A Puppy Feeding Schedule for the First Year

Here is a puppy feeding schedule for new puppy owners, to ensure that your little one gets all of the required nutrition.

This schedule will also help if there are other people in the household where overfeeding and or underfeeding may result.

It is not a good idea to have food in the puppy bowl at all times. Your puppy needs to build up an appetite and learn to appreciate her food. Exercising your puppy by playing or taking a walk between meals will do the job.

• Puppies 8 - 12 weeks old need 4 meals a day
• Puppies 3 - 6 months old need 3 meals a day
• Puppies 6 months old to a year need 2 meals a day
• One year and older usually needs just one meal a day

You can easily follow the directions on the can or the bag for the amount to feed your puppy. Choose a high quality, brand name puppy food.

If you are not sure of the type of food to give your little one, ask your veterinarian for advise. Some puppy and dog owners make their own dog food, which can also be a choice to consider, just make sure you do some research on that first.

Try to buy different brands and flavors at the start, maybe a can of this or a can of that. Some puppies may be finicky, and you don't want to get a whole lot of food that she will not like and waste money.

Some veterinarians may have sample packets for your puppy to try.

Whatever the type of puppy food you choose, stick to your little one's feeding schedule, and make sure that everyone in the household does the same.

The best way to avoid overfeeding or underfeeding is to make a check off list next to the time of day that puppy needs to eat. You can maybe designate one, or two, to be responsible for feeding puppy. If you have children in the home, they can help too, with supervision, of course.

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