Feeding Your Eden Golden Retriever Puppy

Your puppy has been eating Pro Plan Chicken and Rice Puppy food (regular) 3 times a day plus a hard treat or small kibble scatter prior to bed. My schedule has been 7am, 1pm and 7pm but you may need to adjust this to your own family’s routines as long as it still meets the nutritional needs of your puppy

For each of the 3 meals I recommend that you start with ¾ of a cup of food. If you find your puppy is leaving food or finishing it all quickly increase or decrease the food slightly as needed for the first few days. Your puppy's food portions should gradually start to increase over the next few weeks as your puppy grows but above all you must monitor your puppy’s weight on an on-going bases. When your puppy is about 3 months old you will change your feeding schedule to divide the food into 2 meals per day instead of 3 however you will still be increasing the amount fed as needed.

A too thin puppy is not getting the nutrients he needs to grow properly and a too fat puppy has an increased risk for joint problems, heart problems, cruciate ligament ruptures and diabetes.

I have found each puppy has a personal preference however at this age a good rule of thumb is to moisten 2 meals to soften and feed one meal plain hard kibble. This will give him something to chew when teething but will also give his tender mouth and jaw a rest. Only use warm water, not hot water to soften as high heat will decrease the nutrient value.

We strongly suggest that you do not free feed or leave the food down all day! This does not promote healthy eating habits, leads to excessive weight gain and unsupervised eating at this age is a choking hazarded. Generally puppies will have a bowel movement shortly before or shortly after every full meal so feeding on a set schedule will help to regulate your puppy on to a predictable schedule making housetraining routines predictable, easier and faster.

Yes but not a full meal.

When puppies are fed on a regular schedule their body will regulate itself to having a bowel movement around the same time, usually around a hour or two before or after meals. You want to use this timing to your advantage so it is wise to give the puppy a plenty of time to do his business before having to settle for the night. We do not want the puppy going through the night then waking up on an empty stomach either and we do want bedtime routines to be a pleasant experience so giving the puppy a dry biscuit or a kibble scatter in his crate just before lights out is always beneficial.

This is rather common in young puppies. It is generally a result of going through the night and waking up in the morning on an empty stomach. Feeding the puppy a dog biscuit or a very small meal of kibble before bed should sort this out.

Water should be available at all times for your puppy except when crated. Restricting water can lead to bladder infections and dehydration. Making sure the puppy has emptied their bladder and had a drink before bed will actually help the puppy sleep through the night instead of waking up thirsty. Puppy bladders are small and immature, only time and healthy growth will result in the puppy sleeping through the night.

There are many reasons why a puppy's appetite will not be up to par in the first week of being separated from their first family and introduced to their new home. Some of those reasons might be;

• Stress from travel

• Stress due to the change from my home to yours.

• No competition from littermates which stimulate them to eat.

• Leaving food down all the time rather than feeding on a schedule.

• Feeding too much so no appetite for the next meal

• New owners being too anxious so tempts the puppy with other food causing pickiness and/or a negative association and food aversion.

An initial lack of appetite due to any of the above reason should not be a to great of a concern as your puppies appetite should return to normal within the week. Some things you may wish to try to resolve this are;

• Giving time to settle

• Slightly reducing the amount fed per meal or increasing the time between meals

• Adding warm water to lightly moisten the kibble

• Change up the feeding method to increase interest - kongs, kibble scatter, snuffle mat, training

We do not recommend trying to temp the puppy with more enticing food at this time. Remember, you may contact me at any time with any questions or concerns.

Puppies 3– 6 months:

Following the Eukanuba feeding guidelines and using your puppies body condition as an indicator, the amount of food being fed should gradually be increased as the puppy grows however the total daily amount being fed should be divided into 2 meals instead of 3.

Puppies 3– 6 months:

If around 6 months of age your dog indicates that he only needs one meal per day, then switch to one meal per day. A dog can be moved to one meal per day a) when he tells you he is ready, or

b) after he has finished a period of rapid growth (usually around 16 months of age ), or

c) never and kept on 2 meals for life.

At any age it is still important to feed on a schedule. Do not free feed or leave the food down all day. It is also still important that you continue to monitor his weight closely

Yes you should ! Whole foods that are good for you are generally good for your dog if given in moderation to ensure proper nutritional balance.

Begging is not a food issue, it is a training issue. If you have the expectation that your dog should not beg it will not matter what the food is.

Cooked Meat and Offal, make great training treats and are healthy for your dog/puppy. Just be sure to give in moderation, no more then 10% of the total daily food intake to avoid excessive weight gain, digestive upset and to maintain his foods nutritional balance.

Cheese is also a great treat for dogs but do not overfeed.

Sardines is an excellent source of omega 3 fatty acids. Two cans of sardines usually contains 4 to 5 sardines each which could be divided up through the week to equal out to one sardine a day.

Whole baby carrots are good for a dog’s teeth however dogs cannot readily digest the good fibre and vitamin A/ beta carotene in them unless it is broken down first by pureeing or cooking.

Pureed leafy green vegetables such as spinach are a great wholesome additive.

Peanut Butter is a favourite treat of many dogs, not only is it a good source of protein, but it also contains heart healthy fats, vitamin B, niacin, and vitamin E. Stuff peanut butter mixed with part of the puppy/dogs daily kibble into a Kong to keep your dog busy for hours once or twice a week.

Yogurt with active bacteria can act as a Probiotic and are good for your dog’s digestive system however it is high in both calcium and protein so do not fed more then once a week. Make sure to only choose yogurts that do not contain artificial sweeteners or added sugars.

Cooked Eggs are a source of easily digestible riboflavin and selenium and protein making them a healthy snack if fed no more then once a week. Raw eggs can be dangerous to your puppy!

Apple slices help to clean residue off a dog’s teeth, which helps to freshen her breath. Apples are a good source of fiber as well as vitamin A and C.

Oatmeal when fed as needed it can help keep the GI tract moving and can aid with digestive issues.

Do not ever feed jerky treats or rawhide, not only are they extremely unhealthy but they can cause a serious impaction that could require surgery.

Raw eggs, foods with onion, garlic or artificial sweeteners, macadamia nuts, grapes or raisins, chocolate, coffee or alcoholic beverages are also not safe for dogs.

Xylitol is particularly dangerous to dogs and a small amount could cause collapse, seizures and liver failure. It can be found in found in gum, soft drinks, oral health products for dogs etc.

Many pet owners think their puppy needs more food than he really does and forget to factor in the training treats the also receive throughout the day. If your puppy is eating but not finishing all the food in the bowl try feeding less at each meal or increasing the duration between each meal. If you are currently feeding every 6 hours between meals go to every 7 hours or cut out the midday meal entirely. The main reason dogs go off their food;

• Stress.

• No competition from littermates which stimulate them to eat.

• Boring! Dogs are scavengers, they like their food to have challenge/movement.

• Leaving food down all the time rather than on a schedule.

• Eating expectations are too high resulting in putting too much food down and too often.

• Giving too many treats and chews

• People being too anxious so tempts the puppy with other food causing pickiness and or negative association and food aversion.

• Dental issues, teething, abscess, cracked tooth, etc

• Food has gone off/rancid.

• Trapped odors on the feeding bowl from biofilm or cleaning products.

• Wrong bowl type/size for the dog.

• Grass eating!!!

• Heat/humidity/air pressure.

• Illness.

If everything else is fine; temperature, activity level, bowel movements etc. then it is likely a temporary issue that can be resolved with some detective work at home to pinpoint the problem .

If with the lack of appetite you see soft stools then you can still assume it may be stress related. If you observe a decrease in activity level along with diarrhea, mucus fill stools or bloody stools then that is an indication of a possible parasite or virus so a consultation with a veterinarian would be a good idea.

Since covid we have decided to go paperless so we suggest you download and print out a copy of the Puppy Feeding instructions below before you bring your puppy home .