Nutrition
At Terrier Paws, we believe that a well-balanced diet is essential for the health and well-being of your puppy.
We take great care in recommending a diet that caters to the specific nutritional needs of your puppy’s breed and age.
Our top food picks include high-quality dry kibble, wet food as a supplement raw diet considerations, and special treats.
We strongly advise consulting with a veterinarian before opting for a raw diet to ensure a balanced diet that prevents nutritional deficiencies and promotes optimal health for your furry friend.
Maintaining good nutrition habits for your puppy is crucial for their overall health. To ensure your is on the right track, it is recommended to follow these guidelines:
– Establish a consistent feeding schedule of three to four times a day establish a routine.
– Proper portion control is essential to avoid overfeeding. Following the feeding guide on the food package is recommended and adjusting as necessary based on your puppy’s activity level and growth.
– Always provide fresh water and change it daily to encourage hydration.
– It is advised to avoid giving your puppy human food, as many human foods can be unhealthy and even dangerous for dogs. Stick to dog-specific foods unless advised otherwise by your veterinarian.
– Regular check-ups with your veterinarian are essential to catch any potential dietary issues early and ensure your puppy is on the right
Feeding Schedule
Everyone usually asks me about the feeding schedule. Our vet recommends we leave food out for the puppies all the time when we have the whole litter here with us. We don’t want anyone getting bullied out and not getting enough to eat! But once you get him/her home, you want to put her on a routine schedule with eating.
Feeding 2-3 times a day is recommended, but just try to do the same schedule every day for the most part. Do what works for you, if 3 times a day is not feasible, then do 2. But do something that you can stick to consistently!
As far as the amount goes, puppies grow SO FAST, you are supposed to go with the amount on the back of the bag that gives the puppies weight, and change it as they grow. So go with that amount, divided into the amount of times a day you feed. Airedale puppies are usually around 8-11 lbs. at 8 weeks old, Welsh puppies are usually around 4-6 lbs. at 8 weeks.
Feeding your dog on a consistent schedule every day gives you a chance every day to have their full attention on you when you can work with them on some training and manners while you have their undivided attention as they wait to be fed.
Why feed on a consistent schedule?
For a puppy, putting them on a feeding schedule is VERY VERY helpful, TO them AND MOSTLY TO YOU!! For one thing, it’s very helpful when initially housetraining, because it allows you to know when they are “full” and “empty”. I recommend keeping track of how long it takes them after eating to go to the bathroom, you can literally put them on a bowel schedule (of course it may vary a little, but it gives you an idea, especially at first).
Second, a HUGE part of training a dog, especially a smart dog like an Airedale welsh, or Lakeland is being the alpha. For dogs, being the provider of food is definitely something they look UP to you as. Take advantage of this!! Once they figure out that they are about to be fed is an opportune time to work on training them a little bit and just general manners. You have their full attention multiple times every day and they want their reward (food!).
Airedales, Welshs, and Lakelands are all smart enough that once you get them house-trained and trained in general a lot of people leave food out for them all the time. That is fine, they are smart dogs and won’t generally overeat. But it’s very helpful to use feeding time as a great tool in that first year or so.
