to their age/size, ensure any open food is refrigerated and consumed within 24 hours 
• Always ensure your puppy has access to clean, fresh water 
• If you choose to neuter your puppy at the appropriate age (as advised by your vet) their daily energy requirements will reduce and therefore slightly less food should be required. Speak to your vet for more advice 
• Once your puppy turns one, most breeds will need to be transitioned on to a complete adult dog food 
• Get your puppy used to meals by picking up any food not eaten after 10-15 minutes  

Being underweight or overweight isn’t good for any dogs’ health. An overweight puppy is at a greater risk of developing physical problems in later life such as arthritis, joint damage and joint pain. Obesity in older dogs can also lead to diabetes, heart disease and reduced liver function. If a dog is underweight, they may be underfed or suffering from an underlying illness. Being underweight can leave them vulnerable to infections, parasites, or nutritional problems.  

It is important that you know how to tell if your dog is at a healthy weight. Body condition scoring is easy to do at home and is a tool to assess you dogs' bodyweight in relation to their size. Puppies are constantly growing so it’s often difficult to tell if they are a healthy weight. Your vet will be able to guide you on how to complete a body condition score at home.  

Signs that your puppy is overweight can include: 

• Not being able to see or feel their ribs 
• Not being able to see a clear waist behind the ribs when looking at your dog from above

If you feel your puppy may be overweight, please discuss this with your vet.  

Signs that your puppy may be underweight include: 

• Clearly being able to see their ribs, spine, and pelvic bones 
• Being unable to feel any fat covering on their bones. Some dogs have very thick fur coats that can hide the ribs, it’s important that you get hands-on and feel under your pet's coat 
• A very narrow waistline and some muscle loss around the shoulders and thighs when your dog is viewed from above 

If you feel your puppy may be underweight, please discuss this with your vet. 

If you are worried about your puppy’s weight it is best to discuss this with your veterinary healthcare team. Weight changes can be diet related or linked to health conditions. 

There are lots of different treats available for dogs, and some that are formulated especially for puppies. When giving treats, ensure they are only a small part of your puppy’s daily food intake. Never exceed more than 10% of their daily calorie consumption. Special treats are available for puppies that are less likely to upset their stomachs and are softer and easier to chew.  

It is recommended that rather than treats, you offer a portion of their normal food and give that as treats. This ensures you do not give extra calories and can be perfect for puppies with sensitive stomachs.  

If you are unsure of the amount of treats you can feed discuss this with your vet practice. It is very easy to overfeed a puppy without realising and this can lead to obesity and ill health.  

Knowing how much your new puppy enjoys food rewards can make it tempting to use them a little bit too often. However, there are some things you should consider when deciding how and when to dish out these tasty treats. 

Treats should only account for no more than 10% of your puppy’s daily calories. If in doubt, the best way to find out exactly what that means is to ask your vet about your dog’s recommended calorie intake. This will vary on the size and breed of your dog, as well as their diet, so it’s worthwhile making sure you have exactly the right information at hand. You then need to reduce your puppy's food amount by 10% as you are giving those calories as treats. It is also important to realise that puppy treats are not nutritionally balanced. If fed in excess they can not only lead to weight gain but also malnutrition. 

It is much easier to offer a portion of the puppy's normal food as treats. This ensures you do not give extra calories and can be perfect for puppies with sensitive stomachs. 

Treats designed specifically for puppies or dogs are the safest to offer. These can be fed from around 8 weeks old. 

One of the most important things to remember when choosing a treat is to make sure they are safe for your puppy to eat. Check the ingredients of any treats you buy to make sure they don’t contain anything harmful. 

Feeding your dog human food can be harmful:  

• Dairy products, fatty meats such as bacon, can cause stomach upsets.  
• Fruit with stones such as peaches and plums should not be fed as they can cause serious blockages.  
• Chocolate, grapes, coffee and alcohol, are toxic and should never be given to dogs.  
• Anything containing small or sharp bones should be avoided. Chicken bones can be dangerous if they get stuck in a dog’s throat. 
• Artificial sweeteners such a xylitol (sometimes called birch sugar) are also highly toxic and small amounts can cause catastrophic problems.  

Older dogs can eat puppy food. It is however likely to be far too calorie dense and likely to cause weight gain. Puppy food will also have levels of protein, vitamins and minerals designed for rapid growth. This is undesirable in older dogs and likely to cause health issues.  

Dogs are omnivores, which means that they eat both meat and plant products. A vegetarian diet eliminates all meat but allows other sources of animal protein such as dairy or eggs and other animal derivatives. A vegan diet contains plant-based ingredients only. 

Commercial vegetarian dog foods are available, but it is important that any food you give your dog is nutritionally balanced for their life stage. Puppies require extra protein for growth, and it can be difficult to achieve this in a vegan or vegetarian food. 

Eating grass is a natural behaviour in puppies and adult dogs. They may do this out of curiosity, liking the texture or taste, or they may be bored and grazing is something for them to do. In some circumstances, they may be eating the grass to aide their digestion and provide extra fibre. 

Eating a lot of grass can cause them to be sick, and you should be careful in areas where pesticides and herbicides are used. If your dog continually eats grass or is frequently sick, you may need to contact your vet as there may be an underlying health problem. 

Poop eating, known medically as coprophagia, is common in young puppies. They often eat it because they find the smell intriguing and whilst a few curious nibbles aren’t something to be concerned about, it can be problematic if it becomes a habit.  

There are many training and behavioural reasons that coprophagia becomes a habit, so if this is an ongoing problem you may need to seek further help from your vet.  

Chewing stones is a common problem for puppies. They are naturally curious to different tastes and textures, and investigating things like stones helps them learn about their environment. However, there is a risk that eating stones may cause a blockage in their stomach or intestines. 

They may chew stones more frequently if they are bored and in need of stimulation and chewing opportunities. They may have also learned that chewing stones will get your attention. Try to play with them in a more appropriate manner to physically and mentally stimulate them more so that chewing stones does not seem like a fun thing to do. 

If you think your puppy has eaten a stone or chewing them is an ongoing problem, you need to discuss this ASAP with your vet.  

Your puppy lapping up sick is obviously disgusting but not unusual. Often once being sick, they will then proceed to have another go at the food since it still smells and tastes appealing to them. 

It is best to calmly remove your puppy from the area and clean up the sick as soon as you notice it. If your puppy is sick frequently, then it may indicate a health problem and may need to be checked by a vet.  

Puppies are naturally curious to different tastes, textures, and smells. Investigating items like shoes and clothing helps them learn about their environment and can also be very fun for them. If they get carried away, then they may eat them. The textures and smells of clothes and shoes may be better than their toys and so they may prefer them over what is more appropriate. 

They may have also learned that chewing clothing items and shoes will get your attention - whether a chase to get the item back, or even being told off. Try to play with your puppy, and physically and mentally stimulate them more so that they don’t want to take these items. Train them to learn that other items are better to spend time with- vary their toys and use food or scents to make them more appealing. 

In all dogs chewing is a highly motivated behaviour. This behaviour needs to be catered for appropriately. It's very common in puppies but adult dogs still have the need to chew as well. Giving appropriate chewing toys is key to reducing destructive behaviours. 

If you think there may be a problem, it may be worth having a chat with your vet. If they eat the non-food items, they may be at risk of intestinal blockages so keep a close eye for anything going missing! 

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