How to Make Puppies Eat

Puppies are playful and full of energy, so it may take some trial and error in getting your puppy to eat properly. When getting your puppy to eat, you̵7;ll need to know how to wean the puppy, what type of food to provide and how to schedule feedings. Within 10 days of starting the weaning process, your puppy should be eating his first completely solid meal.

  1. Weaning

    • Before 4 weeks of age, your puppy should receive the nutrients of its mother's milk and shouldn't be weaned until after this age. If for some reason a newborn puppy does not have access to its mother's milk, check with a veterinarian to learn the proper way to offer an alternative. Once your puppy reaches the age of weaning, get it used to chewing on something solid by giving it a chew toy. Begin introducing solid food little by little.The Pet Education website states that you should transition a puppy to solid food in a span of 7 to 10 days, with the 10th day being the first day the puppy's diet is 100 percent solid food.

    Choosing Puppy Food

    • Give your puppy kibble food rather than moist or semi-moist puppy foods, which contain high amounts of salt, sugar and water. Kibble food contains only 9 to 11 percent water. Go for the best brands and avoid economy brands made from cheap ingredients and poorer proteins. A high-quality brand will contain natural ingredients and a high amount of protein, calcium, phosphorous and omega-3 fatty acids. While training your puppy to eat, do not continually offer it treats. The Pet Education site recommends giving a puppy no more than 10 percent of its caloric intake in treats. Also avoid table scraps, which do not contain the balanced nutrition that puppies need.

    Scheduling

    • Your puppy's feeding times will likely be dictated by your own schedule. If you are going to be away from home during the day, do not simply leave food out for your puppy; feed it when you can be there to monitor. Feed your puppy at the same times every day to get it used to a schedule. If you purchased or adopted your puppy from a pet store or home, find out what foods were being fed to it and at what times so that you can continue on the same schedule. Puppies younger than six months should eat three times a day, and puppies over this age should eat twice a day. Allow your puppy 60 to 90 minutes of down time after eating instead of playing with it right away, which could cause digestive upset.

    Feeding Methods

    • Allow your puppy to eat on its own. Simply guide it to the bowl or plate and allow it to smell the food. The puppy will instinctively taste the food. You can hold a piece of the kibble to the puppy's mouth to encourage tasting. However, do not do this too often or your puppy will get used to hand feeding. Measure out your puppy̵7;s food, giving it less than what̵7;s recommended on the back of the dog food bag. Start with half the recommended amount; if your puppy is still hungry, increase the amount of food little by little. But never exceed what is recommended on the bag. Contact your veterinarian to find out exactly how much food your puppy̵7;s breed should eat.