Raising Puppies

The way puppies are raised, right from the day they are born, has a big influence on who they are going to be.
The first thing, even before that, is that Mum has been fed all the necessary good quality food during her pregnancy.
This ensures that the puppies have the absolute best chance of being healthy happy babies.
It is very important that the mother is fed enough food for her to produce plenty of good quality milk. This can be up to 5 huge high protein meals a day. I have one of my girls that is very, very food driven. She always thinks that when she has had her babies, she is allowed to eat that much that she has died and gone to heaven.

By the time the puppies are 4 weeks plus they are ready to eat something more substantial and most are into it with full face plants and sometimes feet too. Mum is always more than willing to do the clean up. At about this time we introduce them to some top quality lean raw beef mince mixed with a little water for 1 of their feeds. As time goes on we mash the soaked food and make it a thicker consistancy. Then when the puppies are about 7 weeks old we start to feed some dry puppy biscuits as well as soaked. Some adapt quicker than others. Usually by the time the puppies leave are are on to the dry food.

The longer the mother can feed her babies the better. All my mothers are happy to feed their babies until between 4 and 5 weeks. If she can do this it makes the transition to solid food much smoother. By this age the puppies digestive system is mature enough to cope with solid food.
This first solid food is more like a porridge. We use Black Hawk. We have found this to be a very good well balanced total food for all our dogs. The puppies always have a specially formulated "puppy" food. This is higher in calcium which help the puppies to grow strong healthy bones. These dry biscuits are soaked in water to soften. It is then mixed with a good quality canned puppy food. Then it is blitzed to take out any lumps and pet milk added to make it the right consistency.

From this age on the puppies are ready to have more exercise and stimulation. As all our puppies are raised in our home they are already used to all the household noises like TV's and vacuum cleaners. Providing that it is warm enough for puppies to go outside this is something they really enjoy as they have much more room to explore and run around. This also helps with toilet training. They will enjoy having lots of toys to play with. I have made a play mobile for them and they have heaps of fun trying to pull all the toys off it. They love soft toys and anything else that it is safe for them to have. Our puppies are all toilet trained on to newspaper in their indoor pens. As they have been outside they transition very easily to being taken outside to toilet. Now they will very quickly learn how to use a dog door and then toilet themselves.
Now the puppies are eating really well and toileting well they are now ready for the next big adventure and moving to their new forever homes.

It is up to you now to continue the good start that the puppies have had. This means to socialise and teach your puppy to be everything you want it to be. Puppies are just like children, they cant mind read, so it is up to you to tell and show them what you want them to do.
Remember you only ever get out what you have put in.
The more time and love you put into your puppy the more loving and happy a puppy you will have.
Next have FUN AND ENJOY.

Please contact me if you have any questions.