Dog Advice - Puppy Feeding Tips

Here are few tips for feeding your puppy -

Choose your puppy's diet carefully!
There is excessive misinformation in the market regarding puppy foods. We know it's confusing, particularly with all the advertising and marketing efforts by competing companies. The old adage "you get what you pay for" probably applies more to pet foods than anything else. We encourage you not to compare foods by the "Guaranteed Analysis" on the label - it is a chemical analysis only and it measures gross quantities of ingredient types - it tells you nothing about the quality or digestibility of the ingredients. Don't hesitate to ask your local vet about any issues you may have regarding your puppy's diet.

Do not "free choice feed" your puppy
Free choice feeding is essentially feeding your puppy as much as he wants to eat. Free choice feeding can contribute to digestive upset (vomiting and diarrhea), bloating, difficulty in house training, and obesity.

Avoid feeding your puppy "human food".
Establishing right from the start that "human food" is off-limits will reduce begging and an increased opportunity for obesity. It also helps minimize the chance of dogs becoming very picky eaters.

Familiarize yourself with healthy treats.
We all like to treat our puppies. It helps us in socializing, training and just plain loving them. There are several healthy treat options now on the market. Remember many treats on the market have more calories than you find in a 1/2 cup of puppy food!

Feed your puppy in a quiet place.
Avoid feeding just prior to or just after exercise. This helps establish consistency, reduces excitement around a meal, and reduces the incidence of stomach upset.

Change diets slowly.
If you are changing your puppy's diet, mix the new food with the previous diet in small amounts the first day or two. Then the portion of the new diet can be gradually increased over a week or so until your puppy is completely on the new diet. This will reduce the likelihood of vomiting and diarrhea. Your puppy should make a formed stool, which is easy to pick up.

Links
http://thedogsforum.blogspot.com/2007/02/puppy-basics-diet.html