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In this section, we'll go over some of the things you should know about feeding your puppy the food he needs to grow up strong and healthy.

Of course you want your puppy to grow into a fit and fun-filled adult and the food you give him in the first few months can make that happen. It's not hard to help him do this; all you have to do is provide your puppy with the correct diet to give him the best start to life.

Your puppy’s needs

The growing puppy needs a higher plane of nutrition to fuel his rapid development and to provide for his boundless energy. Certain nutrients, such as calcium and phosphorus, ensure good skeletal development, particularly in large and giant breeds of dogs. They need protein that must contain all the right building blocks (amino acids) for growth. They also need just the right amount of minerals for healthy teeth and bones.

Fortunately, feeding your puppy need not be as complicated as it sounds. Puppy and growth foods, which are specially formulated for their needs, take all the guess-work out of rearing a healthy puppy and provide a balanced and concentrated diet which your pup will enjoy and thrive on. Making sure he gets exactly the quantity he needs is equally important, no more, no less. Overfeeding can be just as bad as underfeeding. The feeding charts under “Choosing the right food” are a great guidline to getting your puppy's nutrition right.

Weaning puppies

Puppies are normally weaned from their mother's milk onto solid foods when they're three to four weeks old. You should give them their food in small portions three or four times a day. If you're buying from a breeder, your puppy should have been weaned onto a solid diet by the time you take him home at the age of eight to twelve weeks.

Bringing your puppy home

Changing homes and leaving his mother is stressful for a puppy. It could cause an upset stomach. If this happens, take him off solid food for two meals, and just give him small quantities of water to drink. Then gradually introduce boiled rice and scrambled eggs over 24 hours, before you reintroduce his normal puppy food again.

If, however, the diarrhoea or vomiting continues for more than 24 hours, or becomes more severe, phone your vet. Once your puppy has settled in, you'll likely want to change his diet to the type or brand of food you've decided on. Make sure you replace the original food with the new food gradually, over a period of three to five days.

The two stages of development

All dogs go through two stages of development: puppy and young dog. These are both very important periods in a dog's growth, as they determine what kind of adult the dog he will be.
Puppies are very active and grow rapidly. That's why they need special food that will meet their energy requirements. It is important to keep in mind that dogs of different breeds reach maturity at different times. Dogs of the toy or small breeds stop growing at around nine to twelve months, while dogs of the large breeds continue to develop up to 18 to 24 months.

We can generalize by saying that for all breeds, the initial stage - when a puppy reaches half of its adult weight - ends between five and six months. Proper nutrition allows for the puppy to reach his full genetic potential. If he's overfed, a puppy can develop bone anomalies, which are more common in puppies of the large and giant breeds.