How to feed a German shepherd puppy

Before talking about feeding, the owner of the puppy will have to make a choice regarding the form of food. You can cook food yourself, while the content will be several times cheaper than using purchased formulations. However, natural food requires time and attention to detail, so that the pet grows healthy and receives all the necessary trace elements and vitamins. If we talk about ready-made feeds, the manufacturer took into account the age characteristics of the puppies, included the necessary minerals, you just have to pour food into a bowl.

Practical recommendations for feeding puppies

1. Always monitor the cleanliness of the dishes from which you feed your pet.
2. Change the water every 3 hours in the summer and every 5 hours in the winter.
3. After the meal, wipe the puppy's face with a paper towel or towel.
4. In the first month of finding the puppy in a new place, be near him while eating. Observe the location of the pet, adjust the height of the bowl to suit its features.
5. The food you feed your dog should not be too hot. The best option is room temperature. To check the mode correctly, lower the ring finger in the middle of the food bowl. If you are hot, leave the food to cool.
6. Make a tight meal schedule; meals should be taken strictly at the same time. Otherwise, the puppy will have trouble sleeping, lethargy will appear, growth will slow down.
7. There are times when a pet refuses food for unknown reasons. In such situations, remove the bowl from the puppy’s field of vision, suggest that he eat after 30-40 minutes.
8. Food for German Shepherd puppies should not be too dry or, conversely, liquid. Cook the food in such a way that, in consistency, it resembles sour cream.
9. Experienced owners of German shepherds unanimously reiterate that the puppy should be fed after an intensive walk. It makes sense to listen to them.
10. So that the pet does not disturb digestion, follow its food hygiene. If possible, let the dog rest for 1.5–2 hours after the meal.

The right choice of dishes

1. First of all, you need to take care of a pet bowl. It can be clay, metal, ceramic, plastic. The last option should be excluded, dishes of this kind fidget on the floor, not giving the pet the opportunity to eat normally.
2. Small puppies often move their paws apart, especially for individuals living in the apartment. Organize your feeding area based on flooring. If a laminate or linoleum is placed in the house, lay the puppy under a bowl with a non-slip rug. It can be fabric or silicone.
3. It is known that at the age of one year, the puppy’s skeleton is only forming, as a result of which the frame is extremely fragile. For this reason, you need to put the bowl in such a way that it is located at the level of the neck or chest of the pet. Otherwise, during the growth period, the puppy will constantly bend, which will entail a curvature of the spine, a raised croup, weak bones of the forepaws and chest, problems with swallowing and digestive activity. You can adjust the height of the tank using special stands, which are sold in all pet stores.

Puppy's diet

Two-month-old puppies need to be fed 5-6 times a day with an interval of 3-4 hours. Pets that have reached 3-5 months, it is enough to feed 4 times a day. From 6 months to a year, the dog is fed 3 times a day. After this age, it is necessary to transfer the animal to two meals a day - in the morning and in the evening.

Age: 1 month

As a rule, puppies are sold after 40-45 days after birth. During this period, the animal’s nutrition includes dairy products (in particular, yogurt, milk and cottage cheese), several types of meat, oatmeal and rice.

At this age, puppies have a fast metabolism and a relatively small stomach. For this reason, portions should be small (250 gr.), But substantial. As mentioned earlier, meals should be taken every 3-4 hours.

Meat
Make sure that the puppy receives meat every day 2 times. It can be raw beef, cut into pieces or chicken. Both products contain the optimal ratio of BZHU, due to which the pet will begin to grow before our eyes.

You can also give boiled meat, but it contains less enzymes than raw. Boiled beef or chicken is recommended to be given in cases where the puppy has a stool disorder or general indigestion associated with digestion. To properly cook food based on boiled meat, cook oatmeal or rice porridge, cool it, crumble the meat. Dilute a little with water, if the mixture is thick, check for temperature and give the puppy.

Important!
It is strictly not allowed to mix meat porridge with milk. The recommendation is relevant for the reason that after the absorption of milk, casein is produced, which slows down the absorption of nutrients by the stomach. In this case, the meat must be mixed with round-grain rice or oatmeal, but not with semolina.

Milk products
Cottage cheese must be given for breakfast, but not in dry form, otherwise the pet will choke. Mix 200 gr. product with kefir or yogurt, add raw chicken egg. By and large, puppies refuse such food, but they need it. Therefore, teach the pet immediately, do not get fooled by tricks if he suddenly decides to refuse to eat.

You can cook the cottage cheese with your own hands from kefir. Second option: mix ryazhenka with raw eggs and pour into boiling milk. No one will refuse such a treat, the dairy product is fragrant and tender.

Age: 2-3 months

The digestion of dogs at this age is already adapted to plant fiber and protein without any consequences. It is time to add natural oils and vegetables to the diet so that in addition to cereal, cottage cheese and meat, the pet will receive other minerals. Servings should be 300-350 gr., Frequency of feeding - 4 times a day.

1. Add a teaspoon of olive or sunflower oil 1 time per day to meat porridges. Periodically feed the puppy a boiled carrot between main meals. It should be borne in mind that chicken eggs should be given no more than 3 times a week. Cottage cheese, porridge, meat - no change.
2. In summer, focus on fresh fruits, many "Germans" have a passion for watermelons, melons, peaches and apples. Pamper your pet with treats 2 times a day. Watch the stool, with negative consequences, reduce the consumption of fruits and give boiled chicken with rice porridge.
3. At this age, the puppy can already be given large brain bones so that he develops his jaw and grinds his teeth. If you keep a pet in the apartment, it is enough to pre-weld a bone. For animals with access to the local area, it is better to choose the crude option.

Age: 4-5 months

Starting from this period, the puppy needs to develop ligaments and joints. Also at this stage there is a change of teeth, as a result of which the basis of the diet should be foods rich in calcium. The dog is still fed 4 times a day, observing a serving size of 300-400 gr.

1. A change of teeth weakens the cartilage, so the pet’s ears may not rise. To promote full development, add collagen to your food. It can be found in confectionery gelatine or local food additives (for dogs).
2. At the age of four months, the puppies intensively develop a skeleton, in particular, posture. To help the body and lay the foundation for full development, gradually introduce chondoprotectors into your food. They are sold in a pet store, most importantly, strictly follow the instructions and do not increase the number of your own will. An alternative to the drug is Arthra, which can be purchased at the pharmacy.
3. As for the main nutrition, it remains the same (cottage cheese, meat, porridge, vegetables and fruits). However, now you need to feed the puppy not boiled meat, but beef tenderloin from the head. Its composition contains a large amount of gelatin, which favorably affects the formation of the skeleton.
4. You can cook the broth based on beef, veal, chicken, and then season them with meat porridge. But you should not make it too rich to not load the pancreas. The broth can be replaced with edible gelatin: dissolve it in water and mix in food (cottage cheese, porridge, a mixture of vegetables).
5. Contribute to the rapid change of primary teeth by molars, give the pet brain bones. It is also worthwhile to focus on calcified additives marked “puppy”; a special series for German shepherds is sold in pet stores. If you are having difficulty with your choice, get advice from a veterinarian.

Age: 6-12 months

When the puppy reaches six months of age, you can cook porridge not only from pure meat, but also from offal (heart, liver, stomach). You can’t give the dog thin bones, strong teeth will easily gnaw them, and the fragments will sink into the esophagus. Puppies 6-12 months should have three meals a day, serving size varies from 350 to 450 grams.

1. At the same time, every month it is necessary to reduce the amount of cottage cheese eaten for breakfast, and at the same time increase the volume of meat. If you own the cable, completely remove the milk from the puppy's diet. In the case of bitches, the product is given daily.
2. At this stage, the owner of the puppy needs to add active minerals, chondroprotectors, calcium and other vitamins, based on the weight and age of the pet. Do not forget about vegetables and fruits, feed their puppy between main meals.
3. To maximize the variety of cereals, you can add buckwheat, millet, millet to existing rice and oatmeal. Combine them together, mix raw or cooked meat / offal. Break a raw egg (sometimes a chicken can be replaced with a quail, doubling the number).
4. It is allowed to give the puppy sea or river fish 2 times a week. However, these days you can’t feed your pet with meat. Do not abuse the fish, because its composition destroys the vitamin B in the dog's body, which entails difficulties with digestion and stunting.

The basis for feeding a German shepherd puppy is considered meat, cereals (except semolina), fresh or boiled vegetables, fruits. Do not forget to pamper your pet with brain bones, interfere with nutritional supplements, gelatin, calcium. Choose the correct bowl, adjust the stand in height. Follow the meal schedule, increase portions taking into account age, take more walks in the fresh air.

Video: training a German shepherd puppy