The first thing that comes to mind after adopting your Jack Russell puppy is what to feed my puppy? Going back to its natural state, wild dog puppies in general tend to eat the carcass of other animals when they are around 7 to 8 weeks old. This is also the time that they naturally wean off their mother's milk. Jack Russell puppies in general tend to wean off their mother's milk at around 8 to 12 weeks.
As puppies tend to grow much faster than adult dogs, you will have to make sure that you feed them the right amount of food so that their body can make use of the food for their proper growth. However you should also not over feed your puppy as you may inadvertently stretch their small stomach. It is recommended that you feed your Jack Russell puppy four times a day until he is about 16 weeks old. Then reduce it to 3 times a day until he is 6 months old. After that you can feed him twice a day.
You can choose many different types of feed for you puppy such as complete dry diets, semi-moist or tinned food with or without a biscuit mixed or your own home-made food. What you choose depends on your life style. Some people may be so busy that they really have to go for commercial food. However the most suitable diet should be one that is easily digested and produce dark brown, firm, formed stools.
The critical time is when your puppy is between 4 to 6 months old when he is teething. This is the time when you introduce raw meaty bones to him to help him to chew actively. Many owners are not aware of this and they often end up with teething issues which may need additional effort to correct. The chewing also helps to keep his teeth and gums healthy.
When you introduce raw bones, it should be done on a gradual basis. Make sure that the bone is not too small so that it can fit into his mouth or swallow the whole bone. This could cause him to choke. You can provide him raw lamb ribs, raw lamb flaps, raw chicken wings or raw lamb tail bones.
If you decide to change your puppy's diet, make sure that you do it gradually so as not to upset your puppy's stomach. Also be on the lookout for food that may cause problems as your puppy may be intolerant to a certain kind of food or ingredients in the food.
Follow the simple guidelines on what to feed your puppy and make sure that you monitor your puppy carefully especially if you are changing his diet to ensure a healthy and proper growth.
Darlene Browne is an avid lover of dogs and in particular Jack Russell terriers. Her website [http://www.JackRussellAdvice.com] was initially created at the request from her other dog loving friends for her to share her experience and resources related to dog training. You can get more information on what to feed your puppy [http://www.jackrusselladvice.com/what-to-feed-puppy/] here.
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