Tuesday, July 18, 2006

Whelping and Breeding Dogs... Tips for Breeders from ThePetCenter.com.

Whelping and Breeding Dogs... Tips for Breeders from ThePetCenter.com.: "Weaning Puppies From Their Mother
Most breeders will not allow pups to nurse from the bitch longer than 5 weeks. They are introduced to a starter or weaning formula at about 24 days of age when the pups will be able to begin eating on their own. One of the best ways to wean puppies is to present them with a semi-liquid nourishment in a shallow pan such as a cookie baking sheet. Gently place the pups at the edge of the food, push their little chins into the food and they will smell it and begin to lick the mixture you prepared. It's really fun to watch them light up at their first taste of puppy formula! Once they get a taste of the food they usually consume it in earnest. This process of starting on puppy weaning formula can begin at three weeks of age and within a week they will be looking for that special treat we call puppy food! Gradually thicken the formula with ground up dry puppy food or begin adding canned puppy food to their weaning mixture. By five weeks of age they should be eating four meals a day of a high quality puppy food. You can break up kibble so it is smaller than packaged or soak it a bit in warm water to soften. It is a good idea to get pups acquainted with both canned and dry food. Some suggested starter formulas will be displayed here soon.
NOTE! Always have fresh and clean water available. Introduce the pups to the water dish as you did to the puppy weaning formula."

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