Tailored puppy food for strong starts

Getting the right amount of food for your growing puppy can feel a bit like a puzzle – don’t worry, you’re not alone! The truth is, there's no one-size-fits-all answer. The amount your puppy needs depends on the brand of food you’re feeding and your puppy’s unique needs.  Different puppy foods have varying levels of protein, fat, and calories, so always check the specific feeding guidelines on the packaging as a starting point. Then there’s your puppy’s breed, age, weight, health needs and even their expected adult weight. All of these things play a role in their nutritional needs. Younger puppies, for instance, need more food per kilogram of their body weight because they're growing at such a rapid pace, and giant breed dogs will need much more energy to fuel their growth than smaller dogs. It's tempting to just let puppies eat as much as they want, but we’d recommend you avoid free feeding. This can easily lead to overeating and, unfortunately, an overweight puppy. Puppies who carry too much weight are more likely to face joint problems later in life, and we certainly don't want that for your little one.  That's where Tails.com comes in. We take the guesswork out of puppy feeding. With our subscription, we calculate the precise feeding amounts for you, send your puppy's food directly to your door every two weeks, automatically adjust the portions as your puppy grow and give you a free adjustable scoop to make serving simple. We're here to help ensure your puppy gets exactly what they need to thrive, effortlessly.

When it comes to feeding your new puppy, you might wonder whether wet, dry, or a mix of both is best. Here's the good news: all three options are perfectly fine. What’s more important is the nutrients and ingredients in their food, not its form. The most important thing is to choose a nutritionally complete puppy food. These foods are specially formulated to have all the essential nutrients, vitamins, and minerals your growing pup needs, in just the right amounts. If you opt for a mix of wet and dry food, you have a couple of choices. You can either combine them in every meal or offer some meals as wet food and others as dry. Just remember to introduce any new foods slowly to avoid any potential tummy upsets for your little one.

We get it – knowing when to switch your puppy to adult food can feel a bit confusing. Essentially, you need to make the switch once your pup has finished growing.  The exact age for this varies a lot depending on their breed. Little breeds, for example, reach their full adult size much sooner than their larger or giant cousins. The good news? At Tails.com, our unique Adaptive Nutrition system takes all the guesswork out for you. Designed by our vets and nutrition team, we use this clever piece of technology to calculate the perfect time to gradually transition your puppy to adult food based on their specific breed, age, and weight. Even better, we handle all the food changes for you, so they have a smooth transition and you don't have to worry about a thing.

The odd mouthful of adult dog food won’t cause any issues for your puppy. However, feeding adult dog food long-term isn't a good idea. Here's why: puppy food is specially formulated with higher levels of protein, fat, calories and essential vitamins and minerals to support this unique period of rapid growth and development. Adult food simply doesn't offer the same nutritional punch, which means it might not sustain your puppy's healthy growth as well. There's also the matter of calcium. While adult dogs can handle higher calcium levels, too much calcium during a puppy's growth phase can actually lead to musculoskeletal problems. So, to ensure your pup has the best start in life, it's always best to stick to nutritionally complete puppy food.

Snacking on some senior dog food here and there won't cause your puppy any issues. However, it's not a good idea to make this the basis of your puppy’s diet. That’s because senior dog food is formulated with lower levels of protein, fat, calories and certain vitamins and minerals compared to puppy food. It simply won't provide all the essential nutrients your growing pup needs to thrive. What's more, adult and senior dogs can handle higher calcium levels than puppies. Too much calcium during a puppy's crucial growth period can actually lead to musculoskeletal problems. So, for their best start in life, it's always wisest to stick to nutritionally complete puppy food.