How old should a puppy be on puppy food?

Kristina B: How old should a puppy be on puppy food?
I have a westie/shitzu puppy and she is about 7 months. When should i start feeding her regular dog food? And how do I get my older dog from eating the puppys food?

Answers and Views:

Answer by sophylakes
they should all be eating adult food NOW

Answer by Jennifer L
Usually on the back of the puppy food bag they give instructions on ages and weights and how much to feed, at least they have that on my dog food bags ( I feed science diet), so you should start there. As for getting your older dog to not eat the puppy food, try feeding them in different rooms or if you have to at different times.

Answer by abbyful
She can start eating adult food now. Toy breeds typically switch from puppy to adult food around 7-8 months of age.

(The “1 year = adult” rule for transitioning from puppy to adult food is just the average. Small breeds can go on adult food 7-8 months. Medium breeds switch around 1 year. Large breeds switch 12-16 months. Giant breeds are often never on puppy food, they get adult food from the start.)

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Check this website for good foods: https://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/
(I recommend only feeding foods rated 4, 5, or 6 stars. Anything 3 stars or less, I would stay away from.)

https://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/
https://www.dogfoodproject.com/
.

Answer by stormhasit
I switched mine to regular food at about a yr old. As for the other dogs eating the pups food – all mine only eat in thier own crates. There is no sharing allowed! If you only feed them in thier own “space” and teach them they are not to eat out of anybody elses bowls it is much better… you are better able to notice if one is not eating as much as usual or maybe one has a special diet… there are many reasons I don’t let mine share.

Answer by Melissa M
Your puppy should start eating dog food at about a year old . You should feed the puppy in one room and the older dog in different room .

Answer by Dog Trainer
A puppy should be on a puppy formula until 1 year of age. Feed your dogs at the same time and at different areas of the room. Monitor their feeding until they are done. My dogs are required to sit at their food dish until I say they can even eat!

You might want to try adding a little wet food to the dry, or some chicken liver to encourage them to eat quickly. We have one dog that has to have meds and we add it to his kibble. So we puree cooked chicken livers and add a little to the dry kibble. The dogs love it and devour their food quickly!

Answer by Dog Lover ♥
A puppy is considered an adult when they are one year, or 12 months old. So you can continue feeding her puppy food until then. When your dogs eat should be on a schedule. Have them eat separately and they won’t steal each other’s food.

Answer by Karen S
I would not be alarmed at her eating puppy food still yet but soon you must change over due to the fact that puppy food is extremely high in protein! This will cause your dog to gain too much weight and then you are dealing with weight problems. If you have a very active dog they are probably burning off the excess protein now but that will change. A year is a good age to wean them off of puppy food.

As for the other dogs, you just have to watch them when you feed the younger one. Try putting her food in a place where only a smaller dog can get. Otherwise you just have to pay attention to them when feeding them. Hope this helps.

Answer by shawna k
My vet told me to switch from puppy to adult food at 12 months old. But some dog foods are for puppies and adults. You may want to ask your vet before you take her off the puppy food.

Answer by nickle
she should already be on the dog food

Answer by Sally M
Generally speaking a dog should be on puppy food for the first year. Gradually add adult food until he is used to it. You have to feed it in a seperate room or in a puppy cage if other dogs steal the food. I have a greedy thief of a dog who steals from my other three and from bins! She even eats mouldy bread. Disgusting!