By the time you adopt your puppy, they should be eating solid food. Feeding a high-quality puppy kibble is important to ensure proper development.

What type of food? – A puppy kibble formula that contains: AFCO feed test statement, Ingredient list, Guaranteed analysis, NOT grain free

Does breed size matter? – Yes! Food for small breeds has smaller kibble size, so is easier for them to chew. Medium breed pups do well on a regular puppy food. Large/giant breed dogs should definitely eat a large/giant breed dog food. It is also important to keep large/giant breed dogs slim during puppyhood to prevent them from growing too quickly or becoming obese – this can cause joint problems.

How long do I feed it? – We want dogs to stay on puppy food until full skeletal maturity is reached. This is usually around 1yr for most dogs, but 18mo for giant breed dogs.

What about supplements? – Avoid the use of supplements in puppies. We want their diet to be balanced (achieved through puppy food) – providing more vitamins/minerals than they need can cause growth abnormalities.

Protein – Once you pick a puppy food, look to see what the primary protein source is. Try to stick to this protein source for the dog’s life to help avoid the development of allergies.

Training is a HUGE topic – so we will not go into too much detail here. However, your vet team would love for you to include the following in your training regime to help make future vet visits a success:

Familiarize your pup with the clinic – stop by and get a treat, and practice standing on the scale.

Practice being restrained on their side – we need to lay dogs on their side for many procedures, it is helpful when dogs are already comfortable with this.

The practice physical exam – practice touching paws, legs, tail, ears, mouth, and pressing on your pup’s belly. Be gentle and offer lots of treats! It will make vet visits more pleasant for you, your dog, and the vet!

Puppies should be vaccinated for their own health, as well as for public health and safety. Typical vaccination protocol is as follows:

Distemper, Adenovirus Type 2, Parvovirus (DAP) – 8, 12, 16 weeks, then every 3 years.

Rabies – 16 weeks, 1 year, then every 3 years.

Bordetella (aka kennel cough) – annually (if needed)

This is very important to do regularly in puppies, as they are often loaded with round worms:

If the concern for internal parasites is low, or there are no young, old, or immunocompromised individuals in your home, your vet may deworm at each vaccine visit, and then 1-2 times annually.

If there is more risk, puppies can be dewormed every 2 weeks.