Puppies are a wonderful addition to any family. They are fun, great playmates for children and the best companions ever for adults. They provide entertainment and enhance your lifestyle in so many ways. But adopting a puppy is also a learning curve!
You have to puppy-proof both your home and garden to ensure they are safe and can’t hurt themselves or escape. They need their own space in the home. There is toilet training and general training to ensure they understand basic commands. A well-trained puppy grows into a well-socialized dog that you can take places. There is also the question from proper diet to ensure they grow big and strong and ultimately maintain a proper weight. And the correct exercise program.
If there are children in the household, they have to be taught how to respect and play with their new addition. Your puppy needs a toy box too filled with action, distraction and comfort toys. Then there is regular grooming with the right tools even if she goes to the groomer on a regular basis. The list goes on and on.
Recently, I was invited by Purina Dog Chow to take a virtual tour of their new website called Puppyhood.com, which is designed to address all these important topics and more.
“Sniffing around” was actually a lot of fun because the information is pertinent and presented in both an easy-to-read – and remember style.
For example, here’s content from the article on puppy feeding guidelines:
- DO feed your puppy three times a day—morning, mid-day, and night—for the first six months. For older puppies check the product label to determine the appropriate food amount. Sometimes twice a day is enough.
- DO consult the feeding recommendations on the packaging of your puppy food.
- DO be sure to feed your puppy his last meal of the day early enough that he can digest and still go outside to relieve himself (around 5 p.m.).
- DO feed your puppy a healthy, well-balanced food designed specifically for puppies (such as Purina Puppy Chow). Note that puppy food has a different balance of nutrients vs. calories to help them grow.
- DO wean your puppy from wet to dry food. Puppies start to nibble on solid foods at 3-4 weeks of age. Keep moistened puppy food (three parts kibble to one part water) available to him at all times until fully weaned (6-8 weeks of age).
- Don’t ignore your puppy’s body condition, behavior, and waste. He should be playful and energetic and have a thick, shiny coat. But just because he’ll always be eager to eat doesn’t necessarily mean you need to feed him more.
- DON’T feed your dog puppy food longer than is necessary. By one year, many dogs should be eating adult dog food, though some need to go longer on puppy food.
For me, the best part of having this info in concise easy-to-access format is that you can refer to certain topics and issues from anywhere at any time.
The Puppy Diaries
The website also has an option to set up a profile for your puppy so that you can track and record his progress to adulthood.
While you are about it, consider creating your own memory box and save your puppy’s first collar, hair from the first grooming session and favorite puppy toy when its been chewed up and no longer safe for play. You can even record his puppy barks so see how her bark will change as he gets older.
(This post was sponsored by Purina Dog Chow but they are not responsible for the content of the this post which is based on my personal opinion.)
If your cat loves to drink water from a running tap, consider getting a drinking fountain for her. Cats in the wild drink running water and a pet drinking fountain recreates this in the home.