When a pet as endearing as a German shepherd puppy comes into our home, we immediately and naturally turn our affection and affection towards it. All dogs, puppies and adults, need to feel loved; but German Shepherds are a breed that is especially sensitive and receptive to our displays of affection.
They are very intelligent and emotional dogs at the same time. They need to feel like full members of a family; a human herd in which they have a place, even if it is the last. However, sometimes our displays of affection are wrong. A clear example is when we feed our puppy excessively, or with unsuitable foods, which, despite liking them a lot, harm their he alth.
If you continue reading this article on our site, we will show you the main keys to feeding a German Shepherd puppy.
Newborn German Shepherd
For a German shepherd to develop in a harmonious and he althy way, it is essential that he sucks from his mother the colostrums, in first, and then the rich mother's milk. It is convenient for the puppy to be fed with mother's milk until 6 - 8 weeks of age.
The importance of colostrums is enormous, as they provide the puppy with 90% of hisnatural defences. They also help the blood to flow correctly throughout the puppy's body and his organs to be properly oxygenated
In the event that for any reason the puppy cannot be suckled by its mother, it will never be given cow's or goat's milk, which is very poor compared to dog's milk. In this case, the veterinarian will prescribe special milk formulas, suitable for the type of puppy in question and its dose. It will not be exactly the same for a chihuahua as for a German shepherd, for example, both dogs have different nutritional needs.
Weaned German Shepherd
From 3 - 4 weeks, the German shepherd puppy should begin to try new flavors, apart from mother's milk. Basically it will consist of them licking some type of porridge or special wet feed for puppies. Later, around 6 - 8 weeks, between feedings of the mother's milk, she will be given a little dry feed moistened with water.
From the eighth week the German shepherd should be weaned and start his totally solid feeding with special types of feed for puppies and if they are specific to the particular breed, much better. The veterinarian must set the ideal intake schedule, amounts and types of feed suitable for the German Shepherd puppy. Milk should be removed from your diet as it will cause diarrhea. It is vital that puppies always have clean water and enough to drink.
Solid food for a German shepherd puppy
Dry food will be washed away reducing hydration with water (or plain chicken broth) until the puppy gets used to eat it completely dry.
The usual thing from weaning to 4 months is for the puppy to eat 4-5 times a day, but with one very important caveat: discipline. The puppy will have to get used to the fact that his ration will remain in the bowl for 10 minutes. Enough time to eat it entirely. After this time, the dish should be removed, even if there are still traces of feed. In this way the puppy will be educated to be attentive when it is time to eat, and he will not be able to get distracted if he does not want to stay hungry.
Accepting the order of things will be very important for the puppy's intellectual development, and later it will facilitate more complex and demanding training. Food for German Shepherd puppies should have more calories, fat, protein and more calcium than food for adult dogs.
Food for a German shepherd puppy from 4 months
From 4 months to 6 months, the number of meals will be reduced to 3 times a day Obviously we will increase the number, and We will also give you 2 more minutes of margin so that you can eat it all without being overwhelmed. The convenient quantities for the dog's age and weight are on the feed containers. If in doubt, consult your veterinarian.
Eventually we will mix fresh food (meat, fish or vegetables), with the dry feed. These foods should always be cooked, never raw. They should not be given splinterable bones (chicken and rabbit), or fish with bones. We will use wet feed restrictively, since they produce tartar and foul-smelling feces. Treats, on the other hand, should only be used as a positive reinforcement for their learning, never as a food supplement.
Under no circumstances should we give them leftover food, since s alt, sugar and other condiments are very harmful to our dog's he alth. Furthermore, if we did, the only thing we would achieve would be to turn our German shepherd into a begging dog that would bother us during our meals. Discover on our site the prohibited foods for dogs and avoid them at all costs.
Feeding the German Shepherd from 6 months
When our German Shepherd puppy is 6 months old, food intake should be reduced to 2 times a day, proportionally increasing the quantityand also slightly the eating time.
The vet will give us the correct and specific dietary guidelines for our dog. The fact that it is male or female and the puppy leads a more active life or less, will influence the type of feed and the daily amount.
It will be convenient that from the age of 6 months we give our German shepherd puppy shatterproof bones such as calf's knee, so that it gnaws and strengthens its teeth and gums.
The hygiene of the feeder and drinker
The containers for our puppy's food and drink must be always clean. Hygiene is important so that insects that can produce intestinal parasites in our German shepherd puppy do not come.
If you notice that your baby German Shepherd does not eat three times in a row, take him to the vet. It is likely that he has ingested something that causes an intestinal blockage or stomach pain. Do not forget that puppies are very sensitive and weak living beings. Allowing too much time to pass before the symptoms of illness can be very serious and detrimental to your life.
German Shepherd puppy - More information
German Shepherd puppies must be socialized and trained from the first day they live with us. They must be obedient and open-minded in order for them to learn the great we alth of things that they are capable of doing.
All this will be achieved more easily through proper nutrition and exercises according to their development. The harmony between exercise, food and affection will ensure that we enjoy a he althy, balanced and happy German shepherd dog.
Discover also on our site…
- Training a German Shepherd
- Differences between German Shepherd and Belgian Shepherd
- Exercise for a German Shepherd
- German Shepherd Curiosities
