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Bonnie the staff puppy, submitted by Charlotte and Alice

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Food

Food is an obviously very important part of a dog’s lifestyle, they burn up a lot of energy when out playing or being walked, and so it is vital that they are eating the required kinds of foods. It is vital that you feed your dog the correct amounts and correct kinds of food, and at set times during the day. Imagine if you were deprived of your food, or forced to eat something that you obviously wouldn’t enjoy. Or perhaps you had no idea what time your next meal would be at, but yet you have to rely on someone else to feed you because you can’t just fend for yourself. Obviously it would be very cruel to mess around with your dog’s eating habits, and so you must be prepared to spend your own money on suitable food, and you must also try to feed it at certain intervals during the day, every day.

As a puppy, the dog will be burning up a lot of energy and will therefore require more food then usual; usually double the amount of nutrients per pound of food older dogs require. It will be constantly growing, and so will need lots of healthy food to help the puppy grow up to become a healthy adult dog.

There is usually special puppy food available from the supermarkets or pet-stores, which is higher in protein (28%-30%), and enriched with the fat soluble and water soluble vitamins, minerals, fats, and other essentials your growing puppy needs.
Because of their special nutritional needs, the puppy should only receive puppy food for about the first year.

The best kind of food for your puppy is the dry type, packed in cardboard sacks. Not only is this good value but it provides the dog with dry, healthy food – no where near as fatty as other kinds of dog food, such as the tinned kind. The dry dog food contains far more minerals and vitamins then the other kinds of dog food, and this is the best kind if you want to produce a healthy, strong dog.

If your puppy is under sixth months old you should feed it three times a day. If it is between sixth months and twelve months it should be fed twice a day. When it is twelve months old or more you should feed it once per day.
The amount that you feed your dog depends on the kind of the dog it is. You can ask your vet to find out how much they should be fed, or resort to the packaging of the puppy food bag. However this should only be taken as a guideline, as most dogs require less food then shown on the bag and some will require more. It’s best to ask for the advice of your local vet.

If you are training your dog and you like to reward it by giving it treats, it is best to avoid all types of shop dog-treats. Instead, just use a piece of dry food to reward the dog. It will be just as grateful, and the treat will be far healthier too.
Never be tempted to give your dog scraps from your own left over dinner. If you even do this once, the dog will come back to expect more each time you have some food. This is a very bad habit, and can lead to the dog waiting for extra food. Not only is the food bad for the dog, but it isn’t required as it has its own set food.

Water is another highly important part of a dog’s diet. Make sure your dog always has a fresh supply of water available, and that it is drinking enough. As a puppy they will drink far more water than an adult, so make especially certain that the puppy always has water available to drink.