Getting a new puppy is an exciting time, but it’s natural to feel a bit nervous too. You want to give your little ball of fluff everything they need to stay healthy and happy – that’s a lot to consider. Our Head Vet Sean and Nutritionist Samantha are here with some top tips to help you get your puppy’s diet off to the best start.
[tails-cta-by-id id=”4216″]
What should I feed my puppy?
Puppies should have their mother’s milk for the first 6-8 weeks. After that, it’s time to wean them onto solid food. Food for puppies needs to be easy to digest and gentle on small stomachs.
At tails.com we go even further. Our food is tailor-made, so every puppy gets all the nutrients they need, in exactly the right balance. We include growth-supporting nutrients like Omega-3, and essential amino acids, along with the beneficial ingredients nucleotides, prebiotics and beta-glucans, to help your puppy develop at the right pace.
How much should I feed my puppy?
Puppies use lots of energy for growing and playing, and their digestive system doesn’t absorb nutrients as efficiently as an adult dog – they need to eat more to make sure they get everything they need. Exactly how much changes over time. Things that affect how much you should feed your puppy include:
- Age
- Size
- Breed
- Activity level
- How much growing they’ve still got to do
Most puppy foods give a recommended serving size on the packet. This is a good starting point, but isn’t exact. You’ll need to adjust this if you think your dog’s metabolism is faster or slower than average. And you’ll need to keep a check on your puppy’s weight and body condition as they grow, so you can update their diet to match.
We factor this information into every tails.com feeding plan. Each puppy gets an online profile so you can update their vital statistics in just a few clicks. We work out what those changes mean for your pup’s nutritional needs, and adjust their feeding plan automatically. We also send young dogs a delivery every two weeks, so we can keep their recipe changing as fast as they do.
Things are just as easy at mealtimes thanks to our clever adjustable scoop. There’s no complicated weighing or measuring – just scoop and serve with 100% confidence you’re giving the right amount.
How often should I feed my puppy?
Smaller servings are easier for tiny tummies to digest, and regular meals keep energy levels from peaking and falling too much. For puppies up to four months old, we recommend four meals a day. After that most will manage a longer gap between meals, so three is usually enough.
There’s no single answer to the question ‘how often should puppies be fed?’ and this routine won’t be right for every dog. Most breeders will give you a feeding plan for the first few weeks – one that takes the specific needs of your dog’s breed into account. It’s a good idea to follow this at first, then look out for signs your young pup is getting too full, or too hungry, between meals. If they are, make an adjustment, and see if things improve.
When should I start giving my puppy adult food?
Once your puppy reaches maturity, they’ll need a diet that’s optimised for an adult dog. Their age at this point will depend on their breed – in general, smaller dogs reach adulthood more quickly. Regardless of age, a sudden switch can disrupt your dog’s routine, so it’s best to introduce new food over at least a week, preferably two.
With tails.com, there’s no need to consider when or how to adjust your dog’s diet for adulthood. That’s because we create a puppy feeding plan that evolves with your dog from day one – by the time they’re fully grown, there are no big changes left to make. Just use your dog’s online profile to keep us updated on your little one’s growth, and we’ll make sure their feeding plan keeps up.
Find out more information about our Puppy Food
This individual attention also lets us factor in anything specific to your puppy’s breed – for example, encouraging slow, steady growth if they’re a large dog like a German Shepherd, or adjusting the mineral balance for the needs of smaller toy breeds.
Related blog: how much should I feed my dog?
We want you to enjoy every second of your dog’s puppy years, without having to worry about whether you’re meeting their nutritional needs. If you’ve got any questions about what, when or how you should be feeding your new addition, we’re here to help. Get in touch at hello@tails.com.
Got a shock at the size of the dry food bag! Lottie prefers more wet food but will wait and see how she goes before confirming perhaps altering next order? She was on butterbox which she enjoyed but my freezer wasn’t big enough to store it all. Many thanks Lottie’s mum
Hi Mags – drop us an email at hello@tails.com so we can help
Choccy is four months old your website says puppy food is sent every two weeks but the next delivery is not until October – is this correct?
Hi Debbie, our Customer team can certainly help with this. Please send us a direct message with your details and we can take a closer look for you 🙂
OK early days
Seren stopped eating kibble Royal Canine 3 weeks ago
Your kibble is no different but she did eat some with wet food from the hand.
The remainder of wet food was put in the fridge over night ,is this right cos it was very cold this morning.
The wet food she ate last night was a quarter of the tin., and did include a little chicken which we can hopefully stop using
Please advise
Tony
Hi Tony, we’re sorry to hear that Seren isn’t enjoying her dry food as much as we’d hoped. Our Nutrition team has some tips that may help get her tail wagging again! You can watch these here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zb-Zrndfb2o 💙
Hi I tried meticulously to add wet food to Zeus’s plan , but unfortunately it wouldn’t let me I’m very disappointed as I would like to have Zeus on both wet and dry please help I tried many times before my order was to be completed,,, it means Zeus has to wait for next delivery please help, excited to use your product zwakeling and Zeus
Hi Zandria, we’re sorry to hear that you’ve had trouble adding wet food to Zeus’ order. Our Customer team would be happy to help you with this – just send us an email at hello@tails.com with your details and we can take a closer look for you 💙
Hello,we recently received the first package,it looks like Sam likes the dry food , but unfortunately the wet beef food does not taste the stew at all,he eats the jelly. I would like to change it to a different flavour,chicken is his favourite , so far he doesn’t like beef
Hi Ilona, we’re sorry to hear that Sam isn’t too fussed on his wet food textures, our Customer team would be happy to help change this over for you in your next order. Just pop us an email at hello@tails.com with your details 💙
My puppy won’t touch the old food now, is it okay if I just give up and only give his Tails food ? He is in love 🥰
We’re so pleased to hear that your pup is loving their food, Ana! We always advise sticking to a slow transition to help avoid any upset tums – but every dog is different, and if your pup is doing well on their new food you can speed up the switch over for them 😊
Please help settle a debate, is it 1 scoop 3 times a day or 3 scoops 3 times a day?!
Hi Amanda, our Customer team would be happy to help with this as they can take a closer look at your dogs feeding plan. Just send us an email to hello@tails.com 💙
Puppie starts his tails this morning, I usually feed him 2 times a day half pouch pedigree puppy wet and 2 hands of biscuet, with bits of chicken and my food as treats.
On puppies plan it is quarter wet food 1 cup of small A1 per day … Do I half it to 2 times a day to keep at this amount daily …
Hi Isabel, our Customer team would be happy to help you with your puppy’s portions. Just send us an email at hello@tails.com with your details and we can take a closer look for you 💙
Hi, I have received my second order, but tried to no avail to change the wet food . JoJo is OK with the wet, but gets bored, I wanted a mix of different flavours to keep her interested and eat her kibble. Also, you increased the amount of kibble to over 4kg, I still had quite a lot left from previous supply, I don’t think she will eat all of this kibble either, can I reduce the next order by at least 2kg, that will give her time to eat what is there.
Kind regards
Diane G and JoJo
Hi Diane, our Customer team would be happy to help you with this. Just send us an email at hello@tails.com with your details and we can take a closer look for you 💙