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By 3 to 4 weeks of age the
puppy is teething. This begins to hurt mom. She will
begin weaning the pups. This is where her work
ends and yours begins.
In the wild, weaning begins naturally as
soon as the puppies start to develop their teeth at three to four
weeks of age. Suckling then irritates or hurts the mother who will
move away and leave her puppies for longer and longer periods.
Natural weaning involves the female dog vomiting her food and the
puppies consuming the vomitus. Many pets will also do this and cause
concern to owners. It is usually a natural maternal function and
nothing to be worried about.
Once the puppies reach 4-6 weeks or have
become brave enough to investigate beyond their den, it's time to
add a puppy food. Weaning them onto one of the complete puppy
foods (which are available in dry and canned forms) ensures balanced
nutrition.
Weaning happens when the puppy is old enough to take
care of itself; this happens four to six weeks after the puppy is
born. After this the female dog begins to drift away from the
puppies so that less go to her to be breast fed, until she doesn't
even let them get close to her teats.
Usually 3-4 weeks,
the mom will begin to regurgitate food for the puppies - this
is a good sign that you can start offering them their own
food.
Fill a shallow dish with
puppy food and add enough water to soften it making it the
consistency of oatmeal. In order to serve it, pour warm water
on the food. I gradually increase until they are
leaving food, then cut back a bit. At the time of weaning they
should be fed small amounts often, approximately four to six times a
day. By the time they are ready to be weaned from the mother,
they should be receiving about four meals a day. By the age of three
months, the quantity can be increased and the frequency reduced to
about three meals a day. Most breeds then progress to two meals a
day at the age of six to nine months.
Day by day you will
decrease the additional water until the puppies are eating solid
puppy food.
 Mommys'
Health
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